How Innovation Shapes Finance: Evergreen CFOs Reflect on the 2025 DataTribe Innovation Day

Evergreen Advisors attended DataTribe’s 2025 Cyber Innovation Day, where leaders across technology, finance, and entrepreneurship explored how rapidly evolving innovations—especially in AI and cybersecurity—are reshaping business growth. Evergreen’s CFO Advisory team shared insights on how small and emerging companies can strengthen their financial strategy to keep pace with innovation. Below is a look at the themes that resonated most with their team and how these trends tie directly into the financial realities facing high-growth tech companies.

At this year’s DataTribe’s 2025 Cyber Innovation Day, innovation certainly took center stage — from breakthroughs in artificial intelligence and cybersecurity to the future of emerging technologies shaping business growth. The event brought together entrepreneurs, investors, and thought leaders to explore how small and early-stage companies can excel in an environment where technology evolves faster than ever before.

Representing Evergreen Advisors’ CFO Advisory practice, Eric Clarke, David Christopher, and Bob Latchford attended the event to gain insight into how these trends impact the financial side of innovation. Following the conference, we sat down with the team to discuss the themes that stood out and how they connect to Evergreen’s work helping companies adapt and thrive financially in times of rapid change.

Q1: What themes from DataTribe’s Innovation Day stood out to you most?

Eric Clarke:
What stood out most was how quickly innovation is accelerating—faster than many companies are prepared to handle. Tech is evolving at an incredible pace, and while that creates enormous opportunity, it also introduces real risk if the business side isn’t growing with the same intention. For early-stage and scaling companies, finance becomes a critical part of avoiding speed bumps that can slow or even stunt growth. The tech may be brilliant, but without strong decision-making around capital, it becomes much harder to get from step A to the place you ultimately want to go.

The companies that excel are the ones pairing innovation with experienced financial guidance so they can navigate challenges early and stay focused on building something that lasts.

David Christopher:
The event underscored how technology, particularly AI and automation, is transforming business operations and decision-making. Finance must adopt tools and analytics that provide real-time insight and keep pace with these changes. Adaptability and speed in financial decision-making are now critical competitive advantages.

Q2: How can small and early-stage growth companies adapt financially to this era of rapid innovation?

Eric Clarke:
Finance can’t remain static when your business is changing daily. Thriving companies constantly update assumptions, measure performance, and adjust models in real time. A proactive finance function enables leadership to see the impact of decisions and pivot as needed.

Bob Latchford:
Rapid innovation requires financial operations that can flex with the business. For early-stage companies, this means building processes and systems that expand, contract, or shift focus without slowing the company down. Flexibility is essential to keep finance aligned with a changing business model.

Q3: What parallels do you see between the event’s focus on innovation and Evergreen’s approach to outsourced CFO advisory?

Eric Clarke:
At Evergreen, we spend a lot of time helping companies think about how their finances can grow alongside their business. It goes beyond cash management—it’s refining forecasting, understanding capital needs, and making decisions that support innovation rather than slow it down.

We’ve learned a great deal from working with companies at similar inflection points, and we carry those lessons forward. That experience helps us recognize what typically works, what usually doesn’t, and where avoidable challenges tend to show up. When financial strategy keeps pace with technology and operations, leaders have clearer visibility and can move forward with fewer surprises.

David Christopher:
We provide both structure and adaptability, partnering closely with leadership to anticipate what’s next rather than simply reporting on past results.

In a market that evolves as quickly as technology does, a forward-looking finance function is critical.

It enables companies to respond to new opportunities, pivot when necessary, and ensure that resources are deployed in ways that maximize growth and strategic advantage, with minimal friction.

Q4: What advice would you give to founders or executives of innovative companies coming out of an event like DataTribe’s Innovation Day?

Eric Clarke:
Stay grounded in the fundamentals. Rapid innovation is exciting, but it must be aligned with financial clarity and discipline. Make sure your finance function is not just tracking numbers, but providing actionable insights into how every investment—whether in technology, talent, or process—aligns with your long-term strategy. This ensures that growth is sustainable and that resources are being allocated efficiently to drive measurable results.

David Christopher:
Surround yourself with advisors who understand both innovation and finance. In a fast-moving landscape, having strategic partners who can help you navigate growth, properly plan for asset deployment and allocation after capital raises, and maintain financial agility is critical. They don’t just react to challenges—they help you anticipate them, making it possible to seize opportunities and avoid pitfalls before they impact the business.

Bob Latchford:
Don’t underestimate the importance of strong financial infrastructure. Scalable systems for reporting, forecasting, and internal controls become increasingly critical as your company grows. Investing in these systems early allows you to support rapid expansion without losing operational control, maintain visibility into performance, and make informed decisions that keep the business on track toward its strategic goals. Additionally, having this infrastructure in place is key to enabling efficient future capital raises, acquisitions, or exits, ensuring the company can act quickly and confidently when opportunities arise.

Shaping What Comes Next

As technology continues to evolve, so does the role of the CFO—shifting from traditional reporting to real-time strategy, adaptability, and foresight.

Evergreen Advisors’ CFO Advisory team excels in this space, helping companies keep pace with innovation and turn change into opportunity. Contact the team today to start a conversation.