Luke is available for hire
Hire LukeLuke Skarzynski
Verified Expert in Finance
Finance Expert
Location
Stamford, CT, United States
Toptal Member Since
October 17, 2022
A founder of Just In Case Estates, a legal tech startup, Luke has over ten years as a finance veteran. He began his career at L Catterton, the world's largest consumer-focused private equity firm, and served on a senior leadership team at one of its portfolio companies, growing revenue by over four times and leading the finance, operations, merchandise planning, and customer experience teams. Luke wants to connect with other passionate entrepreneurs and solve exciting new business challenges.
Career Highlights
Co-founder and CEO
Just In Case Estates
Investor
L Catterton
Case Studies
Software Expertise
Other Expertise
Work Experience
Co-founder and CEO
2021 - PRESENT
Just In Case Estates
- Developed and bootstrapped the company from concept to launch.
- Pitched and earned admission into a leading CT startup accelerator successfully.
- Designed technology system architecture, with validation from top Fractional CTO.
- Recruited, hired, and trained an overseas team of front and back-end developers.
Focus areas: Amazon Web Services (AWS), Klaviyo, Startups, Microsoft Office, Slack, QuickBooks Online, Google Analytics, SQL, Growth Equity, Finance, Planning, Cash Flow, Cash Flow Analysis, Analysis, Cash Management, Customer Experience, eCommerce, Financial Modeling, Business Modeling, Fundraising Strategy, Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), Fundraising, Equity Raises, Strategy, Financial Analysis, Accounting, Revenue & Expense Projections, Data Analysis, Excel VBA, Excel Expert, Microsoft Excel, Three-statement Modeling, Market Research, Market Segmentation, Market Research Analyst, Business Models, Pitch Decks, Waterfall Modeling, United States, Pitch Deck Consultant, Cash Flow Forecasting, Consumer Products, SME/SMB Financing, Business Setup, Seed Fundraising, B2C, Data Visualization, Dashboards, Management Reports
Vice President of Strategy and Operations
2018 - 2021
Rhone
- Built detailed models, led due diligence efforts, and negotiated terms to support the Company's Series B and Series C equity raises and the closing on an ABL (asset-based loan) facility.
- Grew revenue by more than four times, serving as the company's go-to "firefighter," tackling front and back-office opportunities across the organization.
- Led over 40 team members as head of finance, customer experience, operations, and merchandise planning.
- Created new ROAS (return on ad spend) based models to better guide performance marketing investments in near real time based on robust customer lifecycle analysis.
- Grew customer experience from five to over 20 team members and substantially revamped all major touchpoints, reducing inbound tickets per order by almost three times and achieving a 93% customer satisfaction score and over 70 net promoter score.
- Strengthened partnership with 3PL to increase throughput by over four times while maintaining more than 97% of orders shipped on the same or the next day.
- Negotiated an improved fulfillment rate card by more than 30% and small parcel rates by over 40%.
- Streamlined a merchandise assortment and built a suite of new reporting and forecasting planning models to enhance the ability to make data-based buy decisions.
- Represented the company as quasi-general counsel reviewing, negotiating, and approving more than $10,000 value business contracts.
Focus areas: Operations, Finance, Planning, Customer Experience, Microsoft Office, Slack, NetSuite, QuickBooks Online, Google Analytics, SQL, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Growth Equity, Analysis, Budgeting, Cash Flow, Cash Management, eCommerce, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Cash Flow Analysis, Forecasting, Financial Modeling, Business Modeling, Budget Modeling, Fundraising Strategy, Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), Fundraising, Equity Raises, Private Equity, M&A Modeling, Strategy, Financial Analysis, Accounting, Revenue & Expense Projections, Data Analysis, Corporate Finance, Excel VBA, Excel Expert, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Power BI, Three-statement Modeling, Market Research, Market Segmentation, Market Research Analyst, Business Models, Business Plan Consulting, Pitch Decks, Waterfall Modeling, Startup Funding, United States, Pitch Deck Consultant, M&A Due Diligence (Financial), Due Diligence, Cross-border M&A, Financing, Valuation, Inventory Management, Pricing Models, Financial Risk Management, Fractional CFO, Cash Flow Forecasting, Manufacturing, Consumer Products, SME/SMB Financing, Debt Financing, Wellness, Health & Wellness, CFO, COO, Business Setup, Competition Research, Seed Fundraising, B2C, Data Visualization, Dashboards, Excel Macros, Macros, Management Reports, Visual Basic, Visual Basic for Applications (VBA)
Director of Special Projects
2017 - 2018
Rhone
- Oversaw a transition to in-house accounting in the first two weeks, managed the finance team's daily operations, regularly closed books in under 10 days, led annual audits and appraisals, and created financial packages for investors and the board.
- Navigated a tight liquidity position over five months by pulling a combination of operational and working capital levers and culminating in a successful equity raise.
- Developed and managed the new budget and long-term financial models.
- Created automated KPI and operating dashboards for the operations, merchandise planning, and sales teams in Excel and PowerBI.
Focus areas: Startups, Finance, Accounting, Operations, Three-statement Modeling, Market Research, Market Segmentation, Market Research Analyst, Business Models, Business Plan Consulting, Pitch Decks, Waterfall Modeling, Startup Funding, United States, Pitch Deck Consultant, M&A Due Diligence (Financial), Due Diligence, Cross-border M&A, Financing, Valuation, Inventory Management, Pricing Models, Financial Risk Management, Fractional CFO, Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), Cash Flow Forecasting, Manufacturing, Consumer Products, SME/SMB Financing, Debt Financing, Wellness, Health & Wellness, COO, Business Setup, Competition Research, Seed Fundraising, B2C, Data Visualization, Dashboards, Excel Macros, Macros, Management Reports, Visual Basic, Visual Basic for Applications (VBA)
Investor
2013 - 2017
L Catterton
- Closed more than two dozen buy and sell-side transactions, focusing primarily on the middle and lower-middle market and including an approximate $1 billion take-private.
- Built hundreds of financial models, financial planning and analysis (FP&A), and pitch decks for companies of diverse backgrounds, often from scratch.
- Conducted extensive industry and company-specific research across five consumer verticals: restaurants and retail, food and beverage, branded consumer products, consumer health and wellness, and consumer marketing and services.
- Collaborated with portfolio company management teams on numerous strategy-setting and execution initiatives across sales, marketing, new product development, real estate, financial planning and analysis, and other functions.
- Stepped in as interim CFO for a $20+ million restaurant concept during a liquidity crisis. Acted quickly to flex working capital and worked closely with the CEO to improve operations.
Focus areas: Growth Equity, Microsoft Office, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Portfolio Reporting, Finance, Planning, Analysis, Budgeting, Cash Flow, Cash Flow Analysis, Customer Experience, Cash Management, eCommerce, Financial Modeling, Forecasting, Private Equity, Equity Raises, Fundraising, Fundraising Strategy, Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), M&A (Buy-side), M&A Modeling, M&A Strategy, Strategy, Financial Analysis, Accounting, Revenue & Expense Projections, Data Analysis, Corporate Finance, Excel VBA, Excel Expert, Microsoft Excel, Three-statement Modeling, Market Research, Market Segmentation, Market Research Analyst, Business Models, Business Plan Consulting, Pitch Decks, Waterfall Modeling, Startup Funding, United States, Pitch Deck Consultant, M&A Due Diligence (Financial), Due Diligence, Cross-border M&A, Financing, Entertainment & Leisure, Valuation, Pricing Models, Financial Risk Management, Fractional CFO, Cash Flow Forecasting, Manufacturing, Consumer Products, SME/SMB Financing, Debt Financing, Wellness, Health & Wellness, CFO, Competition Research, Seed Fundraising, SaaS, B2C, Software as a Service (SaaS), Data Visualization, Dashboards, Excel Macros, Macros, Management Reports, Visual Basic, Visual Basic for Applications (VBA), Venture Capital
Education
2009 - 2013
Bachelor's Degree in Economics
Middlebury College - Middlebury, Vermont, United States
2011 - 2012
Bachelor's Degree in Economics
Universidad Carlos III - Madrid, Spain
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