Career Path of a Head of Finance and Business Operations at TigerEye Labs
Yuri's career path, beginning with an economics and business administration degree from Berkeley and an initial internship at PricewaterhouseCoopers which "I did not love," has been marked by a series of strategic transitions, including a move to economic consulting, an MBA from Haas, roles at Pacific Gas & Electric and SolarCity (later acquired by Tesla), and a pivot to the tech sector via PlanGrid (later acquired by Autodesk), before settling into their current role as Head of Finance and Business Operations at the early-stage startup TigerEye Labs, where they joined as the third non-founder employee.
Career Development, Finance, Business Operations, Clean Technology, Tech
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Yuri Yakubov
Head of Finance and Business Operations
TigerEye Labs, Inc.
UC Berkeley
UC Berkeley MBA, Haas School of Business
Business & Related
Technology
Finance
Honors Student, Took Out Loans, Immigrant, Worked 20+ Hours in School
Video Highlights
1. Yuri's career path demonstrates the value of diverse experiences. He started with an internship at PricewaterhouseCoopers, then transitioned to economic consulting, an MBA, and roles in clean technology and the tech industry. This highlights the possibility of changing industries and leveraging skills from previous roles.
2. His experience at SolarCity, followed by Tesla, showcases a successful transition into a growing industry and the ability to adapt to an acquisition. This is useful for students considering careers in a dynamic industry and how acquisitions can impact roles.
3. Yuri's journey from a large company to an early-stage startup demonstrates the entrepreneurial spirit and risk-taking involved in career advancement. This path might be attractive to students seeking more autonomy and impact in a startup environment. His growth from a director to a Head of Finance and Business Operations demonstrates his ability to take on increasing responsibilities.
Transcript
Could you walk me through your career path, starting with your experiences in college? Did you have any internships or jobs before your current role?
I've taken a bit of a meandering path to where I am now. In undergrad, I majored in economics and business administration at Berkeley. Between my junior and senior year, I interned at PricewaterhouseCoopers in audit. I didn't love that experience.
After undergrad, I worked for an economic consulting firm called Cornerstone Research. I spent five years there and gained solid financial and economic modeling skills. I wanted to transition out of consulting after a few years and became interested in clean technology and its market.
The job market wasn't great in 2010, not long after the financial markets crashed, and many companies weren't hiring. I decided to go to business school to help with my career transition. I returned to Berkeley for my MBA at Haas.
There, I interned at Pacific Gas and Electric in their internal consulting analytics group. After business school, I returned to PG&E in a different role as a program manager for a financing product. I went back to the analytics role for a year before leaving the utility industry.
I moved over to a company called Solar City, which was then the largest residential solar installer in the US and likely the world. I worked in strategic finance, supporting sales and marketing teams. From there, I slowly transitioned into sales operations, a role that supports go-to-market teams and ensures their sales processes are as smooth as possible.
While at Solar City, we were acquired by Tesla. I spent a year and a half there, leaving after a total of four years with both companies. I then pivoted out of clean tech, even though I had focused on entering it during and before business school.
I realized the industry was too policy-driven, and I couldn't make a significant difference as a business or finance person. I got an opportunity to transition into tech, specifically software. I took a role as director of sales operations at a startup called PlanGrid.
Six months later, PlanGrid was acquired by Autodesk. I spent three and a half years there in a similar role. By the end of my four years with both companies, I was running sales operations for an entire 1500-person organization and had 25 people reporting to me. It was a great experience where I learned a lot and had breadth in my role.
I enjoyed it, but I hadn't truly worked at a startup as I intended when I went to PlanGrid. I still had that desire. I got the opportunity to go to a very early-stage startup called Tigereye. I joined as the third non-founder employee, running business operations and finance.
I've been here for almost two years and four months. We are a Series A company with about 30 people now.