Brandon Maultasch loved being an investment banker. Each client was unique; differing financial goals and the paths to achieving them kept him challenged and engaged.
Then Moloco, a young operational machine learning and advertising technology company, joined his client portfolio. In Moloco, Maultasch saw a pioneer that was uniquely positioned to define what it means to be a machine learning company. Impressed by the founders’ experience, humility, and vision along with the potential for creating what he refers to as a “generationally important” technology company, Maultasch accepted their invitation to join the firm in late 2021 as its first CFO.
Maultasch brought with him 10-plus years of investment banking experience advising internet and software companies, primarily at RBC Capital Markets. There, he held a series of leadership positions, most recently as managing director. At RBC, he focused on corporate strategy, value creation, mergers and acquisitions, and capital markets transactions.
Brandon Maultasch
CFO, Moloco
- First CFO position: 2021
- Notable previous employers:
- RBC Capital Markets
- AMC Networks
- Piper Jaffray (now Piper Sandler)
This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
SANDRA BECKWITH: Why were you the right person to serve as Moloco’s first CFO?
BRANDON MAULTASCH: As an investment banker for more than a decade, I advised internet and software companies that included Moloco. I saw companies grow from an early stage to many years after their IPO. I came to understand the series of decisions companies make along the way based on their unique circumstances and goals, whether they want to be acquired by private equity, sell to a strategic partner, or achieve Moloco’s goal of becoming a large, self-sustaining business.
I think my understanding of Moloco’s business, my alignment with its goals, and my breadth of experience made me a unique fit.
What made you decide to leave investment banking to become this company’s first top finance executive?
MAULTASCH: Number one, the team was exceptional. And I believe that machine learning is the next most important paradigm in technology. It’s the future of every business. With founders who are pioneers in this technology, I had an opportunity to work with a team that could define what it means to be a machine learning company.
I was also ready to expand beyond giving advice to being part of a team that could build something meaningful.
What it’s like being a first-time CFO and a company’s first CFO at the same time?
MAULTASCH: It's a challenge to build things for the first time. At the same time, I’m trying to be very intentional about how and what we build and to ensure that everything we do is aligned with the company's goals.
Deciding how far into the future to build for is challenging, versus getting things done in a scrappy way today. There's always a balancing act of scrappy and scalable in each of the capabilities we’re building on the finance team.
I've been fortunate to have a great network of other CFOs who have done this for a long time who I can call when I face these decision points. I also have a talented team here. We work hard to be partners with other functions, and we hold ourselves to a high standard to deliver that kind of partnership.
What surprised you about the CFO role?
MAULTASCH: How few things in finance have a predefined playbook.
You would think that choosing an ERP or payroll provider, deciding how you do general or sales compensation, or how you look at sales efficiency metrics would have more standards than there are.
What you come to learn is that everything depends on your company, its goals, the size of the business, how many geographies you're in, what end markets you're selling into, and so on.
Looking back on your entire career, what do you think was the most pivotal moment … or what “aha” has had a significant impact?
MAULTASCH: It was reading Clayton Christensen’s book, “The Innovator's Solution: Creating and Sustaining Successful Growth.”
Working with dozens of technology companies gave me a lot of bottom-up data about what makes a company successful and why companies fail. After reading that book, all the data I've collected for years snapped together into a cohesive framework.
I felt like I had a Rosetta Stone.
Was becoming CFO ever a goal?
MAULTASCH: It wasn't a career ambition for me. I am one of these strange people who actually liked investment banking. I got to meet talented founders, executives, and investors and solve hard problems alongside them.
I took this role because Moloco is a unique company. We have a real opportunity to build a generationally important machine learning company. The position offered a one-of-a-kind opportunity to help build this company with this team.
What advice would you give others hoping to become CFOs?
MAULTASCH: Optimize for learning at every point in your career by always taking the job where the team is going to be more rigorous and you're going to learn more.
Develop a broad knowledge base, too. You need deep domain expertise, but you also need to be able to see the bigger problem you're solving