# Adam Strouss

Former VP Finance at Cognition; ran finance at Windsurf through its acquisition by Cognition  
Cognition  
San Francisco, California, United States

## At Cognition

- Role: Former VP, Finance (Finance/Ops)
- Joined: Feb 2024
- How they joined: With Windsurf (https://www.autumn.ai/resources/cognition/acquisitions/windsurf)
- Before Windsurf: Investment Banking Associate, Code Advisors
- Overlapped before Cognition with other Cognition people at: Codeium (Windsurf) (https://www.autumn.ai/resources/cognition/worked-together)

## Identity
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-strouss-b8843ab2
- Domain: cognition.ai

## Notes
- Became VP, Finance at Cognition in Jul 2025 when Cognition acquired Windsurf; LinkedIn shows the role ending Oct 2026 and his headline now reads 'Ex-Finance @ Cognition'. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-strouss-b8843ab2)
- Named by Windsurf's Graham Moreno among the small group (with Jeff Wang, Scott Wu, Russell Kaplan, Kevin Lu, Adam Mishcon) whose 72-hour push got the Cognition acquisition of Windsurf done. (https://www.linkedin.com/posts/grahammoreno_cognitions-acquisition-of-windsurf-cognition-activity-7350596196056375296-cY9O)
- Joined Windsurf (then Codeium) as Head of Finance in Feb 2024 after leaving Code Advisors in Sep 2023, a jump from tech/media investment banking to running finance at an AI coding startup. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-strouss-b8843ab2)
- March 2026 LinkedIn post argues finance teams should ask whether their systems can feed AI clean, real-time, structured data, not 'how do we use AI?' (https://www.linkedin.com/posts/adam-strouss-b8843ab2_yesterday-i-shared-the-stage-with-two-of-activity-7442223716845121537-e2IK)
- Publicly thanked Scott Wu, Russell Kaplan and the Cognition team for 'leading with compassion and true partnership throughout the process' the day after the acquisition announcement. (https://www.linkedin.com/posts/adam-strouss-b8843ab2_thank-you-scott-wu-russell-kaplan-and-activity-7350951211245686784-_ybP)
- Rillet case study: Windsurf's outsourced accountants quit because transaction volume outgrew them. He quoted them as saying they 'threw their hands up in surrender', which pushed him off QuickBooks and Excel onto Rillet. (https://www.rillet.com/customers/case-studies/windsurfs-outsourced-accountants-couldnt-keep-up-adam-strouss-found-rillet-and-never-looked-back)
- Ran Windsurf's finance function as a two-person team with offshore bookkeepers in the Philippines. After the Rillet rollout, month-end close wraps in the first few days and Stripe reconciliation is fully automated. (https://www.rillet.com/customers/case-studies/windsurfs-outsourced-accountants-couldnt-keep-up-adam-strouss-found-rillet-and-never-looked-back)
- Rillet case study: Windsurf's outsourced accountants quit because transaction volume outgrew them. He quoted them as saying they 'threw their hands up in surrender', which pushed him off QuickBooks and Excel onto Rillet. (https://www.rillet.com/customers/case-studies/windsurfs-outsourced-accountants-couldnt-keep-up-adam-strouss-found-rillet-and-never-looked-back)
- Ran Windsurf's finance function as a two-person team with offshore bookkeepers in the Philippines. After the Rillet rollout, month-end close wraps in the first few days and Stripe reconciliation is fully automated. (https://www.rillet.com/customers/case-studies/windsurfs-outsourced-accountants-couldnt-keep-up-adam-strouss-found-rillet-and-never-looked-back)
- Public headline says "Ex-Finance @ Cognition". (https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-strouss-b8843ab2)
- Says automation moved his own work toward strategic guidance and long-term planning with the CEO. He called Rillet's revenue module 'an absolute lifesaver' as Windsurf changed its business model 'feels like quarterly'. (https://www.rillet.com/customers/case-studies/windsurfs-outsourced-accountants-couldnt-keep-up-adam-strouss-found-rillet-and-never-looked-back)
- Quoted: 'Rillet feels like it was tailor built for Windsurf and our complex accounting needs...' The same piece describes Windsurf running finance with a two-person team at $100M ARR. (https://www.vibeshepherd.com/stories/companies/rillets-rebellion-how-an-ai-native-erp-is-toppling-accounting-giants)
- Investment Banking Associate, Technology & Media, at Code Advisors in San Francisco from Feb 2022 to Sep 2023. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-strouss-b8843ab2)
- Spent Aug 2017 to Feb 2022 at RBC Capital Markets in New York (Analyst, then Associate) after a 2016 summer analyst stint there. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-strouss-b8843ab2)
- Public headline says "Ex-Finance @ Cognition". (https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-strouss-b8843ab2)
- Quoted: 'Rillet feels like it was tailor built for Windsurf and our complex accounting needs...' The same piece describes Windsurf running finance with a two-person team at $100M ARR. (https://www.vibeshepherd.com/stories/companies/rillets-rebellion-how-an-ai-native-erp-is-toppling-accounting-giants)
- Says automation moved his own work toward strategic guidance and long-term planning with the CEO. He called Rillet's revenue module 'an absolute lifesaver' as Windsurf changed its business model 'feels like quarterly'. (https://www.rillet.com/customers/case-studies/windsurfs-outsourced-accountants-couldnt-keep-up-adam-strouss-found-rillet-and-never-looked-back)
- Featured in Rillet's 'Speed is the Moat Today' case-study video as VP of Finance at Cognition/Windsurf: 'Speed is the moat today. You got to be nimble, you got to be quick.' (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYPtvyTJwOE)
- Quoted in Rillet's $25M Series A press release (led by Sequoia) as Windsurf VP of Finance. (https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/rillet-raises-25m-series-a-from-sequoia-capital-to-bring-ai-to-mid-market-accounting-302467399.html)
- Posted that he was 'blown away' by Windsurf + Cascade and that 'No software development experience required'. (https://www.linkedin.com/posts/adam-strouss-b8843ab2_absolutely-blown-away-by-whats-possible-activity-7262639851601092609-dkkn)
- FINRA BrokerCheck (CRD 6670297, Adam Marshall Strouss): registered broker with RBC Capital Markets in New York 09/2017-02/2022 and Code Advisors in San Francisco 02/2022-06/2023. No disclosures; not currently registered. (https://brokercheck.finra.org/individual/summary/6670297)
- Quoted in Rillet's $25M Series A press release (led by Sequoia) as Windsurf VP of Finance. (https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/rillet-raises-25m-series-a-from-sequoia-capital-to-bring-ai-to-mid-market-accounting-302467399.html)
- Previous roles include VP, Finance at Cognition; Head of Finance at Windsurf; Investment Banking Associate at Code Advisors; Associate at RBC Capital Markets; Analyst at RBC Capital Markets; Summer Analyst at RBC Capital Markets; Summer Analyst at Savills North America. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-strouss-b8843ab2)
- Quoted on Stacksync's Rillet partner page: 'Accountants should be excited. They're being up-leveled, not replaced.' (https://www.stacksync.com/partners/rillet)
- Wide receiver (#9) on Penn football's 2015 Ivy League championship team while enrolled at Wharton. In 2014 he tied for the team lead with four rushing touchdowns, used as a gadget QB/WR. (https://pennathletics.com/sports/football/roster/adam-strouss/3971)
- Episcopal Academy quarterback who led the Churchmen to a 10-0 record and the outright Inter-Ac title in 2012. He was 2012 Delaware County and Inter-Ac Player of the Year and a Mini Maxwell Award winner. (https://pennathletics.com/sports/football/roster/adam-strouss/3971)
- Previous roles include VP, Finance at Cognition; Head of Finance at Windsurf; Investment Banking Associate at Code Advisors; Associate at RBC Capital Markets; Analyst at RBC Capital Markets; Summer Analyst at RBC Capital Markets; Summer Analyst at Savills North America. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-strouss-b8843ab2)
- Quoted on Stacksync's Rillet partner page: 'Accountants should be excited. They're being up-leveled, not replaced.' (https://www.stacksync.com/partners/rillet)
- Summer Analyst at Savills North America in Philadelphia in summer 2015, a commercial real estate start before banking. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-strouss-b8843ab2)
- Philadelphia Inquirer profiled him in 2013 as a dual-threat QB: 1,064 passing yards and 17 TD, plus 900-plus rushing yards and 18 TD, in his senior season. (https://www.inquirer.com/philly/sports/high_school/20130201_Adam_Strouss__Episcopal_Academy.html)
- Location is San Francisco, California, United States. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-strouss-b8843ab2)
- Location is San Francisco, California, United States. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-strouss-b8843ab2)

## Experience
- VP, Finance at Cognition - San Francisco, California, United States (Jul 2025 - Oct 2026)
- Head of Finance at Windsurf - Mountain View, California, United States (Feb 2024 - Jul 2025)
- Investment Banking Associate at Code Advisors - San Francisco, California, United States (Feb 2022 - Sep 2023): Technology & Media
- Associate at RBC Capital Markets - New York, New York, United States (Jan 2020 - Feb 2022)
- Analyst at RBC Capital Markets - New York, New York, United States (Aug 2017 - Jan 2020)
- Summer Analyst at RBC Capital Markets - New York, NY (Jun 2016 - Aug 2016)
- Summer Analyst at Savills North America - Philadelphia, PA (Jun 2015 - Aug 2015)

## Education
- The Wharton School - Bachelor of Science in Economics, Concentration in Finance - (Jan 2013 - Jan 2017)

## Sources
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-strouss-b8843ab2
- https://www.linkedin.com/posts/adam-strouss-b8843ab2_absolutely-blown-away-by-whats-possible-activity-7262639851601092609-dkkn
- https://www.linkedin.com/posts/adam-strouss-b8843ab2_thank-you-scott-wu-russell-kaplan-and-activity-7350951211245686784-_ybP
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-strouss-b8843ab2?miniProfileUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afsd_profile%3AACoAABfpzRgBC8JzrSmOYbQZHVBzwXaUKtqNXdw
- https://www.linkedin.com/posts/grahammoreno_cognitions-acquisition-of-windsurf-cognition-activity-7350596196056375296-cY9O
- https://www.linkedin.com/posts/caseywoo_we-spent-months-building-the-cfo-summit-agenda-activity-7434991118515142657-wyfR
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYPtvyTJwOE
- https://www.linkedin.com/posts/team-rillet_windsurf-processes-tens-of-thousands-of-stripe-activity-7456052254521839616-ezgQ
- https://www.stacksync.com/partners/rillet
- https://www.vibeshepherd.com/stories/companies/rillets-rebellion-how-an-ai-native-erp-is-toppling-accounting-giants
- https://api.github.com/users/adam-strouss
- https://www.linkedin.com/posts/adam-strouss-b8843ab2_yesterday-i-shared-the-stage-with-two-of-activity-7442223716845121537-e2IK
- https://www.rillet.com/customers/case-studies/windsurfs-outsourced-accountants-couldnt-keep-up-adam-strouss-found-rillet-and-never-looked-back
- https://brokercheck.finra.org/individual/summary/6670297
- https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/rillet-raises-25m-series-a-from-sequoia-capital-to-bring-ai-to-mid-market-accounting-302467399.html
- https://pennathletics.com/sports/football/roster/adam-strouss/3971
- https://www.inquirer.com/philly/sports/high_school/20130201_Adam_Strouss__Episcopal_Academy.html


Researched with Autumn (https://www.autumn.ai) from public sources. Updated 2026-11-04. Profile: https://www.autumn.ai/resources/cognition/people/adam-strouss · Everyone at Cognition: https://www.autumn.ai/resources/cognition/people