Insights from the Inside: The Expert Edition - Marvin Fletcher Rogers

At VenturePath, our expert network brings together those who’ve built, backed, scaled, and exited businesses - and who now help others do the same. They’re not here to share theoretical advice, but to offer practical, actionable insights drawn directly from their own experience.

In this edition of Insights from the Inside: The Expert Edition, we’re excited to feature Marvin Fletcher Rogers, Principal Consultant & Head of Business Development at Sage. Marvin co-leads Sage’s Global Private Equity Practice working closely with private equity and venture capital operating teams as well as advising scaleups and finance leaders on how to leverage emerging technologies to accelerate digital transformation and build resilient finance functions. Here's what he had to say:

Q&A with Marvin Fletcher Rogers

What’s the one mistake you see founders making that holds them back from scaling effectively?

"Treating finance as a retrospective back-office function restricts growth. Strategic finance should deliver accurate, timely, and forward-looking insight – like runway, unit economics, and investor metrics – to help founders confidently manage uncertainty, mitigate risks, spot opportunities, and support funding or exit decisions."

What’s one small change that can have a massive positive impact on a founder’s ability to scale?

"Adopt open, AI-powered finance tools that integrate easily and scale with growth. Automating billing, reporting, and forecasting delivers real-time, forward-looking insight – helping founders stay lean, make confident decisions, and avoid costs scaling faster than the business."

What’s one trend you see shaping the future for startups over the next 12 months?

"Startups are shifting toward agile finance platforms that integrate easily with other operational tools. These systems surface trends, adapt quickly, and support AI-driven forecasting – allowing founders to layer in capabilities like billing, planning, or reporting as they grow, without rebuilding the stack."

What’s one thing that founders waste time and money on while scaling that they shouldn’t?

"Founders often overbuild rigid systems too early. Instead, choose platforms with an AI roadmap that automate intelligently and flex with growth – keeping operations agile and ensuring costs don’t scale faster than the business."

About Marvin

Marvin co-leads Sage’s Global Private Equity Practice, with a focus on the UK and Ireland. He works closely with private equity and venture capital operating teams to support finance transformation across portfolio companies – helping them adopt scalable, AI-enabled systems that enhance visibility, streamline operations, and prepare for growth and exit.

He also leads Sage’s UK strategic communities, advising scaleups and finance leaders on how to leverage emerging technologies to accelerate digital transformation and build resilient finance functions.

Prior to Sage, Marvin held product specialist roles at NetSuite, Oracle, and Freshworks, guiding high-growth businesses through cloud-native technology transformations across ERP, CRM, FP&A, and reporting.

Marvin is actively involved with VenturePath to support scaling founders. Connect with him and tap into his wealth of knowledge and experience through the platform. If you’re not yet a member, sign up today to access Marvin's insights and support as you scale your business.