In this episode of The Forward Thinking CFO, host Stephen Aldridge is joined by Daniya Stewart - a former banker turned startup founder and now fractional CFO and advisor to early-stage businesses.
Daniya shares her fascinating journey from a 17-year career in renewable energy project finance to launching and scaling Phomo - a Vietnamese meal kit startup born in lockdown. She takes us behind the scenes of her founder experience: the initial idea sparked by missing her favourite lunch, raising over £300,000 in funding, securing retail interest from the likes of Selfridges and Whole Foods, and ultimately winding down the business after a tough fundraising environment in 2023.
Now running Valor Advisory, Daniya works with early-stage companies to help them build financially resilient business models - applying hard-earned lessons from her time as a founder and startup operator.
In this episode, Daniya and Stephen explore:
- What project finance taught her about startups
- Why she bootstrapped Phomo before seeking investment
- How she navigated capital raises through angel investors and crowdfunding
- The hard truths about D2C economics and retail pivots
- Her reflections on failure, survivorship bias and the power of sharing the full founder story
- The value she brings now as a fractional CFO to other founders on a mission
Daniya’s honesty, humour and insight make this a must-listen for anyone navigating the realities of growing an early-stage business.
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In this episode of The Forward Thinking CFO, host Stephen Aldridge is joined by Daniya Stewart - a former banker turned startup founder and now fractional CFO and advisor to early-stage businesses.
Daniya shares her fascinating journey from a 17-year career in renewable energy project finance to launching and scaling Phomo - a Vietnamese meal kit startup born in lockdown. She takes us behind the scenes of her founder experience: the initial idea sparked by missing her favourite lunch, raising over £300,000 in funding, securing retail interest from the likes of Selfridges and Whole Foods, and ultimately winding down the business after a tough fundraising environment in 2023.
Now running Valor Advisory, Daniya works with early-stage companies to help them build financially resilient business models - applying hard-earned lessons from her time as a founder and startup operator.
In this episode, Daniya and Stephen explore:
- What project finance taught her about startups
- Why she bootstrapped Phomo before seeking investment
- How she navigated capital raises through angel investors and crowdfunding
- The hard truths about D2C economics and retail pivots
- Her reflections on failure, survivorship bias and the power of sharing the full founder story
- The value she brings now as a fractional CFO to other founders on a mission
Daniya’s honesty, humour and insight make this a must-listen for anyone navigating the realities of growing an early-stage business.
In this episode of The Forward Thinking CFO, we speak with Mark Gilham, Director and Evangelist at Enable.
This unusual title has given Mark an opportunity to act both as an ambassador and a consultant for Enable simultaneously. At Enable, Mark helps businesses use rebates as a strategy to drive growth and trust between trading partners. By promoting their innovative software, he helps manufacturers, distributors, and retailers optimise the commercial value of their rebate programs.
Mark started out his career at major financial institutions Barclays Bank and Royal Bank of Canada where he qualified as a chartered accountant. From there he progressed to senior finance roles in the construction industry, most recently being at Grafton Group PLC for nearly a decade where he witnessed first-hand the strategic value of rebates. This has been a natural step for Mark, who has built his finance career from the ground up. After starting out in commercially orientated accountancy, he then moved into builders merchanting and private equity before focusing on rebate management.
With decades of experience under his belt, Mark is brimming with some expert advice that you definitely won’t want to miss.
In this compelling episode, you’ll discover:
The ins and outs of rebates, and how they affect different parts of the supply chain.
The benefits of modern financial software that is designed to manage contractual arrangements.
How to navigate financial trends in the current business climate to ensure growth and sustainability.
If you’re a CFO or entrepreneur wanting to take control of your rebate program, this episode will give you the insights and insider knowledge to maximise your potential.
If you would like to learn more about Mark’s work, take a look at his LinkedIn profile – https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-gilham-87617276/
And if you want to find out more about Enable, a collaborative rebate management platform, you can view their website here – https://enable.com/
You can also apply to join Enable's Rebate Community here - https://community.rebatestrategists.com/registrations/groups/65255
We’re keen to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please do get in touch at info@numeritas.co.uk with any feedback you have.
The Forward Thinking CFO
In this episode of The Forward Thinking CFO, host Stephen Aldridge is joined by Daniya Stewart - a former banker turned startup founder and now fractional CFO and advisor to early-stage businesses.
Daniya shares her fascinating journey from a 17-year career in renewable energy project finance to launching and scaling Phomo - a Vietnamese meal kit startup born in lockdown. She takes us behind the scenes of her founder experience: the initial idea sparked by missing her favourite lunch, raising over £300,000 in funding, securing retail interest from the likes of Selfridges and Whole Foods, and ultimately winding down the business after a tough fundraising environment in 2023.
Now running Valor Advisory, Daniya works with early-stage companies to help them build financially resilient business models - applying hard-earned lessons from her time as a founder and startup operator.
In this episode, Daniya and Stephen explore:
- What project finance taught her about startups
- Why she bootstrapped Phomo before seeking investment
- How she navigated capital raises through angel investors and crowdfunding
- The hard truths about D2C economics and retail pivots
- Her reflections on failure, survivorship bias and the power of sharing the full founder story
- The value she brings now as a fractional CFO to other founders on a mission
Daniya’s honesty, humour and insight make this a must-listen for anyone navigating the realities of growing an early-stage business.
