Knowledge Center
Operator playbooks for funded startups.
Practical guides on finance, accounting, modeling, audit prep, payroll, and HR , written by the team running these operations every day for venture-backed companies.
Topics
Browse by category
Finance
Fractional CFO economics, board reporting, fundraise prep, and how Series A/B teams operate.
Accounting
Monthly close, GAAP, charts of accounts, and the systems venture-backed startups need.
Financial Modeling
How to build, read, and defend a Series B-grade model. Bottoms-up construction and scenario design.
Audit & SEC
First-audit playbooks, technical accounting positions, and pre-IPO controls infrastructure.
Payroll & Benefits
Multi-state payroll, equity compensation, and what happens when you cross 25 employees.
HR & People
HR infrastructure for scaling startups: handbooks, hiring, compensation, and compliance.
All posts
Latest
Finance
Budget vs. actuals: the monthly variance review that keeps a startup honest
Budget vs actual for startups: how to set a variance threshold, separate timing from structural misses, and run the monthly variance review your board will trust.
10 min read
Finance
Scenario planning for startups: base, downside, and default-alive cases for 2027
Scenario planning for startups: how to build base, downside, and default-alive cases, set the triggers that switch between them, and know your runway in each.
11 min read
Finance
How to build your 2027 annual operating plan
How to build an annual operating plan for a startup: the envelope, headcount, revenue, the reconciliation nobody wants to run, and board approval. Free model.
13 min read
Finance
AI in finance and accounting: current best practices for the second half of 2026
AI in finance and accounting: what's genuinely useful in the second half of 2026, workflow by workflow, and the review process that keeps the numbers right.
11 min read
Finance
What is a fractional CFO?
What is a fractional CFO? A senior finance leader who works part-time on a monthly retainer. What they do, what they cost, and when a startup needs one.
5 min read
Finance
What goes in a startup board reporting package?
Board reporting for startups: the six components of a real Series A/B board package, what belongs in variance analysis and KPIs, and what to leave out.
11 min read
Accounting
Our books are a mess. What does QuickBooks cleanup and catch-up bookkeeping actually involve?
QuickBooks cleanup and catch-up bookkeeping for venture-backed startups: what the four-phase project actually involves, what it costs, and how to keep books from drifting again.
10 min read
Finance
How do you prepare for Series A due diligence? The finance readiness checklist and what belongs in your data room
How to prepare for Series A due diligence: what investors actually test, the twelve-month readiness plan, and the finance documents your data room needs.
12 min read
Accounting
ASC 718 explained: stock comp expense accounting for startups without losing your mind
A founder's guide to ASC 718 stock compensation expense accounting — what it requires, the Black-Scholes inputs that matter, what implementation costs, and the mistakes that turn it into an audit problem.
13 min read
Accounting
ASC 842 explained: lease accounting for startups, what triggers it, and how to actually deal with it
A founder's guide to ASC 842 lease accounting — what counts as a lease, when the standard applies, what implementation actually costs, and the mistakes that turn it into an expensive audit problem.
12 min read
Finance
Burn Rate and Runway: How to Calculate It Correctly and How to Extend It
Gross burn vs net burn, the four ways the standard runway formula misleads, how to extend runway ranked by speed and reversibility, and why you start fundraising at 12 months, not 6.
10 min read
Finance
Cash Flow Forecasting for Startups: The 13-Week Model That Actually Gets Used
How to build a 13-week rolling cash flow forecast using the direct method — receipts, disbursements, weekly variance review, and the modeling errors that make most startup forecasts useless.
10 min read
Finance
How should a board govern AI in the finance function? A control framework for audit committees
How a board and audit committee should govern AI in the finance function — accountability, human approval gates, audit trails, and what belongs in the charter.
7 min read
Finance
What happens to the finance function when a CEO or CFO leaves? A continuity guide for boards
What happens to the finance function when a CEO or CFO leaves — protecting banking relationships, close continuity, knowledge transfer, and the board's role in a finance leadership transition.
7 min read
Finance
Profitable but Out of Cash: Why Your P&L Lies About Your Bank Balance
Your income statement shows profit but your bank account is empty. Here's why accrual accounting creates the gap, where your cash is actually sitting, and how to calculate your cash conversion cycle.
8 min read
Finance
How should a startup plan for tariff and trade-policy volatility? A scenario-planning guide for Series A/B companies
How Series A/B startups should plan for tariff and trade-policy volatility — mapping tariff exposure, low/medium/high scenario modeling, trigger points, and protecting margin and runway.
7 min read
Finance
The Series A to Series B finance handoff: what changes and what it actually costs
What needs to change in your startup finance function between Series A and Series B — the seven specific upgrades, the timeline, and what each piece actually costs.
11 min read
Finance
The hidden cost of a bad back office: what poor finance setup actually costs
Concrete dollar examples of what poor finance setup costs venture-backed startups — failed audits, equity comp disasters, compliance failures, and the strategic decisions made on bad data.
11 min read
Finance
When to hire vs. outsource: a decision framework for every back-office function
A founder's decision framework for when to keep finance, accounting, HR, and legal outsourced — and when to bring them in-house. Real comp ranges and transition signals.
12 min read
Finance
The lean startup back office: how to do more with less without falling apart
A practical playbook for running a competent startup back office on a tight budget — the lean stack we recommend, what to defer, what to invest in, and the mistakes that cost you the savings.
12 min read
Finance
Fundraising timeline: what your finance function should be doing 12, 6, and 3 months before a raise
The finance function's job in a fundraise starts long before the deck is built. Here's the timeline we run with our clients.
8 min read
Finance
How to budget for G&A at a venture-backed startup: what it actually costs, what's normal, and where to spend
A founder's guide to budgeting general and administrative expenses at a venture-backed startup — what G&A includes, what percentage of revenue is normal at each stage, and where to invest more vs. less.
11 min read
Finance
Fractional CFO vs. outsourced CFO vs. interim CFO vs. part-time CFO: a vocabulary guide for founders
A founder's guide to the seven different terms for non-full-time CFO services — fractional, outsourced, interim, part-time, external, virtual, and CFO-as-a-service — with clear definitions, pricing, and which option fits which situation.
13 min read
Accounting
Fractional controller services explained: what a fractional controller does, what it costs, and when your startup actually needs one
A founder's guide to fractional controller services — what a controller does vs. a bookkeeper or CFO, what fractional controllers cost, when your startup needs one, and how to choose the right firm.
11 min read
Finance
What does it actually cost to outsource your back office? Real pricing for fractional CFO, controller, accounting, HR, and financial modeling
A buyer's guide to the cost of outsourced back-office services for venture-backed startups — what the market charges for fractional CFO, controller, bookkeeping, HR, and financial modeling, with stage-by-stage breakdowns and what to watch out for.
14 min read
Accounting
M&A diligence for sellers: what acquirers will dig into in your financials
The technical playbook for sellers. Quality of earnings, working capital, revenue recognition, customer concentration. What to clean up before you go to market.
10 min read
Audit prep
409A valuations explained: what triggers them, what they cost, and why your strike price matters more than you think
What a 409A is, when to refresh, what it costs, and the mistakes that turn this from a $3K line item into a multi-six-figure problem.
13 min read
Payroll
ISO vs NSO vs RSU: a founder's decoder for what you have and what to do with it
How ISOs, NSOs, and RSUs each work, when to use each, the AMT trap, the 83(b) window, and the equity plan we recommend at Series A and B.
13 min read
Finance
How to think about M&A as a Series A or B founder
When acquisition is a real outcome vs. a distraction. How to position your company to be acquirable — without selling out the venture path.
8 min read
Finance
Why your Series B isn't worth 50x ARR — reading AI valuations as a non-AI founder
AI mega-deals are not your comp set. How to read 2026 valuations as a non-AI founder, what your Series B is actually worth, and how to negotiate it.
10 min read
HR
When to hire your first HR person (and what they should actually own)
When to hire your first dedicated HR person at a venture-backed startup, what the role should own at Series A vs. B, and the signals that say it's time.
9 min read
Payroll
Equity compensation 101: ISOs, NSOs, RSUs, and when each one actually makes sense
A practical guide to startup equity comp: when ISOs, NSOs, and RSUs each make sense, the tax implications, and what to grant at Series A and B.
13 min read
Payroll
Health insurance for startups: PEO vs. group plan vs. individual stipends
PEO, direct group plan, or individual stipends — a clear-eyed comparison of the three startup health insurance options, with real per-employee costs.
12 min read
HR
Multi-state employment: what changes the moment you hire across state lines
A practical operator's guide to the compliance, tax, and HR work that kicks in the moment your startup hires its first employee in a new state.
10 min read
HR
How to administer payroll and 401(k) plans at a startup without losing your weekends
A practical guide to running lean payroll and 401(k) administration at a Series A/B startup — provider recommendations, automatic remittance, and the cadence that keeps weekends free.
14 min read
Payroll
The Series A/B benefits stack: what to offer, what it actually costs, and what employees actually use
An operator's guide to designing a competitive Series A/B benefits package — what to offer, what each component costs per employee, and what your team will actually use.
16 min read
HR
Building an employee handbook that actually protects you — and what most templates miss
An operator's guide to building a startup employee handbook that protects the company, sets expectations, and stays defensible when things go wrong.
11 min read
Payroll
Payroll tax for the unprepared: federal, state, FICA, FUTA, SUTA, and the deposit schedule that will trip you up
What you actually owe in startup payroll taxes — federal, FICA, FUTA, SUTA — the deposit schedule that trips up founders, and how to stay correct.
11 min read
Accounting
Why we recommend Ramp for venture-backed startups
Why Pegacorn Group recommends Ramp for nearly every venture-backed startup we work with — what it replaces, the controls features that matter, and when it's the right answer.
10 min read
Modeling
The Series B pitch deck: what's on each slide and what investors actually scrutinize
A slide-by-slide walkthrough of the standard Series B deck, with what investors really focus on at each step. Plus our Series B pitch deck template with operator notes for every slide.
12 min read
Modeling
SaaS financial metrics that actually matter at Series B
Seven metrics Series B investors fixate on, with definitions, formulas, and benchmark ranges. Plus three vanity metrics to stop reporting.
9 min read
Audit prep
ASC 606 revenue recognition for SaaS startups: a plain-English guide
What ASC 606 actually requires, how SaaS companies should apply it, and what auditors will flag if you get it wrong.
11 min read
Modeling
How to read a Series B financial model: a board member's checklist
Whether you're an investor evaluating a model or a founder building one, here's what actually matters and what's noise.
9 min read
Accounting
The Series A finance stack: every tool we set up for venture-backed startups in their first 90 days
Accounting, AP/AR, expenses, payroll, equity, banking. Here's the exact stack we deploy for venture-backed startups — and why.
12 min read
Finance
Fractional CFO vs. controller vs. VP Finance: who does a Series A startup actually need?
Three roles. Three different jobs. Most Series A startups need one before the others — here's how to tell which.
8 min read
Finance
Fractional CFO cost: what Series A and B startups actually pay in 2026
Real pricing for fractional CFO services at every Series A and B stage. What $5K, $10K, and $20K per month actually buys you.
6 min read
Audit prep
How to survive your first audit (without losing a quarter)
First audits derail companies. Here's the playbook to make yours boring.
8 min read
Modeling
What Series B investors actually look for in a financial model
It's not the projections. It's whether you can defend them.
7 min read
Finance
When should a startup hire a fractional CFO?
The honest answer isn't 'as soon as possible.' It's 'when these four things start happening.'
6 min read
Get the playbooks in your inbox.
One or two new pieces a month. No marketing fluff. Unsubscribe anytime.