1188: Testing Assumptions Before Burning Capital | Kevin Hettrich, CFO, QuantumScape

1188: Testing Assumptions Before Burning Capital | Kevin Hettrich, CFO, QuantumScape

Kevin Hettrich walked into a conference room with a whiteboard full of numbers and a problem no one had fully articulated. QuantumScape’s leadership team was discussing how to scale an expensive R&D tool used to produce early battery materials. Hettrich had spent two weeks gathering data, talking with engineers, and analyzing manufacturing economics. Then he laid out the comparison: QuantumScape’s current performance, the best anyone had achieved in any industry, and what would ultimately be required to succeed in automotive production. There were “six orders of magnitude” separating the industry benchmark from what the company would eventually need, Hettrich tells us.

That moment became an early proving ground for a finance leader who had entered QuantumScape from a background shaped by McKinsey & Company, Bain Capital, and Stanford’s joint business and engineering program. Rather than staying confined to finance, Hettrich immersed himself in the company’s technical environment. He tells us he would contribute to at least one patent application each year and spent time “changing targets out of that tool” and mixing chemicals alongside engineers.

The broader strategy behind QuantumScape has remained equally ambitious. The company’s goal is not incremental improvement, but batteries that are “smaller and lighter,” “faster charging,” “longer lived,” “safer,” and “lower cost at the same time,” Hettrich tells us. Today, the company has commercial partnerships with Volkswagen and collaborations with Corning and Murata Manufacturing as it works to commercialize its solid-state battery platform.

Tämä jakso on lisätty Podme-palveluun avoimen RSS-syötteen kautta eikä se ole Podmen omaa tuotantoa. Siksi jakso saattaa sisältää mainontaa.

Jaksot(1194)

1196: Your Next Finance Hire Should Think Like a Founder | Martino Cadoni, CFO, DeepL

1196: Your Next Finance Hire Should Think Like a Founder | Martino Cadoni, CFO, DeepL

When Martino Cadoni joined DeepL, he arrived with an unusual perspective—he already knew the company’s product firsthand. Earlier in his career at Klarna, he had helped introduce DeepL as a translatio...

28 Kesä 52min

1195: When Finance is at the Center of the AI Code Revolution | Jean Compeau, CFO, Sonar

1195: When Finance is at the Center of the AI Code Revolution | Jean Compeau, CFO, Sonar

When Jean Compeau joined Sonar as CFO in March 2025, AI coding was not yet dominating industry conversations. By the summer and fall that followed, however, the landscape had shifted dramatically. Tod...

24 Kesä 47min

1194: Why Curiosity Creates Better Finance Leaders | Stacey Jenkins, CFO, Aerotek

1194: Why Curiosity Creates Better Finance Leaders | Stacey Jenkins, CFO, Aerotek

Each day, Stacey Jenkins watches a different set of indicators than the quarterly financial results that eventually appear on a report. Candidate applications, recruiter activity, and other throughput...

21 Kesä 41min

1193: Building Finance Functions That Shape Outcomes | Jesse Waldron, CFO, Thyme Care

1193: Building Finance Functions That Shape Outcomes | Jesse Waldron, CFO, Thyme Care

When Jesse Waldron describes Thyme Care’s work, he begins with the patient experience. Cancer patients, he explains, are often thrust into a healthcare system that can feel overwhelming both financial...

17 Kesä 49min

1192: Building Through Disruption | Christina Spade, CFO, Catalant

1192: Building Through Disruption | Christina Spade, CFO, Catalant

Five weeks into her role as CFO of Catalant, Christina Spade is helping guide a company that she believes is positioned for a different era of consulting.Catalant was founded out of Harvard Business S...

14 Kesä 51min

1191: From Complexity to Clarity: Building Operational Maturity | David Forlizzi, CFO, Salsify

1191: From Complexity to Clarity: Building Operational Maturity | David Forlizzi, CFO, Salsify

When David Forlizzi describes Salsify, he begins with a simple observation: “We all use it every day.” Unlike some of the highly technical software businesses where he previously spent his career, Sal...

10 Kesä 38min

1190: Fixing What Growth Tries to Hide | Jaylene Kunze, LegitScript

1190: Fixing What Growth Tries to Hide | Jaylene Kunze, LegitScript

When Jaylene Kunze was asked to help rebuild a struggling subsidiary in the United Kingdom, she packed up her family and moved overseas with her nine-month-old daughter. The assignment was one more ex...

7 Kesä 49min

1189: Why Finance Should Lead with “Yes, And” | Bruno Annicq, CFO, Wellhub

1189: Why Finance Should Lead with “Yes, And” | Bruno Annicq, CFO, Wellhub

A conversation from years earlier still stands out to Bruno Annicq. While working at AOL, he was supporting business leaders and helping tell the story of the business through data and analytics. Then...

31 Touko 50min

Suosittua kategoriassa Liike-elämä ja talous

sijotuskasti
psykopodiaa-podcast
rss-oivalluksia-rahasta-elamasta
mimmit-sijoittaa
rss-rahapodi
rahapuhetta
rss-karon-grilli
ostan-asuntoja-podcast
asuntoasiaa-paivakirjat
inderespodi
oppimisen-psykologia
rss-inderes
herrasmieshakkerit
rss-sami-miettinen-neuvottelija
hyva-paha-johtaminen
rss-rahamania
rss-porssipuhetta
rss-bisnesta-bebeja
rss-myynti-ei-ole-kirosana
rss-talouden-jaljilla