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AI is changing how teams work, but Dan Zhang isn’t interested in using it just to make people 20% more productive. She’s thinking much bigger—about what becomes possible when AI can take on the work that used to be limited by time, resources, and bandwidth.

On this episode of Ventured Growth, Catherine Jhung and Tyler Wu sit down with Dan, CFO and Chief Business Officer at ClickUp, to talk about how she’s helping build a truly AI-native organization. Dan shares what ClickUp has learned from rolling out AI across the business—including why simply adding AI to existing processes didn’t work, and why they ended up “firing” thousands of AI agents.

She also gets into her own approach to AI. Despite coming from a non-technical background, Dan has built an AI workforce that can execute multiple projects in parallel, challenge her thinking, and even act as an extension of how she makes decisions.

Topics include:

• Building and managing an AI workforce
• Why ClickUp fired thousands of AI agents
• Moving from individual automation to AI orchestration
• Creating AI governance that actually works
• Where CFOs should focus their AI investments
• Why knowing exactly what you want may be the most valuable skill in the AI era
• And more…

As CFO and Chief Business Officer at ClickUp, Dan Zhang leads finance, accounting, corporate development, HR, legal, and strategic initiatives. Her approach combines the agility and grit of startup leadership with the rigorous operational discipline of scaling up. She enjoys building teams of operators that accelerate growth to consistently deliver outcomes and financial results. Dan is helping lead the company’s AI efforts and rethink how teams use AI across the organization.

This podcast is produced by Hercules Capital, Inc. ("Hercules") for informational purposes only. Views expressed are the speakers' own as of the recording date and do not necessarily reflect those of Hercules or its affiliates. Nothing here is investment, legal, or tax advice, an offer or commitment to provide financing, or an offer of any security. Guests may be associated with current, former, or prospective Hercules portfolio companies. Their appearance is not an endorsement, and they are not compensated.

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At Fin, going all-in on AI wasn't a moonshot — it was a calculated bet that doing nothing was the greater risk. And steering the financial strategy behind that decision was CFO Dan Griggs.

On this episode of Ventured Growth, Catherine Jhung sits down with Dan to explore how Fin transformed from a traditional SaaS help desk into one of the most talked-about AI-native platforms in enterprise software. With a career spanning Nestlé, RocketFuel and Sitecore, Dan brings a rare mix of operational depth and financial discipline to one of the boldest pivots in SaaS.

Dan also talks about the decision to overhaul their entire pricing model at the risk of cannibalizing existing revenue, how he thinks about forecasting in an outcome-based world, and what the role of CFO looks like when the pace of change never slows down.

Topics include:

* Fin's all-in bet on AI and what it took to get there
* Overhauling a pricing model mid-flight to outcome-based revenue
* How Fin forecasts in a usage-driven, AI-native business
* Resource allocation and the internal debate around hiring vs. automation
* Why $250 million in debt financing made more sense than equity
* What the CFO role looks like in a company transforming at speed
* And more...

Dan Griggs is the CFO of Fin, where he leads financial planning and analysis, and accounting, drawing on more than 15 years in financial and leadership roles across high-growth technology companies. He previously served as CFO at Sitecore, where he helped transition the business to subscription-based cloud software while doubling revenue, and as VP of Financial Planning and Analysis at Rocket Fuel, where he drove over $400M in revenue growth and a successful IPO.

Intercom rebranded to Fin on May 12, 2026. This conversation took place prior to the rebrand, so the episode refers to the company as Intercom throughout.

This podcast is produced by Hercules Capital, Inc. ("Hercules") for informational purposes only. Views expressed are the speakers' own as of the recording date and do not necessarily reflect those of Hercules or its affiliates. Nothing here is investment, legal, or tax advice, an offer or commitment to provide financing, or an offer of any security. Guests may be associated with current, former, or prospective Hercules portfolio companies. Their appearance is not an endorsement, and they are not compensated.

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At Akcea Therapeutics, biotech leadership meant more than drug development—it meant building with purpose, addressing long-overlooked areas of health, and paving the way for future leaders. And at the helm was founding CEO Paula Soteropoulos.

On this episode of Ventured Growth, Katie Segien sits down with Paula to explore how she helped take Akcea public, launched therapies for underserved diseases, and advanced efforts in women’s health—a space historically underfunded and under-researched. With 35 years of experience across pharma and biotech, Paula shares how she's using her platform to drive both innovation and inclusion.

She also talks about mentoring the next generation of women CEOs, shaping boardroom dynamics, and why genomic medicine could help close longstanding gaps in women’s care.

Topics include:

• Leading Akcea through IPO and pivotal drug launches
• The massive underfunding of research into women’s health
• Mentoring and elevating women in biotech leadership
• Building purpose-driven executive teams
• What’s next in in vivo genomic medicine
• And more…
  
  
  

Paula Soteropoulos is a seasoned biotech executive, board member and advisor whose career spans a broad range of therapeutic areas, including rare disease, cardiovascular and metabolism, infectious disease, renal, and transplant and oncology. Paula is a Venture Partner at 5AM Ventures, and serves as Chairman of Ensoma, and on the boards of directors of Dianthus Therapeutics, Rallybio, and Kyowa Kirin. Paula was the founding CEO of rare disease therapeutic developer, Akcea Therapeutics, and was a board director at UniQure. She serves on the advisory boards for Chiesi USA and Tufts University Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering. Paula continues to lead and advise companies at the intersection of science, leadership, and women’s health.