Month: September 2026
How Startups Can Forecast Cash Runway When Milestones Change with Sandi Klemann (Ep. 17)

How Startups Can Forecast Cash Runway When Milestones Change with Sandi Klemann (Ep. 17)

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What happens when your startup’s milestones keep changing, and every change affects your cash runway and funding needs?

Sometimes the answer starts with building something better for your own clients.

In this episode, James Knapp speaks with Sandi Klemann, Founder and CEO of Fractional Finance Solutions, about leaving corporate finance, building a fractional CFO practice, and turning an Excel forecasting model into software. Sandi explains how startup milestones affect cash runway, funding needs, and scenario planning, along with the thinking behind Forekestra. 

They also explore transparency in financial leadership, learning from failure, trusting your instincts, and anticipating business risks before they become urgent.

Sandi discusses:

  • How an unexpected career comment helped reinforce her decision to build a business on her own terms
  • Why early-stage companies need clear forecasts for cash runway, funding needs, and changing milestones
  • How a complex Excel forecasting model eventually became an interactive financial software platform
  • Why transparency, accountability, and solution-focused thinking can strengthen financial leadership
  • How trusting your instincts and learning from failures can help you keep moving when others doubt an idea
  • And more!

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Connect with Sandi Klemann:

About Our Guest:

Sandi Klemann is the Founder and CEO of Fractional Finance Solutions, a specialized finance firm providing CFO leadership and financial infrastructure to early-stage medical device and life sciences companies. Sandi and her team partner with founders, CEOs, and boards to help companies navigate the financial complexities of development, fundraising, and growth.

Sandi specializes in capital strategy, milestone-driven forecasting, fundraising and transaction modeling, and translating complex development plans into financial strategies that support executive and board-level decision-making. Under her leadership, Fractional Finance Solutions also builds the finance and accounting infrastructure companies need to scale, manage risk, and withstand investor and transaction diligence.

After years of developing sophisticated financial models and systems for emerging life sciences companies, Sandi founded Forcestra, a financial technology company developing a purpose-built forecasting platform for the unique financial and operational needs of early-stage life sciences businesses.

Earlier in her career, Sandi held finance leadership roles at U.S. Bank and St. Jude Medical. Today, she brings the combined perspective of a CFO, entrepreneur, and operator, with deep experience helping emerging companies connect capital, strategy, and execution.

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Why Client Trust Still Wins in the Age of AI with Dudley Ryan (Ep. 16)

Why Client Trust Still Wins in the Age of AI with Dudley Ryan (Ep. 16)

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Technology can make communication easier, but it can’t replace the trust that grows through meaningful relationships and thoughtful guidance.

What keeps clients engaged over the long term? How do experienced advisors avoid analysis paralysis while helping families make difficult planning decisions?

In this episode, James Knapp sits down with attorney Dudley Ryan to discuss why personal relationships remain at the center of great financial and estate planning. They explore how trust is earned by solving real client problems, why curiosity leads to stronger planning, how AI can support but never replace professional judgment, and why understanding people often matters just as much as understanding tax law or legal strategy.

Key takeaways:

  • Building lasting client relationships requires consistent personal interaction, not only digital communication
  • Trust grows when advisors identify opportunities and help clients solve meaningful planning challenges
  • AI can organize information, but good advice still depends on complete facts and professional judgment
  • Estate planning succeeds when legal strategy considers family dynamics alongside technical planning
  • Great advisors continue learning while staying curious about every client’s unique goals
  • And more!

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Connect with Dudley Ryan:

About Our Guest:

Dudley Ryan is an attorney and retired CPA whose career spans decades of helping individuals, families, and business owners work through complex planning decisions. Based in St. Paul, Minnesota, his practice sits at the intersection of accounting and law, where he advises clients on estate administration, estate planning, charitable giving, business transitions, and other situations that require both legal and financial perspective. Throughout his career, Dudley has been known for helping professionals and families coordinate complex matters, asking thoughtful questions, and keeping the focus on practical solutions that reflect each client’s unique goals.

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