Industry Expertise
CFO Services for Startups
From seed stage to Series B and beyond, we provide the financial leadership startups need to scale. Whether you're bootstrapped or venture-backed, we help you build the financial foundation for growth.
When should a startup hire a CFO?
Startups typically benefit from CFO services when raising a seed round, hitting $1M ARR, or when financial complexity starts exceeding founder capacity. A fractional CFO can help earlier-stage companies get the expertise they need without the full-time cost—often for $3,000-$8,000/month.
Financial Leadership Built for Startups
Building a startup is hard enough without also becoming an expert in finance. Yet the financial decisions you make in the early stages—how you structure your cap table, when you raise capital, how you deploy it, what metrics you track—can determine whether your company succeeds or fails.
At 1CFO, we've worked with hundreds of startups from pre-revenue to Series B and beyond. We understand the unique financial challenges that founders face: the pressure to grow quickly while making limited capital last, the need to satisfy sophisticated investors with professional reporting, and the challenge of building financial infrastructure that can scale as fast as your company.
Our fractional CFO services for startups are designed to give you the strategic financial leadership you need without the cost of a full-time hire. We speak the language of venture capital, understand the metrics that drive tech company valuations, and know how to build the financial operations that support sustainable growth.
Ready to Transform Your Finances?
Get a free consultation with a CFO who specializes in startups.
Serving businesses from $2M to $50M+
Specialized Expertise
Tech Startups
SaaS metrics, unit economics, and venture-ready financials for technology companies. We speak the language of ARR, burn rate, and runway.
SaaS Companies
ARR/MRR tracking, churn analysis, and subscription economics for SaaS businesses. We help you build a metrics-driven finance function.
Ecommerce
Inventory management, cash flow optimization, and margin analysis for online retailers and DTC brands.
Early-Stage Startups
Financial modeling, runway management, and fundraising support for pre-seed and seed-stage companies.
Growth-Stage Startups
Scaling financial operations, Series A/B readiness, and board-level reporting for companies in rapid growth mode.
How We Help Startups
Our specialized CFO services address the unique financial challenges of your industry.
Investor-Ready Financials
Board decks, financial models, and reporting that meet the standards of institutional investors. We help you tell your financial story in a way that builds confidence.
Burn Rate Management
Extend runway and optimize cash deployment for maximum impact. We help you understand the trade-offs between growth and capital efficiency.
Fundraising Support
Financial due diligence prep, investor communication, and negotiation support. We've helped companies raise hundreds of millions in venture funding.
Scalable Systems
Financial infrastructure that grows with you from seed to Series B+. We build systems once that can handle 10x growth.
The Startups Financial Landscape
The startup ecosystem has matured significantly over the past decade. Investors are more sophisticated, competition for funding is more intense, and the bar for financial professionalism has risen. What was once acceptable from an early-stage company—messy books, informal reporting, gut-feel decision making—no longer cuts it.
Today's institutional investors expect startups to demonstrate financial sophistication from the earliest stages. They want to see clean financials, coherent unit economics, and thoughtful financial models. They expect regular, professional reporting and want evidence that founders understand the financial drivers of their business.
This creates a challenge for founders. You need to focus on building your product and acquiring customers, not becoming a finance expert. Yet you can't afford to neglect the financial foundation of your business. A fractional CFO bridges this gap—giving you access to the expertise you need, when you need it, without the distraction of building a full finance function.
Why Work with a Startups Financial Specialist?
Startups have fundamentally different financial needs than established businesses. The metrics are different, the stakeholders are different, and the pace is different. A CFO who spent their career in traditional corporate finance often struggles to adapt to the startup environment.
Our team has deep experience specifically with venture-backed and high-growth companies. We understand ARR and MRR, not just GAAP revenue. We know what Series A investors look for in financial models. We've helped companies navigate the unique challenges of hypergrowth—building systems on the fly, managing burn rate while scaling aggressively, and preparing for the due diligence scrutiny that comes with each funding round.
We also bring a network of relationships that matter to startups. We know which banks understand venture debt. We've worked with the top VCs and can help you navigate their expectations. We have relationships with the law firms, accountants, and other service providers who specialize in serving the startup ecosystem.
Startups Financial Challenges We Solve
Common pain points we help eliminate for startups businesses.
Limited Resources
Making every dollar count when capital is scarce requires discipline and prioritization.
Rapid Growth
Financial systems that work at $100K MRR often break at $1M. We help you stay ahead of scale.
Investor Expectations
Sophisticated investors demand sophisticated reporting. We help you meet and exceed their expectations.
Cash Management
Timing funding rounds, managing runway, and deploying capital effectively require constant attention.
Frequently Asked Questions
Recommended Services
Ready to Transform Your Startups Finances?
Schedule a free consultation to discuss your specific challenges and learn how our CFO services can help your startups business thrive.