Steve Graubart, 1776
This is our fourth installment of the Top Tech CFO series. ICYMI...here's Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3. Also, come help celebrate these top CFOs at a networking cocktail event on Sept. 24 at 5:30 at 1776-Crystal City. Sign up here.
1776 CFO Steve Graubart’s career started internationally, advising corporations and governments and putting together investment deals. After working with Calvert Ventures, he became CFO of several edtech and fintech companies and then headed up finance at a public university. As CFO at 1776, a global incubator and seed fund, he’s helping quickly grow 1776 organically and through acquisitions. Two recent acquisitions grew its footprint to San Fran and Crystal City. The organization’s Challenge Cup, a competition for startups in various categories, is also expanding to over 45 cities.
Best lesson: Say little, do much.
Hometown: NYC
Current home: Dupont
Family: Two kids (20 and 15).
Fun summer trips: St. Johns and Israel.
Free time: Tennis and art.
Most people don’t know: He’s an artist and had a recent show in NYC’s Lower East Side.
Mark Snell, Endgame
Endgame CFO Mark Snell grew up in Dalton, GA, which has long been known as the “carpet capital of the world.” His grandfather owned a textile manufacturing plant and his father owned a carpet manufacturing plant and a few other businesses. So Mark’s career working for early-stage companies was inspired by their entrepreneurship. Some of his career highlights include: serving as finance director of Internet Security Systems when it sold to IBM for $1.5B in 2006; helping Suniva build a solar cell manufacturing plant in Georgia and grow revenue quickly; and now helping Endgame, a cybersecurity firm in Arlington, grow from an incubator tenant to a company with over 150 employees. Mark says the company is adding a person a week and will need bigger office space shortly.
Best lesson: Be the person you needed when you were younger.
Hometown: Dalton, GA
Current home: Roswell, GA
Family: Married 10 years; two kids (6 and 5); two dogs.
Fun summer trips: Florida Gulf Coast in July and Mexico with wife to celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary earlier in the summer.
Free time: Hiking and kayaking with family and watching sports.
Bucket list: Hike the Appalachian Trail from start to finish.
Most people don’t know: He was an Eagle Scout.
Kevin Cheetham, CustomInk
CustomInk CFO Kevin Cheetham’s first major in college was mechanical engineering, but his interests changed and he turned to accounting. (Dad was an accounting professor.) One of his first jobs was working for Arthur Andersen in New York. From there, his experience spans from being one of the first employees of a company that was acquired by Travelocity to orchestrating various domestic and international acquisitions and opening operations in Europe. During his over three years with CustomInk, Kevin says he’s worked on building a team that could one day support a billion-dollar company. CustomInk, an online provider of custom apparel and accessories, now has over 1,400 employees nationwide.
Best lesson: Be present, be focused.
Hometown: Bergen County, NJ
Current home: Centreville
Family: Married 27 years; three kids (24, 22, 17); three dachshunds and a cat.
Fun summer trip: New Hampshire, a vacation spot since childhood.
Free time: Road biking with friends and watching baseball.
Bucket list: To be healthy in retirement and continue to hike and bike and spend time with family.
Most people don’t know: He’s really good at picking up people’s accents and where they’re from.
Anjula Singh, SoundExchange
SoundExchange CFO Anjula Singh’s inspiration to pursue a finance career is pretty simple: she needed a paying job after college. During her career, she’s implemented accounting systems and operationalized the budget process at a global Fortune 200 company. Anjula joined SoundExchange, a digital collective management company, nine years ago and became CFO last year. As the company has grown to over 160 employees, she’s launched a budget system and a financial reporting system and is working on implementing the company’s new HR system.
Best lesson: Have an open mind and try to understand everyone’s perspective.
Hometown: Gaithersburg
Current home: DC
Family: 5-year-old beagle named Jasper.
Fun summer trips: Beach trips and long weekends visiting friends in Europe, London and North Ocean City, MD.
Free time: Hang out with friends and travel.
Bucket list: Trip to Greece.
Most people don’t know: She’s an avid tennis fan and has been to all four Grand Slam tournaments.
