Jay Sweeney Email & Phone Number

San Francisco Bay Area

United States

In my role as Chief Financial Officer at Trait Biosciences, I was integral in shaping the financialstrategy of this innovative biotechnology startup. My responsibilities included overseeingfinancial statement preparation, managing the general ledger, and ensuring compliance withGenerally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP).Key Accomplishments:● Financial System Overhaul: Implemented a new financial reporting system tostreamline operations and improve the accuracy of financial statements, which facilitatedbetter-informed strategic decisions.● Regulatory Compliance: Directed efforts to ensure full compliance with GAAP,maintaining the company’s financial integrity and upholding stakeholder trust.● Executive Leadership: Actively participated in executive management decisions,helping to steer the company through its initial growth phases while managing financialrisks and opportunities.● Financial Reporting: Led the monthly and quarterly financial reporting processes,enhancing transparency and consistency in financial communications to internal andexternal stakeholders.● Strategic Financial Leadership: As a CFO consultant, preparedconsolidated financial statement reports, board presentations, and was instrumental inthe finalization of a 5-year forecast in support of a $4 million Series A funding round.● Operational Efficiency: Identified areas for operational improvements andcost-efficiency, implementing changes that optimized financial performance withoutcompromising organizational objectives.● Comprehensive Financial Management: Oversaw all critical functions related toaccounting, finance, human resources, and board presentations, ensuringcomprehensive coverage and coherence in financial management practices.

San Francisco Bay Area

As the Senior Vice President of Finance and Board Appointed Treasurer at Sensei Ag, anAgTech company revolutionizing the agriculture industry, I led the financial strategy to supportour mission of enhancing global nutrition, food safety, and food security. Under the guidance offounders Larry Ellison and Dr. David Agus, I managed financial operations that facilitated thedeployment of advanced agricultural technologies.Key Accomplishments:● Finance Team Leadership: Established a top-tier finance department encompassingFP&A, Strategic Finance, and Accounting. This team was crucial in supporting allaspects of financial operations, including month-end closings, financial reporting, and taxcompliance.● Strategic Financial Planning: Crafted and managed the annual budget and strategicfinancial plans in collaboration with the management team, integrating KPIs andanalytics that significantly influenced operational and strategic decision-making.● Capital Fundraising: Successfully secured $222 million in funding from LawrenceInvestments for operational enhancements and strategic acquisitions, directly impactingcompany growth and expansion.● Acquisition Leadership: Oversaw the acquisition and integration of two majorgreenhouse facilities, expanding our production capabilities and enhancing our supplychain logistics.● Technology Implementation: Spearheaded the implementation of the NetSuite ERPsystem, which significantly improved manufacturing cost tracking and financial oversight,enhancing process efficiency across the company.● Innovative Product Development: Developed financial projections for a pioneeringSAAS Franchise Farm Model, which I presented to the board, showcasing potential newrevenue streams and business expansion opportunities.

San Mateo, California

At Crop One Holdings, a leader in vertical farming technology, I served as Corporate Controller,managing financial operations for a company that sets the standard in sustainable agriculture.With our operations both domestically and internationally, including a strategic joint venture withEmirates Flight Catering in Dubai, my role was pivotal in maintaining financial integrity andsupporting aggressive growth strategies.Key Accomplishments:● Financial Management and Oversight: Directed all aspects of financial management,including audits, compliance, and reporting, ensuring accuracy and transparency acrossall financial operations.● Operational Cost Efficiency: Played a crucial role in maintaining operational costs at25% to 50% lower than industry norms by implementing efficient capital managementstrategies and leveraging our advanced agricultural technologies.● Award Recognition Support: Supported initiatives that led to the receipt of the BestInnovation in Indoor Farming Award at the 2019 GFIA conference, by ensuring financialstrategies aligned with our innovative practices and technology deployment.● Strategic Financial Planning: Developed and executed financial strategies thatsupported sustained commercial production and growth, outpacing other vertical farmingcompanies in North America in terms of longevity and productivity.● ERP System Integration: Led the implementation of an enterprise resource planning(ERP) system that streamlined financial processes, enhancing data-drivendecision-making and operational efficiency.

Irvine, Ca

At Buy It Installed, Inc., I served as the Vice President of Finance & Operations, overseeing thefinancial and operational facets of a tech company leveraging an Artificial Empathy platform toautomate installation services. This role included direct reporting to the Founder and CEO and acomprehensive scope of financial and managerial responsibilities.Key Responsibilities:● Financial Oversight: Managed the preparation of all financial statements, handledpayment systems, and developed management information reports along with Boardreporting packages and 409A valuations.● Equity Administration: Oversaw the administration of the company's cap table andstock option expense accounting.● Tax Management: Directed all tax filings at federal, state, city, and franchise levels.● Operational Leadership: Provided oversight for product managers and softwareengineers in the development of a Contractor Marketplace.● Strategic Initiatives: Successfully led negotiations resulting in a buyout offer fromLowe's Corp valued at over $40 million.

Santa Monica, Ca

ProducePay offers various cash flow solutions allowing fresh produce farmers (growers) to be paid the day after they ship instead of 30-45 days later. Our cash flow solutions also benefit distributors by relieving the burden of providing advance payments to select growers. Additionally, our marketplace matches fresh-produce buyers with sellers creating new trading relationships and helping companies compete and grow.As the first finance hire at ProducePay, a fintech startup providing innovative cash flow solutionsfor the agriculture sector, I held the position of Controller, directly reporting to the CFO. Imanaged all aspects of accounting, finance, and human resources.Key Responsibilities:● Financial Leadership: Took charge of comprehensive financial operations, includingpreparation of financial statements and active participation in securing $7 million inSeries A funding.● Equity and Valuations Management: Handled equity administration including cap tablemanagement and stock option expense accounting, alongside managing 409Avaluations.● Tax Oversight: Oversaw all tax filings across federal, state, city, and franchise levels,ensuring compliance and accuracy in all financial reporting.

San Francisco, California, United States

During my tenure as Head of Finance and Controller at StyleSeat, an online platform for beautyand wellness services, I was instrumental in streamlining financial processes and supportingstrategic initiatives. I collaborated closely with the founder and leadership team to enhancefinancial and operational performance.Key Responsibilities:● Strategic Financial Management: Led the preparation of month-end financialstatements and forecasts, presenting critical financial insights to the founder to aid indecision-making.● Financial Oversight: Managed comprehensive financial operations, ensuring accuracyand compliance in financial reporting and forecasting.● Revenue Optimization: Introduced SaaS model for Beauty Salons● Contract and Negotiation: Implemented Ecommerce contracts forshipment of salon and beauty products

Oakland, Ca

Terraboost Media®, founded in 2007, is a Miami, Fla.-based advertising company with regional offices in Chicago, New York and San Francisco, operating a media network of more than 55,000 patented hand sanitizing billboards in all major markets throughout the United States. Terraboost has six models of its dispensers to accommodate diverse high-traffic consumer locations including grocery stores, malls, specialty retail, airports and drug stores and feature both digital and static billboards. With significant reach and critical mass of over 30 billion consumer impressions per year, Terraboost has created a powerful place-based advertising network.Key Responsibilities:● Financial System Transformation: Guided the transition from a cash-based to anaccrual accounting system, improving the accuracy and timeliness of financial reporting.● Monthly Close Process Optimization: Refined the monthly close process, enhancingefficiency and providing more timely insights into financial performance.● Supply Chain Financial Management: Developed and implemented strategies tooptimize supply chain costs, improving overall cost management and operationalefficiency.● Inventory Management Enhancement: Oversaw improvements in warehouseinventory management and tracking, ensuring more accurate and reliable data fordecision-making.● Strategic Financial Consulting: Delivered comprehensive financial consulting servicesthat supported key operational changes, contributing to the company’s ability to manageits rapid growth and scale operations effectively.

Stanford

At Vidality.com, a dynamic internet startup, I served as an Advisor, fulfilling roles as ChiefStrategy Officer and Product Manager, where I spearheaded the strategic and operationalfoundations necessary for rapid business growth and technological innovation.Key Responsibilities:● Strategic Leadership: Developed and executed comprehensive business strategiesand plans, significantly contributing to the startup’s market entry and positioning.● Operational Architecture: Established robust operational processes and tools,enhancing the startup's capacity to scale efficiently and effectively.● Resource Management: Directed the recruitment and organization of top-tierengineering talent from renowned institutions such as Stanford, Berkeley, CarnegieMellon, and MIT, effectively meeting the startup’s early-stage human resource needs.● Content and Service Development: Managed the development of online content andservices, ensuring the startup's offerings were competitive and compelling.● Startup Bootstrapping: Actively involved in bootstrapping activities, placing highlyskilled engineers into Bay Area startups, which facilitated rapid product development andmarket readiness

Frienfinder Networks is a premier social networking company with over 500 million registered users worldwide. The network represents over 40,000 websites and over 500,000 affiliates. At FriendFinder Networks, a leading social networking company, I served as Vice President ofFinance where I spearheaded financial strategies and operations for a network that includesover 40,000 websites and 500,000 affiliates, generating annual revenues exceeding $350million.Key Responsibilities and Achievements:● Revenue Growth: Successfully grew net revenue from $5 million in 2001 to $310million in 2007, achieving an annual growth rate of approximately 33%.● Strategic Financial Management: Maintained EBITDA at an average of 26% of netrevenue. Implemented a direct debit payment mechanism in Germany, increasingmonthly revenue by $1.2 million and boosting EBITDA by 10%.● Innovative Pricing Strategies: Developed and implemented A/B price testing systems,resulting in revenue gains of 1% to 2% per region.● Operational Efficiency: Optimized credit card processing, saving $3.5 million annually,which represented 4.8% of EBITDA in 2008.● Team Leadership: Led a team of 31 in Finance & Accounting, responsible monthly closings, budgeting, and reporting, including international consolidations.● Technology Implementation: Implemented the Solomon Accounting System toenhance data integration from internal reporting tools and systems.● International Expansion: Established an international subsidiary in Brazil, significantlyincreasing revenue by partnering with local financial institutions to improve transactionprocessing.● Regulatory Compliance: Prepared and managed SEC filings including S-1, 10K, and10Q. Oversaw the preparation of annual budgets and conducted detailed monthlyvariance analysis.● Investor Relations: Led finance discussions during investor presentations thatculminated in the sale of the company for over $400 million to General Media in 2007.

As Controller at Beyond.com, a global e-commerce provider specializing in outsourced e-storesfor SAAS model software sales, I managed comprehensive financial operations for a firmserving high-profile clients like Symantec, McAfee, and Trend Micro. My role encompassedeverything from financial audits to strategic international expansions.Key Responsibilities and Achievements:● Financial System Integration: Successfully implemented SAP, streamlining onlinecredit card sales into a comprehensive reporting system, which significantly reducedmonth-end close times by three days.● Invoicing System Implementation: Developed and launched an invoicing systemtailored for recurring SAAS e-store clients, enhancing billing efficiency and customersatisfaction.● Financial Reporting: Created a financial dashboard for real-time sales reporting,providing senior management with instant access to critical financial data to supportstrategic decision-making.● International Expansion: Collaborated with the marketing department to establishinternational subsidiaries, supporting the expansion of e-store services globally andincreasing market penetration.● Regulatory Compliance and Governance: Managed audit, tax, and merchant bankingoperations, ensuring full compliance with financial regulations. Assisted in thepreparation of SEC filings, fortifying corporate governance and transparency.● Risk Management: Oversaw risk operations and collection activities, particularly in thesale of software to government entities, ensuring robust risk assessment and mitigationstrategies were in place.

As Accounting Manager at BuyDirect, a pioneering global e-commerce company specializing indownloadable software sales, I played a critical role in the company’s transition following itsspin-off from parent company C-net. I was instrumental in establishing robust financialstructures that supported significant business transactions, including the company’s eventualsale.Key Responsibilities and Achievements:● Financial Systems Development: Developed and implemented a comprehensive chartof accounts and the initial post-split balance sheet, setting a solid financial foundationpost-spin-off.● Investment and Equity Management: Monitored and managed outside investmentsand stock options, ensuring accurate tracking and reporting of financial assets.● Cash Flow Management: Instituted a weekly cash forecasting system for the CEO,enhancing the company’s cash management and facilitating strategic financial planning.● Banking and Merchant Relations: Established and maintained relationships withacquiring banks for online credit card processing, optimizing transaction systems andensuring financial fluidity.● Audit and Compliance: Led the finalization of the company’s initial audit, which was apivotal component in the successful sale of BuyDirect to Beyond.com for $133 million.

Tokyo, Japan

As a Senior Consultant at Price Waterhouse in Tokyo, I specialized in providing audit and taxconsulting services to multinational corporations across the Asia Pacific region. My role wascrucial in advising high-profile clients on complex financial matters, ensuring compliance, andoptimizing financial strategies.Key Responsibilities and Achievements:● Client Portfolio Management: Successfully managed a diverse portfolio of majorclients including IBM, Dupont, AT&T, Parametric Technologies, and UBS Bank, takingresponsibility for their profit and loss (P&L) analysis and strategic financial planning.● Audit and Tax Consulting: Delivered expert audit and tax consultation, helping clientsnavigate the complexities of financial compliance and optimization in the Asia Pacificmarkets.● Team Leadership and Training: Managed and trained associates on clientengagements, enhancing the team’s capability to deliver high-quality consultancyservices.● Strategic Financial Initiatives: Designed and implemented international compensationcost-saving procedures that significantly reduced expenses for client companies.● Project Delivery and Innovation: Developed and executed projects that introducedclients to innovative financial strategies and created comprehensive guidelines for thedevelopment and sale of integrated, multi-platform sponsorship programs.