Microsoft, Kansas City Chiefs, OpenAI and More Join Vena Excelerate Summit 2023

Learn how to build the agility and resilience you need to plan for anything

Vena is getting ready to host Excelerate Summit 2023, our fourth annual global virtual conference for finance and operations professionals, business leaders and budget owners. Taking place May 9–10, the virtual live and on-demand conference experience features 30+ speakers, inspiring keynotes and sessions and 20+ hours of CPE/CPD live discussions, workshops and training.

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What’s Different This Year?

Unlike other industry conferences, we’re laser-focused on giving actionable advice finance professionals can use to navigate the current business environment. We’re inviting our community of 5,000+ professionals to come together to learn how to excelerate their planning productivity, agility, resilience and their organization’s financial intelligence so they can plan for anything.

Attendees gave last year’s event 4.4 stars out of 5

Excelerate will offer attendees the opportunity to:

Engage and learn from finance peers, Vena Experts and executives, and finance and business leaders from organizations including Microsoft, Kansas City Chiefs, OpenAI and more
Earn up to 22 CPE/CPD credits through live discussions, workshops and training
Learn Excel and Power BI best practices and access templates for rolling forecasts, what-if analysis, workforce planning and more
Learn how to empower your organization to adapt to current market realities with important strategies, best practices and technological innovations

You can also look forward to insights from Vena keynote speakers, with sessions that have been designed to inspire you to build winning teams, stay ahead of technology innovation and drive growth, resilience and agility within your organizations.

Excelerate Summit’s Exciting Lineup of Speakers

Joining the speaker lineup this year are Austin Wiseman, Finance & Accounting at OpenAI, Nicolas Herman, CFO at Microsoft Canada and Mitch Holthus, Voice of the Kansas City Chiefs.

Other speakers include:

Hunter Madeley, CEO, Vena
Melissa Howatson, CFO, Vena
Purna Duggirala, Chief Excel Officer, Chandoo.org and Microsoft MVP
Howard Dresner, Chief Research Officer, Dresner Advisory Services, LLC
Speakers from 6Sense, BetMGM, Citrin Cooperman Advisors LLP, Fluence Technologies and more

Feedback that makes us blush a little 😊

Attendees can earn free CPE/CPD credits through live conversations, interactive workshops, product demonstrations and training presented by Vena Academy.

Sessions and panels will cover:

Strategies for high-functioning finance teams
The new tech empowering finance-led innovation
Practical applications of AI and automation in FP&A
Latest trends in FP&A, AI, extended planning and performance management
Managing cash flow in complex business conditions
Agile revenue forecasting
Unlocking opportunities with finance systems and operations
The Vena Product Roadmap
Introduction to Vena Complete Planning and Insights
Best practices for workforce planning, cash flow management, Microsoft Excel and more

Excelerate’s jam-packed agenda includes multiple opportunities to learn, connect and grow with Vena Experts and Partners, Microsoft leaders and technology enthusiasts who will all be on hand to help you plan for anything—all while virtually networking in a global community of professionals.

More feedback that makes us blush a little 😊

Save your free seat for Excelerate Summit 2023 today.

For the latest Excelerate Summit 2023 news, follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @venasolutions.

Vena Welcomes Microsoft Veteran Brian Kobleur To Drive Growth and Innovation

Industry veteran to accelerate Vena’s global market expansion via expanded ecosystem partnerships Toronto, ON – December 10, 2024 – Vena, the only FP&A platform purpose-built to leverage the full power of the Microsoft technology ecosystem, today announced that Brian Kobleur has joined the company as Vice President, Microsoft Alliances & Strategic Partnerships. Kobleur will focus on further strengthening Vena’s deep relationship with Microsoft, while advancing its position within the Microsoft ecosystem. Additionally, he will drive market growth by leading global go-to-market (GTM) and partner marketing strategies. “We’re thrilled to welcome Brian as our new VP of Microsoft Alliances & Strategic Partnerships,” said Hunter Madeley, CEO at Vena. “In this role, Brian will work to enhance the value of the Vena-Microsoft relationship, accelerating innovation and product development to meet our customers’ evolving needs. His deep expertise and leadership will play a pivotal role in Vena becoming the most widely adopted planning platform in the Microsoft ecosystem. We empower Finance teams who love Excel and organizations investing in Microsoft to achieve more, and Brian’s mandate will be to advance that mission” Kobleur brings nearly 30 years of experience with Microsoft and the Microsoft ecosystem to Vena. He spent 15 years at Microsoft, including three years in Germany to run the company’s consulting services practice. He then moved to Citrix and scaled the global Microsoft Alliance team, which drove triple-digit revenue growth for seven consecutive fiscal years. He played a key role in the company being named Microsoft’s top global ISV for Co-sell and Azure-consumed revenue. After leaving Citrix, Kobleur founded VelociPartner LLC, a technology consultancy for Microsoft partners based in San Diego, California. Vena remains the only Complete Planning platform natively integrated with Microsoft 365, and its marketplace already hosts preconfigured and partner solutions from a number of global companies across a wide variety of industries, including Vena for Legal by ProLytics, Vena for Franchising by Citrin Cooperman and Vena for Senior Living by Delbridge Solutions. Vena’s close strategic relationship with Microsoft has produced key features, such as Vena for Microsoft PowerPoint and Vena Copilot for FP&A, both launched earlier this year. About Vena Vena is the only Complete Planning platform purpose-built to harness the full power of the Microsoft technology ecosystem for FP&A teams and their collaborators. Vena amplifies Microsoft's world-leading productivity tools, cloud technology and AI innovation to make FP&A, operational planning and adjacent strategic processes more flexible, efficient and intelligent. Thousands of the world’s leading companies rely on Vena to power their planning. For more information, visit venasolutions.com. Media Contact  For immediate inquiries or more details regarding our latest company press release, please contact: Jonathan Paul  Vice President, Content Marketing  jpaul@venacorp.com 

December 10, 2024 |

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Vena Named One of Greater Toronto’s Top Employers for Third Time

CPM leader earns spot on prestigious list for second year in a row thanks to its ongoing commitment to corporate excellence Toronto, ON – December 3, 2024 - Vena, the only FP&A platform purpose-built to leverage the full power of the Microsoft technology ecosystem, is delighted to share that it has once again been named to the Greater Toronto’s Top Employers list for the second year in a row and its third overall time on the list. To be named to the list, Canadian employers are evaluated on a number of criteria, including culture, employee development opportunities and more. “We continue to focus on building a culture of growth and adaptability that prioritizes our employees’ well-being, and it is an honor for Vena to be recognized once again as one of Greater Toronto’s Top Employers,” said Tracey Mikita, Chief People Person at Vena. Mikita continued, “We have seen that our customers’ experiences are enhanced tremendously when our employees feel satisfied and fulfilled by their work lives. Focusing on our employees’ well-being is good for them and for our business as well. We continuously evaluate and improve our practices to encourage the growth of our employee-centric culture, from our purpose-driven approach to our hybrid work model and our commitment to employee development. We hope that by doing so, other companies will see the value in undertaking these initiatives.” During the evaluation period (January 2023–May 2024), Vena continued to build on its previous success as a top employer. For example, the company expanded the number of DEI training courses from 5 to 15 and reaffirmed its commitment to sustainability and social responsibility as major business priorities including through the Green Team, a sustainability and green initiatives employee resource group. Vena also welcomed the formation of a new Vena Resource Group (VRG) for Families. With this newest addition, Vena now has eight VRGs, including Vena Cares, Green Team, Network for Women (N4W), Mental Health, Melanite (Black employees), Spectrum (LGBTQIA+) and Va11y (Accessibility). Each VRG represents Vena’s dedication to fostering diversity, belonging and employee engagement. In addition to the Greater Toronto’s Top Employers list, Vena has also been recognized or won the following in 2023–24: Recertified as Canada’s Most Admired Corporate Cultures Award for third consecutive year TrustRadius Tech Cares Award for the fifth consecutive year Team True North Roster of Canada’s Top-Performing Tech Companies for the second consecutive year Six 2023 Comparably Awards, including: Best Company Compensation, Best Company Happiness, Best Company Perks & Benefits, Best CEOs for Women, Best CEOs for Diversity and Best Company Global Culture By further reinforcing its commitment to a culture of transparency and innovation, Vena drove significant growth and recognition over 2024. In July, the company officially reached Centaur status, signifying a SaaS startup with $100 million USD in ARR or greater. The Vena product team has rolled out a number of key features in the past year, including Vena Copilot for FP&A and Vena for Microsoft PowerPoint. To better understand employees’ needs and areas for improvement, company leadership solicits feedback from team members through various methods, including town halls and employee surveys. This approach has earned praise on platforms such as Comparably, where 98% of Vena’s reviews are positive, and the leadership team has received significant praise for being “open to communication, open to criticism and feedback.” In a recent survey, 81% of employees endorsed Vena as an exceptional place to work, citing its commitment to authenticity and inclusivity. “We have seen that our customers’ experiences are enhanced tremendously when our employees feel satisfied and fulfilled by their work lives. Focusing on our employees’ well-being is good for them and for our business as well." —Tracey Mikita Chief People Person at Vena Editors of Canada’s Top 100 Employers evaluate companies on eight consistent criteria: workplace; work atmosphere and social; health, financial and family benefits; vacation and time off; employee communications; performance management; training and skills development; and community involvement. Evaluated companies are then compared to other organizations in the same industry. To read the complete list, please visit canadastop100.com/toronto/. About Vena Vena is the only Complete Planning platform purpose-built to harness the full power of the Microsoft technology ecosystem for FP&A teams and their collaborators. Vena amplifies Microsoft's world-leading productivity tools, cloud technology and AI innovation to make FP&A, operational planning and adjacent strategic processes more flexible, efficient and intelligent. Thousands of the world’s leading companies rely on Vena to power their planning. For more information, visit venasolutions.com. Media Contact  For immediate inquiries or more details regarding our latest company press release, please contact: Jonathan Paul  Vice President, Content Marketing  jpaul@venacorp.com 

December 3, 2024 |

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Vena Recognized Among Canada’s Most Admired Corporate Cultures for Third Consecutive Year

With a steadfast commitment to people-centered values and a vibrant workplace culture, Vena celebrates its recertification among Canada's most respected organizations Toronto, ON – November 22, 2024 – Vena, the only FP&A platform purpose-built to leverage the full power of the Microsoft technology ecosystem, has been recertified by Waterstone Human Capital for Canada’s Most Admired Corporate Cultures Award program. This recognition marks the third consecutive year of the company’s acknowledgment in this prestigious program, celebrating organizations with exemplary workplace cultures. "Our culture at Vena is shaped by our commitment to people-first values and to building an environment that encourages innovation, inclusivity and employee well-being," said Tracey Mikita, Chief People Person at Vena. "Being recertified for Canada’s Most Admired Corporate Cultures reflects our ongoing dedication to empowering our team to grow and succeed in meaningful ways." The annual award assesses organizations based on leadership, engagement and cultural alignment. This recognition continues to highlight Vena’s position as an industry leader in corporate culture, reflecting its focus on team well-being and setting a benchmark for excellence within the industry. Through a culture that prioritizes support, collaboration and creativity, Vena inspires confidence among stakeholders and attracts top talent, demonstrating how a people-first approach drives both organizational success and positive influence across the industry. “Maintaining an inspiring, adaptive culture is crucial not only to the growth of our team, but also to delivering outstanding service to our clients,” said Hunter Madeley, CEO of Vena. “This recertification highlights and celebrates Vena as a workplace where employees thrive, collaborate and innovate. We’re proud of the positive impact this has on our team and the Vena community.” At Vena, our workplace culture thrives on inclusivity, growth and employee well-being. This commitment comes to life through our eight active Vena Resource Groups (VRGs), including: Vena Cares Green Team Networks for Women (N4W) Mental Health Melanite (Black employees) Spectrum (LGBTQIA+) Families Va11y (Accessibility) These employee-driven groups, backed by Vena’s full support, champion diversity, foster belonging and energize engagement—making Vena a place where everyone can truly feel seen, heard and empowered to grow. "Being recertified for Canada’s Most Admired Corporate Cultures reflects our ongoing dedication to empowering our team to grow and succeed in meaningful ways." —Tracey Mikita Chief People Person at Vena For more information on Vena’s culture and career opportunities, visit https://www.lifeatvena.com/. About Vena Vena is the only Complete Planning platform purpose-built to harness the full power of the Microsoft technology ecosystem for FP&A teams and their collaborators. Vena amplifies Microsoft's world-leading productivity tools, cloud technology and AI innovation to make FP&A, operational planning and adjacent strategic processes more flexible, efficient and intelligent. Thousands of the world’s leading companies rely on Vena to power their planning. For more information, visit venasolutions.com. Media Contact  For immediate inquiries or more details regarding our latest company press release, please contact: Jonathan Paul  Vice President, Content Marketing  jpaul@venacorp.com 

November 22, 2024 |

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Microsoft, Kansas City Chiefs, OpenAI and More Join Vena Excelerate Summit 2023

What’s Different This Year?

Excelerate Summit’s Exciting Lineup of Speakers

Recommended

Vena Welcomes Microsoft Veteran Brian Kobleur To Drive Growth and Innovation

Vena Named One of Greater Toronto’s Top Employers for Third Time

Vena Recognized Among Canada’s Most Admired Corporate Cultures for Third Consecutive Year