The Athletic Director's Secret Weapon: Behind Bound's Explosive Growth

In this episode of the Iowa Tech Podcast, host Kaylee Williams sits down with Natalie Merrill, COO and CFO of Bound, to discuss the company's explosive growth trajectory. Bound, a scheduling and ticketing platform for high school athletics, has nearly tripled its school adoption in the past year—jumping from 600 schools to nearly 1,200—and is preparing to launch its Series A funding round. 💡 Find this show on your favorite player: https://iowapodcast.com/Natalie-Merrill  🐖 Get a free $30 gift card from Jethro's BBQ: https://iowapodcast.com/jethrosbbq Natalie shares her unique perspective as someone who's navigated the full spectrum of startup and corporate life: building a renewable energy company that went public, experiencing a Fortune 100 acquisition by Chevron, and now operating as a key executive at a rapidly scaling scale-up. The conversation digs into the operational and financial lessons she's learned along the way, from managing cash flow and forecasting to balancing the tension between perfection and progress. Beyond the business metrics, Natalie and Kaylee explore what makes Bound resonate with its customers—a combination of smart product features, deep relationships with athletic directors, and a mission-driven culture focused on helping student-athletes. They discuss how AI is transforming both Bound's product and Natalie's own work as a CFO, the surprising correlation between athletic participation and executive success, and the grit required to thrive in the startup world. As Bound prepares for its next chapter, Natalie offers candid advice for founders and operators: done is better than perfect, policies exist to protect people, and sometimes the best leaders come from unexpected places.