An Airwallex Program

Hired for Go-to-Market, He Built Finance From Scratch as Rillet Reached a $1B Valuation

Rillet builds an agentic ERP platform designed to replace legacy accounting systems, with a real-time general ledger and embedded finance agents. Hedlund joined as roughly employee twelve, hired to run go-to-market, and built the finance function alongside those commercial responsibilities when the company was too early to justify a dedicated finance role.

He led Rillet's $100 million Series C at a $1 billion valuation and runs Rillet's own books on Rillet, using its AI agents for accrual suggestions, journal booking, and cash reconciliation. Rillet now supports over 700 customers across private and public companies, with alliances across EY, KPMG, and most of Accounting Today's top 20 firms.

His Vibe Coding Sessions have drawn thousands of attendees and given the emerging role a name: Finance Engineer. Before Rillet, Hedlund worked in finance and accounting at Walmart, Molekule, OpenSpace, and Mercury, and holds an MBA from Chicago Booth.

View the full list

Stephen Hedlund

Rillet

What Startup Finance 30 is

Finance is one of the most under-leveraged growth levers a startup has.

The best finance leaders don't just keep the books. They extend runway, structure capital that changes what a company can do next, and build the systems that let it scale across borders.

Startup Finance 30 is the first list built to recognise that work. Beginning in 2026 and continuing annually, we name 30 finance leaders at venture-backed, globally ambitious startups. The operators shaping how the next generation of companies grow.

Who's doing the most consequential finance work in the startup world right now?

This list is the answer.

FAQ

More information on how SF30 works.

Who's behind Startup Finance 30?

Startup Finance 30 is published by Airwallex. We built it because we work with globally ambitious companies every day, and the finance leaders driving that growth deserve more recognition than they get. Selection sits with the committee.

Who selects the final 30?

A committee of operating CFOs and finance leaders. They score every candidate against a five-part merit rubric and ratify the final list. See the full selection methodology.

Is there a fee? Can I pay to be included?

No. It's free to enter, and recognition is earned on merit.