Gary Calnan
Verified Expert in Management Consulting
Finance Expert
Denver, CO, United States
Toptal member since November 22, 2019
Gary is a serial entrepreneur with CEO and CFO experience. Before co-founding an aerospace startup in 2017, Gary was the director of finance at a $120 million revenue SaaS company, where he was responsible for the financial management of multiple departments and supported three mergers. Gary leverages his unique blend of finance and entrepreneurial experience across early and growth-stage businesses to add value to Toptal clients.
Career Highlights
Education Highlights
Certification Highlights
Case Studies
Full Financial Model for Space Startup Business Proposal
Feasibility Study for NewSpace Mission Concept
ETF Trading Strategy | Relative Strength Model with a Backtest using 20+ Years of Data
Software Expertise
- Microsoft Excel
Other Expertise
- CFO
- Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA)
- Financial Modeling
- P&L Forecasting
- Pricing Models
- Seed Fundraising
- Software as a Service (SaaS)
Work Experience
Co-founder and CEO/CFO
CisLunar Industries
- Created the concept and led a small team of engineers to develop the first Space Foundry in Earth's orbit on the International Space Station. It will process metal by melting it down and extruding it into new metal products for use in space.
- Led the team, set the vision, and responsible for non-engineering functions, including business and partnership development, public relations, government relations, presentations, and finance.
- Managed the development and execution of the company’s fundraising strategy, focus on the pursuit of both public and private sources of investment.
- Built multiple detailed financial models for internal projections and external fundraising efforts.
Director of Finance
Beeline
- Oversaw the financial management for EMEA, as well as the global account management department, and led all sales forecasting for a software-as-a-service workforce management company with $120+ million revenue.
- Developed and delivered comprehensive revenue reporting that provided both high-level and detailed insights into trends as well as economic and industry drivers.
- Supported Beeline's M&A initiatives, including the company’s merger and subsequent integration with its second-largest competitor.
- Led the selection, installation, and integration of a new financial management software solution and delivered phase 1 of a multi-stage rollout to the entire organization on-time and within the budget.
- Supported the divestiture of a services division and the acquisition and integration of a competitor’s vendor management services division.
Investment Analyst & Portfolio Manager
Dunn Warren Investment Advisors
- Created and evolved investment strategies at a boutique portfolio management firm with $100 million of assets under management.
- Led sales and marketing functions, improved core processes and managed client and vendor relationships.
- Invented, tested, marketed, and managed five financial products based on a proprietary quantitative investment strategy tailored to client demands for increased market exposure while adhering to the firm’s philosophy on systematic risk management and long-term investing.
- Executed all trades for client portfolios.
Finance Manager
Convergys
- Managed financial planning and analysis for $35 million in revenue across three business lines.
- Created pricing models, scenario analyses, as well as ROI analysis for new business lines and was sought out for fact-based business recommendations to reduce spending and optimize revenues.
- Awarded the assignment of a $22-million line of business, stepping into a leadership role to ensure consistent product delivery while re-engineering a manual accounting financial close process.
- Reduced resource load by 75% and dramatically improved the accuracy via the development and implementation of automated accounting processes integrating Access, Excel, PeopleSoft, and Essbase.
- Spearheaded multiple ad-hoc projects that included pricing and contract negotiation, performance measures, bonus payout forecasting, sales pipeline, and revenue forecasting.
Co-founder and CEO/CFO
NightRiders
- Founded and retired this startup that provided on-demand designated drivers who drove customers home in their cars.
- Led the company from founding to 40+ employees in less than four years and managed the company’s growth, financials, investor relations, marketing, and training programs.
- Raised more than $350,000 from local angel investors.
- Negotiated sponsorship agreements with Coors Brewing Co. and Old Chicago and partnered with more than 100 Denver-area bars and restaurants to jointly promote NightRiders.
- Recognized with multiple awards including National Commission Against Drunk Driving (NCADD) Corporate Leadership Award 2003, and the Innovation Quotient (IQ) Award—Boulder County Business Report 2005.
Education
Certificate in Space Studies
International Space University - Cork, Ireland
Bachelor's Degree in Economics
University of Colorado Boulder - Colorado Springs, CO, USA
Certifications
CFA Charterholder
CFA Institute
Skills
Finance
Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), Financial Modeling, CFO, Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), Revenue Modeling, Price Analysis, Budgeting, Forecasting, P&L Forecasting, Seed Fundraising, Pricing Strategy, Fundraising, Stock Trading, Exchange-traded Funds (ETF), Feasibility, Startup Funding, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A)
Output Software
Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, Google Docs, Google Slides, Google Sheets
Industry Expertise
Aerospace & Defense
Geographic Expertise
United States, European Union (EU)
Data & Analysis Software
Microsoft Access, Tableau
Other
Excel Modeling, CEO, Co-founder, Software as a Service (SaaS), NewSpace, Business Development, Business Strategy, Strategy, Business Planning, Recurring Revenue Modeling, Sales Analysis, Sales Compensation Structuring, Financial Forecasting, Portfolio Reporting, Client Presentations, Investor Relations, Entrepreneurship, Strategic Partnerships, Innovation, Space Debris, In-space Manufacturing, Cost Modeling, Rolling Forecasts, Trend Forecasting, Training & Training Content Development, Investment Modeling, Workforce Management (WFM), Pricing Models, Investment Analysis, Portfolio Management, Training, Public Speaking, Presentations, Sales Forecast Management, Manufacturing, Trading, Stock Analysis, Quantitative Analysis, Quantitative Modeling, Investment Strategy, Financial Reporting Dashboards, Backtesting Trading Strategies, Systematic Trading, Feasibility Studies, Interactive Dashboards, Business Proposals, Essbase, Consulting, Marketing, Economics
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