925-299-4450
CHRIS BURNS
Partner – Startups, Ecommerce/Internet/Saas, Rapid Growth
"A consulting CFO who helps companies solve financial challenges, realize opportunities and put financial plans in place to achieve strategic and financial goals."
Chris Burns’ more than 30 years of hands-on financial leadership helps him deliver increased shareholder value, growth in cash flow and profits to startup and established market leaders.
Chris earned his BS and MBA in Business Administration at UC Berkeley. His strong foundation in large public technology and CPG companies, including Oracle and Clorox, combined with twenty years of experience in industry leading global ecommerce, software and SaaS startups, developed Chris’ ability to bring hands-on financial leadership and partnership to CEO’s, boards, their investors and staff.
In his most previous company, Art.com, Chris was the financial leader for this global eCommerce start-up that grew from $16Million to $200Million in five years. Chris began leading a staff of three, when the company used QuickBooks and had no GAAP financials. Chris engaged the company’s first auditors and tax advisors, raised its’ first equity capital, implemented new financial systems and helped prepare the company for quick growth. Following the 2007-2009 recession, Chris helped to continue the company’s global growth while managing costs to weather the macroeconomic storms through 2010.
He was active in raising equity and debt capital, making acquisitions, expanding internationally, implementing MS Great Plains and later Oracle ERP’s and selling subsidiaries. Chris established strategic partners and vendors and helped the company save more than $35Million, positioning the company to scale and manage its growth responsibly and profitably. This startup was sold to Walmart in early 2019.
Chris enjoys working with inspiring entrepreneurs. He was the first financial partner to marketing teams at Clorox, controller for Craig Conway (ex-CEO Peoplesoft) and Marc Benioff (SalesForce founder/CEO) at Oracle, and VP Finance at one of Masayoshi Son’s (Softbank founder) companies. He applies the valuable lessons from successes and challenges faced to fuel his passion to helpstartups and companies at all stages of development.
510-290-8981
Paycheck Protection Program Loan Forgiveness: My 24 week covered period has ended or almost ended. What’s next? October 21, 2020
COVID-19 Start-Up and Small Business Update: My Paycheck Protection Program Application Is Submitted, What’s Next? April 13, 2020
COVID-19 Startup Update: Immediate Actions to Take March 26, 2020