Finance
Finance for funded startups
Fractional CFO economics, board reporting, fundraise prep, and how Series A and B teams should actually run their finance function.
The finance function at a venture-backed startup does three jobs that a bookkeeper on their own cannot: it tells the board where the company actually stands, it produces the model and materials the next round will be won or lost on, and it makes sure the numbers behind every operating decision are real. This section is written for founders, controllers, and fractional CFOs holding those three jobs at Series A and B.
The posts here cover fractional CFO economics (what the market actually charges, and where the line falls between a controller and a CFO), the mechanics of building a board reporting package that gets read before the meeting, the 13-week cash flow that keeps a small finance team from losing sight of runway, and the fundraise preparation work that determines how quickly a diligence process closes. Where the finance function overlaps with accounting, audit prep, or HR, we link across so the whole system reads as one.
If you're building a Series A or B finance function from scratch, start with the anchor posts on burn rate and runway, board reporting, and the Series A finance stack, then move to the deeper pieces on fundraise timing and diligence readiness.
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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