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Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer | Authenticx
Kip Zurcher leads all financial, legal, compliance and data-privacy operations for Authenticx, an IBJ Fast 25 company whose software allows customers in the health care and insurance industries to analyze millions of client interactions (phone calls, texts, online chats and more) to improve their services. He also works with investors and fundraising and supports the sales teams on negations and
contract work.
Major accomplishments
During his time with Authenticx, the company has increased revenue times 10 and quadrupled its number of clients. This year, the company ranked second on IBJ’s Fast 25 list. And it raised $27.5 million in Series A and Series B funding in less than two years.
Challenges overcome
“The shift in the capital markets created a difficult environment to raise a Series B in late 2022,” he said. “Luckily, we had closed our Series B round just weeks before the short-lived but high-intensity U.S. banking crisis in March 2023.”
Career path
His path to CFO was not the normal path through accounting, he said. He majored in math and had some skill in modeling and analysis but didn’t know how to make that a career. “Three mentors changed the course of my life,” he said. “Brad Little encouraged me to pursue [an] MBA in finance. Mark Shireman taught me how to bring value in financial planning and analysis. John Ludwig demonstrated how a CFO can operate at an entirely different level than the rest of us. … These men were role models [who] allowed me to build a career path that combined my strengths and interests.”
My job would be easier if …
“People were as good at Excel as they advertise. Follow a few Excel accounts on Instagram or YouTube. You will be better than 90% of your colleagues.”•
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