A Series A Startup doesn’t really need a CFO… but I have seen exceptions. I had an LA Series A ($10M raise) startup where I was 6 months into the engagement as the fractional CFO, it was clear that hiring a full time CFO was the right thing to do. We still consult on other accounting & finance tasks.
When early-stage startups need to think about hiring CFOs
In general, if you’re a seed stage startup gunning for a Series A you should consider hiring a Part-Time CFO at least 3 months before a new fundraising round. There’s a lot of preparation that goes into process, and an outsourced CFO service will be essential as the CEO is often hair-on-fire busy courting potential investors. A CFO will build the financial model, track KPIs, prepare the financials, and will leverage angel/VC relationships. After the fundraising round, an interim CFO’s workload decreases dramatically. CFO level work then focuses on benchmarking the financials and KPIs to the financial model that was presented to the investors, and providing detailed reports of this progress at the quarterly board meetings. Intermittent startup CFO requests include advising on equity compensation, venture debt, investor relations, etc.
A lighter-weight alternative for Series A companies is to hire outsourced FP&A support instead of a Part-Time startup CFO. FP&A = Financial Planning and Analysis; these professionals can offer help putting together a financial model, creating charts and analysis that show your customer retention or burn rate, and other, less intensive work that prepares you for your next fund raise.
Part-Time CFOs work well for Seed, Series A-C Startups. Past Series D, a startup will usually hires a CFO to manage the now growing accounting department, but expect to pay $240K+. There aren’t really any KPIs that designate this. Rather, you’ll know its time to hire a full time CFO when your interaction with your part time CFO becomes consistent. Otherwise, you may end hiring a CFO who will be busy during the fundraise, but will then become an overpaid Controller for the next 2-3 years.
Vanessa Kruze, a seasoned CPA, has an impressive track record prior to establishing Kruze Consulting. Her experience includes pivotal roles at Deloitte Tax and as a controller for a substantial startup with over 120 employees and $20 million in revenue. Under her leadership, Kruze Consulting has emerged as a distinguished CPA firm, recognized on the Inc 5000 list for five consecutive years, illustrating rapid growth and success in the competitive accounting landscape. Vanessa's unique approach, combining deep industry knowledge with advanced automation and software solutions, has positioned her firm as a leader in providing comprehensive accounting services to startups across the United States.
