Entrepreneurial Excellence | Blueprint CFO Presents: Future Focused Entrepreneurs

Ville Houttu is the Co-Founder and CEO of Privv. Originally from Finland, Ville relocated to the United States with his wife and two children in 2016. He’s a serial entrepreneur and a renowned TEDx speaker whose leadership has earned recognition in esteemed publications, such as TechCrunch, Forbes, Inc. Magazine, Harvard Business Review, and Adam Grant’s TED Podcast. Additionally, he has been honored as a finalist for the 2023 EY Entrepreneur of the Year award and is a three-time member of the Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Companies in America. In 2018, he was also named the Entrepreneur of the Year in Irvine, California.

Privv is the only project management tool designed specifically for higher education and K-12 facilities. It combines industry-specific knowledge with advanced tools to ensure capital projects are completed on time, within budget, and to the highest standards. Privv empowers educational institutions to focus on their core mission of providing world-class education while streamlining the management of complex construction projects.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• The history and origin story of Privv, the company’s target market, and insights into the project management tool
• Ville’s interesting entrepreneurial journey, including scaling a business to 8-figures
• What Ville envisioned for his career back when he was a kid growing up in Finland, and what his first job was
• The benefits of being a “parallel entrepreneur”, and what this means
• Tough times in business, and Ville’s reflections on the highs and lows of entrepreneurship
• The importance of learning from others’ experiences, and how professional advisory can support and uplift young entrepreneurs
• The need for balance between innovation and implementation in organizational leadership
• The current state of the economy, and whether or not Ville sees the impacts of a looming recession
• How Privv is utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) to support the firm’s offerings
• Ville’s perspective on work-life balance as an entrepreneur
• Ville’s experience working with Blueprint CFO

About the Series. Blueprint CFO Presents: Future Focused Entrepreneurs is an interview series and podcast highlighting entrepreneurs and businesses that are going places by focusing on the future and developing a roadmap for success. Hosted by Jim Downes, founder of Blueprint CFO, a future focused fractional CFO & accounting services firm based in Southern California.

About Blueprint CFO. Blueprint CFO is a future focused fractional CFO and accounting services firm based in Orange County, California. Partnering with entrepreneurial companies to guide and support them on their road to success, Blueprint CFO equips clients with the Profitability Roadmap® they need to grow. Learn more at www.BlueprintCFO.com.