In this episode of Future Finance, hosts Paul Barnhurst and Glenn Hopper welcome Siqi Chen, founder and CEO of Runway, a finance platform built to help operators understand their business without needing a degree in finance. The discussion explores how traditional FP&A tools fall short, and why Runway is reimagining financial modeling by combining flexibility, design, and deeper thinking.

Siqi is the founder and CEO of Runway, a modeling platform designed for operators and finance professionals who need flexible, intuitive tools to manage business complexity. He previously served as CEO of Sandbox VR, VP of Product at Postmates, and Head of Product at Zynga. Siqi has also invested in over 100 startups, including Clubhouse, Amplitude, Pipe, and Italic. Early in his career, he worked at NASA, where he was awarded a Congressional Space Act Award while still in school for his work on the Mars Exploration Rover.

In this episode, you will discover:

• Why FP&A platforms often fail to replace spreadsheets for financial modeling.
• How Runway is addressing the core pains of collaboration, complexity, and data integration.
• Why flexibility and speed of thought matter more than workflow automation.
• How Siqi thinks about AI’s role in making finance tools more usable and accessible.
• A remarkable story of how a meme coin helped fund life-saving research for his daughter’s brain tumor.

Siqi shared his remarkable journey from NASA engineer and tech executive to founder of a finance platform built for modern operators. His experiences across product leadership, startup growth, and personal resilience highlight why tools like Runway are redefining how finance professionals think, plan, and collaborate. This episode is a must-listen for anyone looking to move beyond outdated systems and embrace a more flexible, human-centered approach to financial modeling and decision-making.

Follow Siqi:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/siqic/

Company - https://www.linkedin.com/company/runway/

Join hosts Glenn and Paul as they unravel the complexities of AI in finance:

Follow Glenn:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gbhopperiii

Follow Paul:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/thefpandaguy

Follow QFlow.AI:

Website - https://bit.ly/4i1Ekjg

Future Finance is sponsored by QFlow.ai, the strategic finance platform solving the toughest part of planning and analysis: B2B revenue. Align sales, marketing, and finance, speed up decision-making, and lock in accountability with QFlow.ai.

Stay tuned for a deeper understanding of how AI is shaping the future of finance and what it means for businesses and individuals alike.

In Today’s Episode:

[01:48] - Siqi’s Background

[04:41] - Runway Journey So Far

[07:11] - Approachable Finance Tools

[14:28] - UX & What Makes Runway Unique

[20:26] - Thinking Tool Idea

[24:28] - Excel Flexibility Trade-Offs

[33:46] - AI as a Financial Exoskeleton

[40:21] - The Meme Coin Surprise

[44:40] - Wrap-Up

In this episode of Future Finance, hosts Paul Barnhurst and Glenn Hopper welcome John Glasgow, the founder and CEO of Campfire. With backing from Y Combinator and Foundation Capital, Campfire is rethinking the general ledger using AI-powered workflows that streamline accounting and accelerate financial reporting. John shares his journey, his experience with traditional finance systems, and how Campfire is bringing AI to the forefront of finance transformation.

John is the founder and CEO of Campfire, a cutting-edge AI-powered ERP platform that redefines how finance teams manage the general ledger. With a career that spans strategic roles in companies like Adobe, Magento Commerce, and Buildcon, John’s expertise in finance and corporate development has helped shape his vision for the future of financial reporting. He shares insights on how his career led him to solve the pain points in the finance sector, particularly around outdated software and complex financial processes.

Expect to Learn:

• How AI is transforming finance systems, especially in accounting and financial reporting.
• The challenges of ERP implementation and how Campfire is tackling them with AI-powered solutions.
• Insights on getting closer to a “day zero” close and speeding up financial closing cycles.
• The evolution of the general ledger and how modern ERPs are rethinking traditional finance tools.

John offers practical insights and forward-thinking strategies for embracing AI in finance. If outdated systems and slow processes have been holding you back, this episode provides a refreshing look at how AI can drive efficiency and smarter decision-making in finance.

Follow John:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnglasgow/

Website - https://campfire.ai/

Join hosts Glenn and Paul as they unravel the complexities of AI in finance:

Follow Glenn:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gbhopperiii

Follow Paul:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/thefpandaguy

Follow QFlow.AI:

Website - https://bit.ly/4i1Ekjg

Future Finance is sponsored by QFlow.ai, the strategic finance platform solving the toughest part of planning and analysis: B2B revenue. Align sales, marketing, and finance, speed up decision-making, and lock in accountability with QFlow.ai.

Stay tuned for a deeper understanding of how AI is shaping the future of finance and what it means for businesses and individuals alike.

In Today’s Episode:

[00:23] - John’s Background

[01:34] - $35M Series A Announcement

[02:46] - Career Background & Campfire

[04:45] - Long-Term Vision & Career Decisions

[07:22] - Accelerating Financial Close

[12:05] - Modern Ledger vs. Legacy

In this episode of Future Finance, hosts Paul Barnhurst and Glenn Hopper welcome John Glasgow, founder and CEO of Campfire, a modern AI-native ERP system designed for finance teams. The discussion centers on why traditional ERPs are no longer meeting the needs of growing businesses and how Campfire is offering a new solution built with automation and finance-first design. John shares insights from his career in finance and explains how his own challenges inspired the creation of Campfire.

John is the founder and CEO of Campfire, an ERP platform developed for mid-sized and enterprise finance teams. With prior roles at Adobe and Invoice2Go, where he led strategic finance and corporate development, John has experienced firsthand the limitations of legacy ERP systems. Campfire, backed by Y Combinator and Foundation Capital, is rethinking the general ledger using AI to accelerate financial reporting, reduce manual work, and help finance professionals focus on strategic insights.

In this episode, you will discover:

• Why companies are replacing legacy ERPs like NetSuite and what they look for in a modern solution.
• What a modern general ledger looks like, and how AI can support, not replace finance teams.
• Why finance leaders need systems that enable real-time visibility and decision-making.
• How strategic accounting is becoming a core part of modern finance.

John shared his insightful journey from finance leader to founder, making this episode a must-listen for anyone interested in modernizing finance through technology. His experiences in building an AI-native ERP, tackling the challenges of traditional systems, and redefining the role of finance offer valuable lessons for professionals seeking to drive efficiency, accuracy, and strategic value in their organizations.

Follow John:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnglasgow/

Website - https://campfire.ai/

Join hosts Glenn and Paul as they unravel the complexities of AI in finance:

Follow Glenn:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gbhopperiii

Follow Paul:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/thefpandaguy

Follow QFlow.AI:

Website - https://bit.ly/4i1Ekjg

Future Finance is sponsored by QFlow.ai, the strategic finance platform solving the toughest part of planning and analysis: B2B revenue. Align sales, marketing, and finance, speed up decision-making, and lock in accountability with QFlow.ai.

Stay tuned for a deeper understanding of how AI is shaping the future of finance and what it means for businesses and individuals alike.

In Today’s Episode:

[04:36] - Career Journey & Inspiration

[06:35] - From Finance to Founder

[10:12] - Day-Zero Close & Real-Time Finance

[14:58] - Modern vs. Legacy Ledgers

[19:48] - The Case for a New ERP Tool

[23:14] - Campfire’s AI in Action

[28:20] - Key Differences: FP&A vs. Accounting

[31:17] - How to Humanize Finance

[35:08] - Wrap-Up & Takeaways