Client Reviews

“Taking over management of Adaptive Path, I needed an experienced partner who advocated for the health of the business and could be a counselor on big decisions. From turnaround of the business through to our acquisition by Capital One, Skip Smith from FLG Partners was that and much more. His work began with focusing us on building back a healthy business step-by-step, improving the accounting and analysis to make sure we made every project and every month, a profitable one. His role matured to shaping our recapitalization and mentoring me and other top managers in the organization as we ran and grew the business. Skip also made key introductions that supported our acquisition process. Throughout it all, I trusted Skip for his straight read on situations, tough advice that I needed to hear, but also for his love of our business and his passion to see it succeed with the leadership of myself and my team. Skip was central to our success.”

I feel like I have found a trusted partner in Mark and FLG during my time as CEO at LogicMark. He has been a true professional, unfailingly supportive of me and the company and a pleasure to work with.

“I’ve had the fortunate opportunity  to work closely with Mark Murray of FLG Partners in a series of  four  successful venture backed -backed companies in Silicon Valley  over the past dozen years including Optimedica Corporation (acquired by Abbott), Oculeve (acquired by Allergan), Oyster Point Pharmaceuticals (IPO) and most recently Kedalion Therapeutics (acquired by Novartis). I consider him to be the  consummate professional and invaluable  in providing state of the art financial management and strategic advising  for young rapidly growing  drug and medical device companies. Mark has a wealth of experience and considerable savvy in a variety of different situations and market conditions, whether it be in developing a strategic plan, raising capital, optimizing operations or helping identify and manage liquidity events. In my mind he is an absolute go-to thinker and do-er for any company looking to attract top level management talent.”

Mark S. Blumenkranz, CEO & Chairman, Kedalion Therapeutics

“We were seeking consulting in our finance function for long-term planning, financing, and reporting. We hired Patrick Nugent at FLG and he couldn’t have been a better choice. Patrick was able to provide effective frameworks and best practices, leverage his network and expertise in the industry, and engage cross-functionally. As a CFO, you have lots of choices when you hire outside resources like we did at Mission Bio, but I would definitely recommend FLG for providing talent with strong strategic-thinking, expertise, thoroughness and the ability to engage as a true partner. I wouldn’t hesitate to hire from FLG Partners again for strategic support to our Finance team.”

As a multi-entity complex senior services and healthcare organization, we were looking for an interim CFO to help us with what we anticipated would be a six-month transition. Frank Tsai was a great fit with our agency and a wonderful partner to the CEO and other C-level leaders. The totality of his extensive healthcare finance expertise allowed him to hit the ground running to support the complexity and breadth of services for our organization. As interim CFO, Frank significantly enhanced our planning and financial processes, enabling  us to achieve our enrollment growth and topline goals that had been elusive for many years. He quickly added value drawing on his deep knowledge of nonprofits, managed care, senior living and senior health care.  He brought an analytical perspective that improved how we view and manage performance and impact. He also brought a warmth and ease that was an invitation to collaborate and an openness to change. His peers and his direct staff appreciated his energy, insight and work style. His leadership and expertise were invaluable to the organization and has set us on a path for greater success for the future. His original six-month timeline extended to almost a full year, and his impact will be long lasting.

“I couldn’t be more pleased with Bill Beyer’s contributions to Tubi as interim CFO during the hypergrowth stage of the company. His experienced management acumen, strategic insights, financial expertise allowed us to be super-selective in our CFO search.  He owned a tremendous debt financing providing Tubi with great optionality for further financings as well as the necessary resources to fund our growth. I wouldn’t hesitate to bring Bill and FLG in again on Tubi’s behalf.”

Profitvelocity was a four-year old startup at the time John Supan, our partner from FLG, started working with us. We had no proper accounting systems in place.  John helped us put in place, step by step, an accounting infrastructure that would allow us to grow and satisfy the requirements of our financial partners. I believe that the most vital aspects in working with a CFO, like John, are absolute trust in his integrity along with total respect for his technical knowledge in sophisticated accounting matters. Beyond that, John is remarkably responsive, often within a few hours, regardless of his workload.  And he is always upbeat, easy-going, and effective even when a challenging issue pops up. I wouldn’t hesitate to hire FLG (and John) again. Collaborating with John in building up our company has been a privilege.

You’ve been a tremendous asset to Coinbase during a very chaotic and complex time. Thank you deeply for everything you’ve done by stepping in to provide guidance and leadership to the team over the last year. Coinbase wouldn’t be where it’s at today without you and I appreciate all you’ve done for this company and our leadership team.

Thank you Tim for all your contributions.  You helped us navigate a period of rapid growth through an incredibly complex space and we’re grateful for that. We’ve made significant progress under your leadership. You jumped into the deep end and helped us be a better company.   I genuinely wish you every success in whatever you choose to do next.

Thank you Tim Laehy! I can’t thank you enough for diving into such a challenging environment. I’m not sure where we would be without your help! I will always be grateful.

We engaged FLG Partners in early 2018 to assist us with a CFO transition, to mentor and build-out the Finance team, as well as to address and resolve certain complex finance and tax issues.  Our FLG Partner, Laureen DeBuono, has spent the year working with me and our HotelTonight team closely, and we have built a world-class Finance team, resolved the prior finance and tax issues, and are poised for continued strong success and growth.  I have been very pleased with the skills and “gravitas” that our FLG Partner brought to the assignment.

Hustle engaged FLG when we started scaling rapidly after our Series B. Patty Fukami joined our team and seemingly overnight leveled up our entire Finance operation, including accounting, billing, and FP&A. Beyond that, she has been a true partner to me as CEO in growing the business and has become a highly respected leader at the company, shifting Hustle’s entire culture to be more financially prudent and to make better decisions for the long-term financial health of the business.

“We brought on FLG Partners to assess our accounting and finance infrastructure, processes and team. Frank Tsai has a great deal of non-profit experience and quickly provided us with a series of areas to focus on to reduce cost and improve process. He identified ways to increase internal controls and reduce redundancies. He prioritized the financial leadership skills we needed in our financial team to upgrade our accounting and financial systems. Implementing Frank’s recommendations had a major impact on our organization and ultimately led to a complete restructuring of our finance department. Frank’s assessment work would help any organization seeking to optimize systems, increase effectiveness and scale infrastructure.”

FLG and its partners deliver truly exceptional value.  I have had the pleasure to work with three FLG partners—Mike Gennaro, John Finegan, and most recently Eric Hall—in both the SaaS and Life Sciences industries.  Their ability to seamlessly integrate into operations and quickly develop a deep understanding of the company was particularly impressive.  Each provided meaningful leadership and thoughtful guidance for the finance function, delivering both tactical and strategic value, including during times of company transition.  They partnered with management to win, drove financing activities to successful conclusion, and were tireless in their dedication to company objectives.

“FLG Partners provided seasoned talent in Laureen DeBuono, as Interim CFO for over two years, to help scale Rodan+Field’s business, both operationally and strategically from $300M in net revenues in 2014 to $1.2B in 2016. What they delivered speaks for itself; a 5 year strategic plan including an annual operating plan, a new finance team, a renegotiated $200M line of credit and exit scenarios and strategies for the company. We would recommend FLG to any company looking for top-tier financial expertise and advice when scaling for explosive growth.”

“When I agreed to join Hanson Medical, I knew we faced a multitude of challenges that had to be promptly addressed. As we evaluated the capital needs and cost structure of the company, I needed a CFO who could be a balanced and trusted business partner.  I needed someone to ensure my strategy was being implemented effectively, essentially an extension of me. Chris Lowe, my FLG partner, was immediately effective in guiding our financing strategy and implementing our cost reduction plans. The success of these programs allowed us to then pursue a strategic sale.  Our achievements could not have been done without FLG’s support.”

“I was so pleased to work with FLG Partners at Institute for the Future. Frank Tsai, the partner we used from FLG, is the best nonprofit finance executive and advisor that I have come across in my 20 years in the NFP world. Frank is strategic, fast (had a rapid understanding of our business) and organized (think high value). He can quickly access what is important and what’s not. Finally, Frank brings years of experience to the table from working with a variety of nonprofits of different scales and configurations. He understands everything from strategy and modeling down to the detailed work of NFP accounting, compliance, taxes, audits, legal, and NFP protocols and standards. I wouldn’t hesitate to work with Frank (and FLG) again.”

“Build Direct reached out to FLG to help us build our annual and long-term strategic plans, as well as to mentor the finance organization to elevate its game.  Our FLG partner, Laureen DeBuono, has helped us to achieve this and much more. We would recommend FLG to any company looking for financial expertise and guidance to help lead in a period of rapid growth.”

“I had great experiences with FLG Partners on multiple occasions. I used to work with FLG Partner, Jonathan Wolter, at PARC, and through his advice I engaged FLG’s Doug Lehrmann when I left PARC to start CyDesign Labs. In fact, I had the pleasure of working with Doug twice at CyDesign. Initially, he joined me on the founding team as Interim CFO. He rejoined a couple of years later to prepare the company for a successful acquisition. Doug kept his calm during these challenging times and provided the company with sound and clear guidance. Through his 30+ years of experience as a CFO, no business circumstance is unfamiliar to him – he has seen it all! Doug has a keen sense of ethics and he ensures that the company records are kept in immaculate order at all times. Both Jon and Doug are truly delightful people to work with!”

“FLG has been a tremendous partner to GE Ventures and a thought leader to our portfolio company CFOs and CEOs. They bring a wealth of expertise and insight. Their collaboration has made us all better.”

“Laureen DeBuono is truly rare in this world, both as a person and as a professional. She brings a unique blend of real life experience along with a passion and skill for coaching. She has an uncanny ability to motivate individuals such as myself and to help push others to think critically, constructively and often outside the box! Laureen’s candid feedback and tactful approach to accountability keeps me focused on the work that will be most impactful to our organization. Laureen’s listening skills are first rate. She would pick up on issues instinctively, prepare thoroughly for sessions, and teach me techniques to deal with specific situations I was facing. Laureen would employ a good mix of behavioral models, role playing tough discussions, “in their shoes” empathy exercises, and mapping out actions to take by our next session. Laureen keeps you focused on taking small actions that move you incrementally toward your goals throughout the coaching process. Being an effective leader takes time, desire and hard work. Laureen immediately helped me develop my own goals to measure my effectiveness in my role. It was refreshing to work with Laureen and to achieve milestones in such a short amount of time. If you are looking for one of the smartest investments you can make in your career – this is it…I am forever inspired from this experience!”

“We engaged FLG Partners when we were in the final stages of negotiations to be acquired by a major Japanese company and suddenly lost our senior financial executive to a medical leave. Jim Pardee, the FLG partner we selected, quickly developed a financial forecasting model that allowed the senior team to dynamically analyze various revenue and expense alternatives, and provide the financial forecasts required for the closing process.  Jim assumed leadership of the financial group, made some key staffing improvements, and led the group through a full mid-month audit (required by the transaction) as well as the year-end audit.  Jim also led the financial integration with our new parent, including new reporting requirements, additional audit activities, and critical calculations related to determining the final purchase price amount. His leadership was instrumental in our successful close of this deal for SiTime.”

“BrightSource is a complex environment for a variety of reasons: innovative technology, differing objectives among investors, global operations, not quite commercial status – among others. Our FLG partner, Doug Lehrmann, stepped in initially to our CFO slot under a “we need you now” scenario. He quickly sized up the situation, became a respected and trusted member of our Executive Committee and provided quick actions along a variety of fronts that streamlined operations and stabilized the Company. I then asked Doug to move to a newly created COO slot so that I could promote a high potential internal resource to CFO; Doug made the move seamlessly and was invaluable to me in taking on specific tasks that crossed multiple functional responsibilities. BrightSource is a now on path that we believe best positions it for success. Without Doug’s help, I’m not sure we would have the opportunity – for sure full of challenges, but a real chance – that we now have in front of us. Thanks for helping getting Doug to us, and we wish him and FLG much success in the future.”

“When I become CEO of TapInfluence in 2015, I knew there would be challenges trying to evolve the culture and changing the business model from a managed services business to a software as a service (SaaS) business. Most fail because of the amount of discipline required to stay the course despite potential disruptions in revenue, team dynamics, and customer relationships. As we evaluated the prospects of a new funding round, I needed a CFO who could be a leader and trusted business partner that was credible with my board of directors and potential investors, strategic to develop our business models, scenario planning and forecasts, and operationally focused to evolve to a SaaS business model. I was extremely pleased that my FLG Partner, Ken Chow and I closed our funding round with our board’s support at a strong valuation and on time. This made a huge difference for our business and could not have done without FLG’s support.”

“As a condition to closing our US venture round led by Sequoia Capital, we needed to complete a complex corporate restructuring to flip our foreign domiciled company to become a US based HQ (we had been operating as a South African based entity for several years).  We needed a CFO to lead that project, hire and train global finance, legal and HR teams, and help us to expand our multinational footprint.

I hired Mary Korn for her breadth of experience and her ability to work across time zones to remotely manage a team around the globe.  Working closely with legal and SA regulators, she completed the restructuring, implemented a sustainable budget program, hired and coached an outstanding team for our G&A organization, and raised a round of capital to support our expansion across sub-Saharan Africa.   Our growing business needed horsepower in the team and the addition of Mary was a boost for us. Mary was also one of the best mentor’s we ever had in the company and not only did she build a great team around her she invested in mentoring me personally.”

“Mayvenn brought on FLG at a time when our finance department was in really bad shape. Within sixty days of coming on-board, our books were completely cleaned up, compliance and processes completely re-designed, and the right, full-time hires were made to ensure continuity. FLG was able to pair us with a partner, Patty Fukami, who had the appropriate expertise, but who was also a good cultural fit. This firm is highly professional and has integrity. I’m very pleased with them and recommend them to any company looking to either turn around or take their finance department to the next level.”

“Trinitas Partners contacted FLG several years ago as we were rapidly expanding our funds and investment portfolio.  We were looking for assistance in build our long-term strategic plans, as well as perform an assessment of our finance team so that we would be able to handle our anticipated growth and effectively manage our funds and the investment properties.  Our FLG partner helped us to achieve this and help develop our finance team over the past several years. We would strongly recommend FLG to any firm looking for experienced financial guidance and leadership to help in a period of rapid growth.”

“At Parc, we turned to FLG Partners for focused leadership with several technical projects to correct audit deficiencies and improve our economic costing model, selecting Jonathan Wolter to assist us based on his deep financial and operational experience. Then, when our CFO unfortunately become seriously ill, Jonathan seamlessly stepped-into the role of PARC’s CFO – coordinating sensitive intercompany operations with our senior team for several years and ultimately mentoring our future CFO. I wouldn’t hesitate in hiring FLG (and Jonathan) again. They deliver excellence.”