Episode description

It began with a tense stretch of weeks that Bill Koefoed tells us he won’t soon forget. As OneStream’s CFO, he was juggling the details of going public when a small AI startup called DataSense caught his attention. “We didn’t even have a formal corporate development function,” Koefoed explains, but he threw himself into researching the opportunity. There were skeptics—some board members questioned the timing, while others worried the acquisition might be too costly.

Still, the numbers looked promising, and so did the technology. Sitting in late-night calls, Koefoed listened to DataSense’s University of Michigan–trained engineers describe predictive models that could supercharge OneStream’s demand forecasting. “Getting that talent on board could pay huge dividends,” he recalls thinking. Even with the looming IPO, Koefoed pressed ahead, negotiating terms while appeasing wary investors.

For Koefoed, AI isn’t a far-off gamble—it’s an immediate strategic lever. By championing technology that marries predictive power with secure financial data, Koefoed tells us he helping steer OneStream toward a future where finance and AI seamlessly intertwine.