In this episode of Run the Numbers, CJ sits down with Rogo president Rahul Rekhi to unpack what AI actually changes in investment banking and finance. They dig into token economics, why adoption without ROI is a trap, how vertical AI wins, and why domain expertise still matters. Plus: forward-deployed bankers, outcome-based pricing, and what CFOs should measure before AI spend gets out of hand.
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SPONSORS:
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Rillet is an AI-native ERP built for modern finance teams that want to replace NetSuite and close faster. With revenue recognition, close management, multi-entity support, and native Stripe and Salesforce integrations, Rillet helps scaling companies run their finance stack in one place. Hundreds of teams, including Windsurf and Mercor, use Rillet to make the zero-day close real. Book a demo at https://www.rillet.com/cj
Maximor is an autonomous finance platform that runs order-to-cash, procure-to-pay, the close, cash management, and reporting on self-learning agents instead of a dozen disconnected tools. One PE-backed customer cut their close in half, took audit findings from seven to zero, and cut back-office costs by 70% in six months. You pay for outcomes, not seats. See it at maximor.ai
Brex is an intelligent finance platform with AI-powered agents that capture expenses automatically, enforce policy before the spend happens, and close your books in minutes instead of weeks. 35,000+ companies like OpenAI, Coinbase, Anthropic, and DoorDash already run on Brex. It's time to get Brex AF. Learn more at https://www.brex.com/metrics
Anrok is the sales tax platform that watches your exposure everywhere, automates compliance, and flags risk before it turns into a surprise back-tax letter from a state you've never set foot in. Companies like Anthropic, Notion, and Vanta already trust Anrok to stay ahead of rules that move faster than any spreadsheet can. Talk to a sales tax expert for a personalized exposure estimate at anrok.com/rtn
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LINKS:
Mostly Talent: https://mostlymetrics.typeform.com/to/cLTxtAsN
Guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rahulrekhi/
Company: https://www.rogo.ai/
CJ: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cj-gustafson-13140948/
Mostly metrics: https://www.mostlymetrics.com
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RELATED EPISODES:
A CFO Explains the Stock Exchanges
A CFO Explains Marketplaces
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TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 Preview and Intro
2:44 Why finance was first to verticalize AI
6:28 What the president title means at Rogo
9:55 Sponsors — Pulley | Rillet | Maximor
13:02 The problem Rogo is solving
16:16 Token maxing is not transformation
17:43 Why ROI is so hard to measure
19:39 Sponsors — Brex | Anrok | RightRev
22:37 ROI is business-unit specific
24:03 Budgeting tokens like a benefits load
25:00 AI incentives aren't aligned to efficiency
26:26 The model broker function
32:03 Not all token spend is equal
37:14 Who owns AI efficiency?
40:59 The forward deployed banker
43:00 Domain expertise: the Interstellar analogy
49:21 Lightning round
49:28 Screwed up: DCF error in a live deal
51:13 Will new grads have the spidey sense?
53:03 Meeting Pope Francis
55:04 Fact-checking jobs numbers at the White House
57:39 Advice to younger self
59:21 Credits