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Scott Orn Chief Operating Officer

Scott Orn

Chief Operating Officer

Scott runs Operations at Kruze Consulting, a fast-growing Startup CFO Consulting firm that works with over 800 startup clients. Kruze is based in San Francisco with clients in the Bay Area, Los Angeles, New York and all over the United States. In addition to his Operations responsibilities, Scott runs the Venture Debt Consulting practice at Kruze. In his spare time, Scott publishes the Founders & Friends Podcast, which interviews Startup CEO’s, Investors and Other Service Providers in the Startup Ecosystem. Scott hold the CFA designation (Chartered Financial Analyst). 

Before Kruze Consulting, Scott was a Partner at Lighthouse Capital, a private debt fund that lends to startups. In addition, Scott ran Community Products at Callisto Media.

Scott still manages his portfolio on behalf of Lighthouse. Some of his high-profile deals include Angie’s List, UpWork, Zipline, Serena & Lily and Impossible Foods. He’s led 20+ deals and invested over $100M+ with $0 losses and a mid-teen’s % IRR.

In his spare time, Scott co-founded Ben’s Friends, an Internet patient support community for people with rare diseases. Ben’s Friends is a 501C3 non-profit and has become one of the largest rare disease support communities on the Internet with 120,000 uniques last month (a 20% increase month over month).

Prior to joining Lighthouse, Scott spent three years in Technology Mergers & Acquisitions at Hambrecht & Quist which was later acquired by JPMorgan Chase.

Scott has an MBA from Kellogg, and an undergraduate business degree from CAL Berkeley. He also has a CFA and has passed the Series 7.

Scott’s Favorite Quote from Oceans by Pearl Jam:

You don’t have to stray
The oceans away
Waves roll in my thoughts
Hold tight the ring
The sea will rise
Please stand by the shore
I will be there once more

Scott’s Favorite Book:

  • Hawaii by James Michener

Recent Blog posts by Scott Orn

Why accounting cleanup is crucial for your startup's success
Why accounting cleanup is crucial for your startup's success
There’s an issue a lot of startups face – accounting cleanup. While it might not sound like the most exciting topic, it’s one of the most important areas that can impact your startup’s future.
Updated on
Beware of using deal structure to protect your startup’s valuation
Beware of using deal structure to protect your startup’s valuation
A hot topic today with venture capitalists and entrepreneurs is the danger of using deal structure to protect your startup's valuation. We see this happening all too often, so let’s take a look at it.
Updated on
What does the term default mean in finance?
What does the term default mean in finance?
In the startup world, being in default is not a happy place to be. Being put into default occurs when your startup has borrowed money but can no longer repay the loan.
Updated on Sun, 10 November 2024
What is an Acquihire?
What is an Acquihire?
‘Acquihire’ is a term used to describe the act of a larger, more successful company buying a startup company that, while it may have developed good technology or has a great team, didn’t quite make it.
Updated on Sun, 3 November 2024
What is a credit facility?
What is a credit facility?
When you’re launching a startup company, there’s often points where you realize you need extra capital.
Updated on Sun, 27 October 2024
Who pays for directors and officers liability insurance at a startup?
Who pays for directors and officers liability insurance at a startup?
Who pays for the liability insurance of directors and officers at a startup? This question came from someone joining a board of directors who was concerned that they were going to have to pay for it out of their own pocket.
Updated on Sun, 20 October 2024
What is a guarantor?
What is a guarantor?
Essentially, a guarantor is someone who guarantees a loan or debt obligation for a company by offering their own assets as collateral.
Updated on Sun, 13 October 2024
What is retained earnings?
What is retained earnings?
Retained earnings are found on your balance sheet. There will actually be a line item called retained earnings and that will be buried in the equity section.
Updated on Sun, 6 October 2024
What is capital under management?
What is capital under management?
Simply put, 'capital under management' in the world of venture capital refers to the total amount of funds that a venture capital firm has raised across all its investment vehicles.
Updated on Sun, 29 September 2024

Recent Podcasts by Scott Orn

Kyle Westaway

11/19/2024

Kyle Westaway Managing Partner
at Westaway

Kyle Westaway of Westaway discusses the law firm's startup-friendly products, including fixed-fee pricing for legal services.

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Michael David

11/11/2024

Michael David Executive Vice President, Venture Banking
at Banc of California

Michael David of Banc of California explains how Banc of California works with startups to deliver specialized banking services.

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Immad Akhund

11/06/2024

Immad Akhund Co-founder & CEO
at Mercury

Immad Akhund, Mercury CEO & Co-founder, discusses building a financial technology platform now profitably serving thousands of startups and businesses.

Read more
AJ Audino

10/16/2024

AJ Audino Founding Lead - Enterprise Growth
at Perplexity

AJ Audino of Perplexity explains how the company is revolutionizing search engines by using AI.

Read more
Sam Heshmati

07/21/2024

Sam Heshmati Head of Emerging VC and Innovation Banking
at Citizens Private Bank

Sam Heshmati of Citizens Private Bank discusses their tailored banking solutions and high-touch service.

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Sam Bhaumick

07/07/2024

Sam Bhaumick Executive Vice President- Venture Lending
at Avidbank

Sam Bhaumick, EVP of Venture Lending at Avidbank, explains how Avidbank offers venture debt and cash management services to startups.

Read more
Sunita Patel

06/16/2024

Sunita Patel Head of Venture Coverage and Business Development, Innovation Banking
at HSBC

Sunita Patel of HSBC explains how the bank has expanded its startup banking services following its acquisition of SVB UK.

Read more
John Li

06/02/2024

John Li Co-Founder & CEO
at Vimcal

John Li of Vimcal explains how the software allows busy founders and executives to effectively and efficiently manage their schedules.

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David Forsberg

05/19/2024

David Forsberg Managing Partner
at Ascent Energy Ventures

David Forsberg of Ascent Energy Ventures discusses Ascent's unique investment focus on digital tools for the energy industry, and explains how he reviews potential investments.

Read more

Scott Orn in the news

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