About
About David
With a career spanning over 15 years in the SaaS and data
sectors, David Yan has established himself as a leader adept
at steering high-growth companies through complex financial
landscapes. As the CFO of Treez since 2019, David has played a
critical role in shaping the company into a key player in the
$12B US cannabis market, overseeing substantial commerce
transactions through their innovative platform.
David’s professional journey is marked by his tenure at
Womply, where, as VP of Finance, he led strategic and
financial planning, fortifying the company’s position in the
SaaS data platform and small business software realm. His
strategic acumen was further demonstrated at Wrike, where he
rose to the VP of Finance role, significantly contributing to
its successful acquisition by Vista Equity Partners.
His earlier roles at Twitter, ForeScout Technologies,
Synopsys, Adchemy, and KPMG US have honed his skills in
internal financial reporting, technical accounting, and IPO
preparedness, making him a versatile finance leader. David
holds a BS in Business Administration from San Jose State
University, with a dual focus on Corporate Finance and
Marketing, complemented by comprehensive accounting
knowledge.
David’s career reflects a commitment to excellence, combining
strategic vision with operational prowess to drive growth and
innovation. His current role at Treez is a testament to his
ability to navigate and lead in dynamic, evolving industries.
About Treez
Treez is the leading enterprise cloud commerce platform
providing point of sale software, retail analytics, cashless
payments and integrated partner solutions to the highest
volume retail operators in the biggest state markets in the
cannabis industry. Treez's innovative technology and insights
help retailers streamline their growth, increase their ROI,
and drive efficiency in their operations.
The extensible open API platform provides smooth integration
into a variety of best-of-breed solutions...
across ecommerce, delivery, customer relationship
management, marketing and loyalty, accounting, ERP and more.
Layered on top is a dedicated client success team and 24/7
customer support, giving retailers everything they need to
grow their business.
more
Show Notes
Show Notes
In this conversation, David Yan, CFO of Trees, shares his
journey from KPMG to the corporate finance side and eventually
to the cannabis industry. He discusses his experience at
various companies and the challenges and opportunities he
encountered along the way. David also provides insights into
the state regulations in the cannabis industry and the funding
landscape for companies in this space. He participates in a
quick-fire game where he compares different metrics of Trees,
Wrike, and Rike. Further, David discusses the evolution of the
role of the CFO and the characteristics of a modern CFO. He
emphasizes the importance of being forward-thinking and acting
as the nexus point between a company's strategy, capital
investment, operations, and people. David also explores how
advanced technology and data analytics have transformed the
finance function, and he shares insights on fostering a
culture of innovation and accountability within a team. He
provides advice for new CFOs on their first 100 days and
offers guidance for young professionals aspiring to become
CFOs.
Takeaways
...
-
Transitioning from a traditional finance role to corporate
finance can provide a broader perspective and operating
experience.
-
The cannabis industry is highly regulated at the state
level, which presents unique challenges and opportunities
for companies operating in this space.
-
Investor sentiment towards the cannabis industry has
evolved over time, with traditional investors now showing
interest and conducting due diligence.
-
Metrics such as gross profit, payback, average revenue per
customer, LTV to CAC, and churn can vary across companies
depending on their business models and target markets. The
role of the CFO has evolved to be more forward-thinking
and strategic, acting as the nexus point between a
company's strategy, capital investment, operations, and
people.
-
Advanced technology and data analytics have transformed
the finance function, enabling CFOs to gain insights and
make informed decisions.
-
Fostering a culture of innovation and accountability
within a team requires investing in people's development,
encouraging problem-solving, and aligning decisions with
the company's overall business objectives.
-
In the first 100 days as a CFO, it is important to
understand the business, build relationships with
colleagues, prioritize key issues, and communicate a
roadmap for the finance function.
-
Young professionals aspiring to become CFOs should focus
on developing a solid grounding in finance fundamentals,
understanding the company's strategy, and how it
operationally meets its goals.
more
Quotes
Quotes
“My main interest area was really just understanding all the
different challenges companies were going through.”
“If you ultimately want to influence the strategy of business
and you want to influence the outcomes of the company then
going to have to get into the operations, you going to have to
understand the strategy, you have to go down into the model,
you have to go down into how you actually affect change and
decision making into the company.”
“Putting yourself outside of your comfort zone as many times
as you can in the first five years of your career is
tremendously valuable.”
“(Understand) how much trust you can put in people and what
your role is in making sure that your team succeeds.”
“(Definition of Modern CFO) to really being the nexus point
between the company strategy, it’s capital investments, as
well as operations, and people.”
“Ultimately, the role of the CFO is making sure the company
can see around the corner in all aspects.”
“Once the capital is gone, it doesn’t come back.”
“I think of it as a pyramid in that at the very bottom layer,
you have to have the finance operations. If you don't have
that, you're not going to have the accounting. If you don't
have the accounting, you're not going to have data integrity.
And if you don't have data integrity, you're not going to be
able to do financial planning. And if you don't...
have the financial planning, and then above the financial
planning is analytics and insights. So, you really have to
create a team and navigate systems and data that can meet
the maturity of your business.”
“It's not about raw data. It's about insights. So, you have
to start with what insights you need to run the business one
year forward or a little bit more, again depending on your
scale, and work backward into what systems, what processes,
and what team structure would best help you get to that
state.”
“You want to understand as quickly as you can, what you can
do to help the company see around the corner.”
more
Lightening Round
Lightening Round
Sweet or Savory
Savory 
Books or Podcasts
Books 
Thinker or Doer
Doer 
Introvert or Extrovert
Introvert 
Scotch or Wine
Wine 
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How does someone impress you?
Authenticity
If not a CFO, what would you be?
Something around Strategic Marketing
If you could be CFO of any company for a day, which company
would you choose?
Treez itself
What is your ideal place to retire?
The Bay Area
If you could teleport yourself right now, where would you go
and why?
I would go back to when my parents were born
Who is your role model?
My father
One thing that can make you 10x more productive?
ChatGPT
