Meet Cameron Murphy, Business Advisor

1. Could you please give us a short introduction about yourself?

Cameron, Startup Advisor.

2. Can you tell us a bit about your professional background?

My Background is in Science, but I’ve never worked a day in a lab. I spent my early years working for an online bank based out of Malta and Canada and helped develop early lead scoring methods for quantifying risk from online leads. I spent nearly 9 years in that job! From there I moved to Berlin to work for Spark Networks, an online dating conglomerate. I helped grow their English language business units and after some quick wins, worked on some additional projects prior to the companies listing on the NASDAQ in 2017. From there I moved to Helsinki Finland and worked as an early team member with pre-seed and seed stage startups. I joined Voima Ventures in 2023 and helped launch their first ESG report and successfully market Voima Ventures Fund III.

3. Can you explain a bit about your role at Aalto Startup Center?

My specialty is financial forecasting for early-stage startups. I help founders turn their initial assumptions into a credible, math-driven growth plan, using analytical rigor to build a realistic foundation for future growth.

4. So, what brought you to Aalto Startup Center originally?

One of the main reasons startups fail is because of inadequate financial planning. It’s by no means the only reason! I'm at Aalto to try and change this by helping companies understand the essential drivers of their financial health early on. With a solid understanding, more startups can reach Series A funding and beyond, enabling them to make significant strides in their field and drive change across the world. Basically, my passion is in seeing science succeed.

5. After a few weeks of working here, do you enjoy the experience? Which part is your favorite so far?

The team is as big and beautiful as the campus. I like the work culture here, there is transparency, honesty and a real desire to see others succeed, which I feel is sorely missing in the wider business world. My favourite part has been the walking tour of the campus with Niko, where he pointed out Finland's deepest borehole. It's under this totally nondescript manhole cover and goes straight down for 4.6km. I walk past it every day on the way to work. It blows my mind and is a solid reminder of the brilliance of research.

6. What have you been working on recently?

Onboarding the latest Business Generator cohort of companies! I've also been cooking up a fresh, simplified financial model for our new startups to use for revenue forecasting and valuations.

7. What’s your preferred work style?

I prefer practical progress over perfection. I believe 'good' is not the enemy of ‘perfect’. I value continuous improvement and I learn best through practical experience. Expect things on time from me. I'm open to feedback and appreciate collaboration to make sure we're moving in the right direction. I believe in getting things done efficiently but am also comfortable adjusting plans along the way. 

8. Do you want to say something to our startups?

Accounting and finance is the language of business and therefore investors. Learn to speak it early.

9. Any plans or goals for 2025?

I'm looking forward to giving my first few workshops. Finance is an intimidating topic. I think mostly because of the amount of guesswork that goes into it. It's tough to say 'I don't know,' especially in the business world. But as a co-founder, it's our role to tackle uncertainty and turn those guesses into solid, realistic assumptions. I think that’s really empowering.

My goal for 2025 is to make finance accessible and less intimidating for our Business Generator cohort

10. Tell us one thing about yourself that would surprise us

I'm part of The Helsinki Harps Folk Group and play Irish folk music regularly in Helsinki. I can also juggle 5 balls 😅