--- title: 'Chief Financial Officer at Samba' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/chief-financial-officer-samba-san-francisco-q516n69d59tc' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-09-14' --- # Chief Financial Officer at Samba - **Company:** Samba - **Location:** San Francisco, CA - **Compensation:** $300k–$400k - **Employment:** full-time - **Work type:** onsite - **Posted:** 2026-05-05 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-14 - **Apply:** https://jobs.lever.co/sambatv/d0ece5a5-fdf9-4ef0-87a6-27c7e1a38846 ## Job description Samba is a media intelligence company. We know what the world is watching, reading, and thinking about — in real time, at scale, across every screen. Our data exists with the consent of over a billion people, organized into the most complete picture of consumer attention ever built. The biggest brands in the world use that picture to make smarter decisions. We think it’s the most interesting data asset on the planet, because it’s the most culturally relevant. Samba is entering a pivotal growth chapter — scaling our AI-powered measurement platform globally, expanding strategic partnerships, and preparing for what's next, whether that's continued scale, M&A activity, or public market readiness. We're hiring a Chief Financial Officer to architect the financial strategy, infrastructure, and discipline required to get us there. This is a strategic, hands-on executive role for a finance leader who can balance growth enablement with operational rigor, lead complex M&A and capital markets activity, and bring AI fluency into the finance function itself. ## WHAT YOU'LL DO - Serve as a strategic partner to the CEO, Board, and executive team on financial strategy, capital allocation, and long-range planning. - Lead all aspects of finance including FP&A, accounting, treasury, tax, audit, procurement, and investor relations. - Execute on our M&A strategy — including valuation, diligence, deal structuring, negotiation, and post-close integration. - Lead capital strategy across debt, equity, and strategic investment — manage existing investor relationships and cultivate new ones. - Build and refine financial models that support pricing strategy, ROI on product investment, sales resource allocation, and Rule of 40+ progression. - Own the path to public market readiness, including SOX preparation, technical accounting, SEC reporting infrastructure, and equity story development. - Own corporate budgeting, scenario planning, cash flow management, and KPI design across the business. - Navigate board and audit committee processes — provide transparent, well-structured reporting to the Board, lenders, and strategic partners. - Ensure GAAP accounting compliance and build the infrastructure for audit readiness at scale. - Embed AI and modern tooling into financial planning, forecasting, and business intelligence to drive faster, sharper decision-making. - Build and develop a high-performing global finance team, with clear career paths and a strong bench. - Partner cross-functionally with Product, Sales, Engineering, and People to ensure financial discipline enables (not blocks) growth. ## WHO YOU ARE-MUST HAVES - 3–5 years in investment banking or equity research, with direct deal execution and advisory experience. - 3–5 years operating inside a finance organization at a high-growth B2B technology company. - Strong familiarity with M&A (buy-side and/or sell-side), raising capital, and the IPO process. - Deep expertise in corporate budgeting, scenario planning, FP&A, and long-term financial modeling. - Solid grounding in GAAP accounting, audit committee processes, and board-level financial reporting. - Proven track record in cash flow management and KPI-driven decision-making. - Based in San Francisco, CA — this role is in-office. ## WHO YOU ARE-STRONG PREFERENCES - Comfortable being both the company’s financial disciplinarian and its growth enabler — and knowing when to be which. - M&A, IPO or take-private transaction experience is required. - AI-fluent: you’ve used or championed AI tools to modernize forecasting, reporting, or operational finance, and have a clear point of view on where AI takes the CFO function next. - We care about the financial economics of the business.Academic credentials in Finance, Economics, Accounting, or related fields are nice, but we appreciate the liberal arts equally as much. CFA or CPA designation is not required, but the expertise and understanding of the core principles are required. - Operationally minded — you build systems, processes, and teams that scale, not just decks. - Strong executive presence with the ability to translate complex financial narratives into clear, actionable insights for technical and non-technical audiences. ## HOW YOU"LL LIVE OUR VALUES - Determined Yet Resilient — Samba should not exist. We’ve built an entirely new category at the intersection of platforms that much larger companies should have owned. The CFO who thrives here has the grit and hunger to operate with that same chip on the shoulder — short-term pain for long-term gain, high risk tolerance, and the belief that the harder I work, the luckier I get. - Naturally Curious — You learn fast, ask great questions, and listen more than you talk. Two ears, one mouth, used proportionately. You’re guided by opportunity, not just precedent — exploring how AI, new data sources, and evolving capital markets can give Samba an edge. - Low Ego — The best idea wins, no matter where it comes from. You listen first, collaborate always, and celebrate the team. Humble people take risks and learn quickly from failures — that’s what makes this role work. - Self-Aware — Know thyself. You own your weaknesses, lean into your strengths, and bring intellectual honesty to every decision. Data and logic guide you, and personal biases are recognized and kept in check. - Results Oriented — Talk is cheap; performance is priceless. You measure what matters, deliver outcomes that count, and let the data do the talking. We are a performance-driven organization — effort matters, but results are the scoreboard. Samba is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.  We strive to empower connection with one another, reflect the communities we serve, and tackle meaningful projects that make a real impact. Samba may collect personal information directly from you, as a job applicant, Samba may also receive personal information from third parties, for example, in connection with a background, employment or reference check, in accordance with the applicable law. For further details, please see Samba's Applicant Privacy Policy. For residents of the EU , Samba Inc. is the data controller. ## About Samba ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Samba (formerly Samba TV) is a media intelligence company that uses AI and first-party deterministic data from 1.5 billion people to power cross-screen TV and digital advertising measurement, targeting, and analytics for the world's largest brands, publishers, and platforms. - **Entity Type**: Private (Series B) - **Headquarters**: San Francisco, California, United States - **Founded**: 2008 - **Founders**: Ashwin Navin (Co-founder & CEO), Alvir Navin (Co-founder & COO) ## Core Business - **Primary Industry**: Media Intelligence / Advertising Technology / Data & Analytics - **Target Customers**: B2B — primarily Enterprise (global brands, agencies, publishers, and platforms like Disney, Havas Media, and "the vast majority of top global brands") - **Mission Statement**: Unite TV, digital, and behavioral data through AI to power faster, more accurate media decisions. ## Products & Services - **Samba Analytics**: Independent cross-screen measurement using first-party data for deduplicated reach, frequency, and performance outcomes. Allows optimization of campaigns while they are still in-flight. - **Samba Audiences**: Exclusive audience segments and Private Marketplaces (PMPs) built from Samba's deterministic cross-screen signals for effective targeting. - **Samba Knowledge Graph**: AI-powered mapping of interests, behaviors, and purchase intent, linking content to 1.5 billion real people, devices, and households. - **Samba ID**: A universal identity solution linking content to real people and devices across screens. - **Samba AI**: Contextually analyzes and indexes all media content, including brand logo detection on TV. ## Market Standing - **Valuation**: Not publicly disclosed - **Total Funding**: $75.7M USD across 9 rounds - Last known round: Series B ($30M, June 2017, led by Union Grove Venture Partners and Disney Accelerator) - Other notable rounds: Series A ($7M, February 2012, led by August Capital) - **Key Metric**: Owns first-party TV and web data for 1.5 billion people globally. - **Notable Investors/Partners**: August Capital, Union Grove Venture Partners, Disney Accelerator. Strategic clients include Disney, Havas Media, and "every platform and publisher you need." - **Growth Signals**: Acquired Semasio in 2024, becoming the only provider owning both TV and web first-party data. Rebranded from "Samba TV" to "Samba" in 2026. Global workforce of 251 employees (+20.1% YoY growth). Operations span 6 countries with 13 offices. ## Competitive Advantages - **First-Party Data Moat**: Nearly two decades of proprietary, deterministic data from smart TVs (24 brands, 48M devices) and web (1.5B people), creating a unique and un-copyable dataset. - **Full-Funnel Integration**: The only provider to combine TV and web first-party data (after acquiring Semasio), offering planning, measurement, and activation in one platform. - **AI-Powered Knowledge Graph**: Goes beyond traditional media measurement by mapping interests, behaviors, and purchase intent, enabling contextual analysis without relying on third-party cookies. ## Strategic Focus - **Platform Expansion**: Evolving from a TV data provider into a comprehensive "media intelligence" company (rebranded in 2026). - **Cross-Screen Unification**: Connecting TV and digital data to provide a complete view of audience behavior across all screens. - **AI & Contextual Intelligence**: Deepening investment in AI for content analysis, brand detection, and predictive audience targeting. - **Global Scale**: Operating across six continents and expanding direct partnerships with major platforms and publishers. ## Why Work Here - **Founder-Led Culture**: Described as having "startup intensity and enterprise impact," with a "culture that values ownership over hierarchy and outcomes over optics." - **Global & Distributed**: Teams span San Francisco (HQ), New York, London, Hamburg, Sydney, Los Angeles, Chicago, Austin, Warsaw, Taipei, and Amsterdam. Officed with a global, collaborative ethos. - **Engineering & Data-First**: Ships products that "touch billions of signals daily." A strong emphasis on data science, engineering, and product roles. - **Compensation & Benefits**: Competitive base salary, equity participation, performance bonuses, generous parental leave, flexible PTO, annual learning budgets, home office stipend, and best-in-class hardware. - **Culture Values** (from company career page): Determined & Resilient, Self-Aware, Naturally Curious, Low Ego, Results Oriented. - **Employee Rating**: 3.9/5.0 on LinkedIn (172 reviews), with Work-Life Balance at 3.9, Compensation at 3.8, and Culture at 3.8. ## Sources 1. [samba.com](https://samba.com/about-samba) — About Samba / Company History 2. [samba.com](https://samba.com/careers) — Careers Page / Culture & Benefits 3. [samba.com](https://samba.com/) — Home Page / Product & Platform Overview 4. [linkedin.com/company/sambatv](https://www.linkedin.com/company/sambatv) — LinkedIn Profile (Company Details, Size, Financials) 5. [jobs.lever.co/sambatv](https://jobs.lever.co/sambatv) — Lever Careers Page (Open Roles) ## Other roles at Samba - [Senior Designer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-designer-samba-los-angeles-bnr71ms0xn47) — Los Angeles, CA - [Revenue Accounting Analyst - Data Products](https://feeny.ai/job/revenue-accounting-analyst-data-products-samba-san-francisco-9xwe89ztbqf2) — San Francisco, CA - [Senior Director - Data Platform and Cloud Services](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-director-data-platform-and-cloud-services-samba-warsaw-vnpe99twtfcg) — Warsaw, Poland - [Senior Ontologist - Knowledge Graph & Identity](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-ontologist-knowledge-graph-identity-samba-warsaw-maadbvvzpzgv) — Warsaw, Poland - [Data Scientist](https://feeny.ai/job/data-scientist-samba-amsterdam-cq236q9e9445) — Amsterdam, Netherlands - [Data Scientist](https://feeny.ai/job/data-scientist-samba-warsaw-11hwb6kajyaz) — Warsaw, Poland - [Software Development Engineer in Test](https://feeny.ai/job/software-development-engineer-in-test-samba-porto-6qf6nra7fhpa) — Porto, Portugal - [Associate Measurement Partner](https://feeny.ai/job/associate-measurement-partner-samba-london-yknw975zv4zy) — London, United Kingdom - [Programmatic Account Manager - German Speaking](https://feeny.ai/job/programmatic-account-manager-german-speaking-samba-london-afavw00gcd6v) — London, United Kingdom - [Full Stack Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/full-stack-engineer-samba-san-francisco-5fr298dp4qwq) — San Francisco, CA