Matt Harris: Do you remember how you originally got in touch with BCV? What were your early conversations like?

Stephany Kirkpatrick: I worked in fintech for over a decade before Orum and followed thought leaders like you and Bain throughout that time because of your deep focus in the industry. When I was raising early capital for Orum, you agreed to take a 30 minute meeting after another investor introduced us and that started it all! After that, BCV participated in our seed which put you in a position to be close to our business from the very beginning and eventually lead the series A. Your sector knowledge of B2B payments and payments infrastructure plus BCV’s ability to work across various stages of investing are a powerful combination. I love working with a fund and a partner that can help shape Orum in the early stages when finding product market fit is critical to success and who can also understand growth investing and scaling.

MH: How would you characterize how Bain Capital Ventures works with founders like yourself?

SK: When describing BCV, I think of smart, patient capital, long term focus, thinking big, and moving quickly. I really applaud BCV for matching pace for where the market is at all times. You and BCV have helped guide our thinking on product strategy, GTM, operations, finance, debt structures, commercials, hiring – basically everything! You and the rest of the fund are there to support me on things that as a founder I haven’t had to do before. You really go to the end of the earth for your founders, including making a phone call to get a door open or help land a new hire. You will also pick up my “5 min calls” for quick counsel. It’s not just capital with BCV, it’s decades of industry insights.

MH: What’s the best advice you’ve received about being a founder?

SK: Something that has been extremely helpful to me is having what I call a “9-1-1 list.” It’s a set of resources that you can call when there are fires to put out. For me, these people are ones that have been through similar situations before and can help me navigate them as well. The people at BCV are high on this list, but it could also be a Chief Revenue Officer, a Head of Data Science, or a Head of Business Operations, the possibilities are endless. The point is that we operate in a vertical that is very new and these are the people whose intuition you trust and are going to be able to help guide you through your most challenging decisions.

MH: What would you want other entrepreneurs / founders to know about working with BCV?

SK: BCV for me has been a supportive community – although I work most closely with you as our lead investor and Board Member, I engage often with other partners and operating teams. From the first partner meeting you invited me to, I’ve felt like the entire partner team is looking out for me and for Orum. There is always an air of optimism from BCV and a reminder that overcoming the impossible is what we founders are here for!

BCV will reach out with referrals, customer interest, and other ways to help. One of our earliest hires, who now leads Business Operations, was an intro from BCV. Another extremely helpful recruiting tool we’ve been able to use is BCV’s extern program. Most importantly, I can’t say enough about the other founders/CEOs in the portfolio – many of whom are in like-kind industries. Fellow leaders have hopped on a zoom to help me learn how to navigate our regulatory environment which is incredibly complex. Having so much industry knowledge around us at all times has been transformational as we make decisions that will be a critical path forward for our future as a business.