5 to 50: Financial Strategies for Growing Companies
6 - The Exit Playbook: Johan Hoernell’s Secrets to Scaling and Selling
May 6, 2025
What if you could learn from someone who successfully scaled and sold a SaaS company in Europe before launching their next venture? In this episode of 5 to 50: Financial Strategies for Growing Companies, host Jeff Rudner sits down with Johan Hoernell, CEO and co-founder of Reveal Automation. Johan shares his journey from McKinsey consultant to successful SaaS entrepreneur, offering practical insights on scaling businesses, building transparent financial systems, and preparing for successful exits. He explains why empowering teams through context, rather than control, is vital for sustainable growth. Whether you're growing your first startup or leading a growth-stage SaaS company, Johan’s strategies around operational excellence, financial leadership, and entrepreneurial resilience provide invaluable lessons for building and exiting technology ventures.
What if you could learn from someone who successfully scaled and sold a SaaS company in Europe before launching their next venture?


In this episode of 5 to 50: Financial Strategies for Growing Companies, host Jeff Rudner sits down with Johan Hoernell, CEO and co-founder of Reveal Automation. Johan shares his journey from McKinsey consultant to successful SaaS entrepreneur, offering practical insights on scaling businesses, building transparent financial systems, and preparing for successful exits. He explains why empowering teams through context, rather than control, is vital for sustainable growth. Whether you're growing your first startup or leading a growth-stage SaaS company, Johan’s strategies around operational excellence, financial leadership, and entrepreneurial resilience provide invaluable lessons for building and exiting technology ventures.


What you will learn:

Johan Hoernell is the CEO and Co-founder of Reveal Automation, specializing in the automation and enablement of enterprise digital tools. With a distinguished background including strategic consulting at McKinsey and successfully scaling Time Edit to acquisition, Johan brings deep expertise in technology optimization and business transformation. His entrepreneurial journey spans from early programming interests to executive leadership, where he successfully led Time Edit's expansion from a Nordic-focused company to a broader market presence.


Episode Resources:


Previous guests include: Sabrina Valle and Jessica Quon, co-founders of the Jam Stand and Mighty Picnic, Tom Hunt, Founder and CEO of Fame, Kenny Dettman, Founder and CEO of TaxNow, Rick Zullo, founder and managing partner of Equal Ventures, Adam Schwartz, founder and CEO of Parable and former co-founder of TeePublic.

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