Finance for startups that need to show investors the numbers hold up
Investor-ready reporting, runway and burn visibility, and a finance function that survives diligence. We work best with product and consumer businesses that make, source or distribute physical goods.
Where startup finance usually breaks
The problems rarely show up until a funding round or a board meeting forces them.
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Runway calculated from the bank balance
Burn is estimated from last month's outflow, ignoring payables, committed spend and working capital that grows with sales.
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Investor updates rebuilt every month
Each update is assembled from scratch, the numbers shift between versions, and investors notice.
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Unit economics nobody has costed properly
Contribution per order leaves out returns, discounts, fulfilment or channel fees, so growth looks cheaper than it is.
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Diligence finds what the books did not
Share capital filings, foreign investment reporting, ESOP accounting and old GST gaps surface during a round and delay the close.
What we put in place
A finance function sized for your stage, with a reporting format your investors can rely on.
Runway and burn
We forecast cash on a monthly and 13-week basis, including payables, committed spend and working capital, and track actuals against plan.
What you get Monthly net burn, runway in months and a variance against your plan.
Investor MIS
We set one reporting format and produce it on a fixed date each month from closed books.
What you get A monthly investor pack and board-ready financials.
Unit economics
We cost contribution per order or per customer with every variable cost included, by channel.
What you get Contribution margin and acquisition payback by channel.
Diligence-ready
We review your compliance and records the way an investor's diligence team would, and close the gaps before a round starts.
What you get A diligence readiness list and an organised data room index.
What your monthly pack tracks
Agreed with you and, where relevant, with your lead investor.
- Net burn and runway Monthly and on a 13-week view
- Revenue and gross margin By channel
- Contribution per order or customer After all variable costs
- Acquisition cost and payback By channel
- Working capital Inventory, receivables and payables
- Cash vs plan Variance explained
- Headcount and payroll cost Against plan
- Compliance status Open items before the next round
Compliance points that come up in diligence
The ones most likely to delay a round.
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Foreign investment reporting
Share allotments to foreign investors must be reported to the Reserve Bank within prescribed timelines. Missed or late filings need regularisation before a new round can close cleanly.
Reference: Foreign Exchange Management (Non-debt Instruments) Rules, 2019 and RBI Master Direction on Foreign Investment in India -
Share capital and ESOP records
Allotments, ESOP grants and their filings with the Registrar of Companies need to reconcile with the cap table your investors hold.
Reference: Sections 42 and 62, Companies Act, 2013 -
Payments to micro and small suppliers
Amounts owed to micro and small enterprises must be paid within the agreed credit period, capped at 45 days. If a payment runs past that limit, the income-tax deduction for the expense is deferred to the year it is actually paid, so an overdue supplier ledger at year-end raises that year's taxable income. We track this in the monthly creditors review, not at year-end.
Reference: Section 15, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Act, 2006; Section 37(2)(g), Income-tax Act, 2025 (formerly Section 43B(h), Income-tax Act, 1961, for tax years up to 2025-26)
This is general information, not tax or legal advice. Applicability depends on your entity, turnover and facts, and is confirmed during the Finance Diagnostic.
Is this a fit?
A good fit if
- You have raised, or are raising, a seed to Series A round.
- You make, source or distribute physical products: D2C, consumer, hardware or food brands.
- You have revenue and your investors expect monthly reporting.
Probably not yet if
- You are pre-revenue and need a pitch-deck financial model only. That is specialist project work .
- You need a full-time CFO in the office. We can help you hire one.
- Your model is pure software with no inventory or supply chain. Firms that specialise in SaaS will serve you better.
How engagements usually run
Startups usually begin with the Diagnostic, then move to the Growth tier for investor and board reporting.
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Start
Finance Diagnostic
We review your books, burn, unit economics and compliance and give you a prioritised action list.
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Monthly
Fractional CFO Core
We own the monthly rhythm: close review, MIS, cash forecast and compliance oversight.
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Raising
Fractional CFO Growth
Adds budgets, investor and board reporting, and support through a funding round.
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One-off
Specialist projects
A fundraise financial model or pre-round diligence clean-up, as a scoped project.
Common questions
Why do you focus on product businesses?
Our depth is in manufacturing, trading and distribution: costing, inventory and working capital. A consumer or hardware startup faces those same problems, only faster.
Can you support us through a funding round?
Yes, on the Growth tier or as a scoped project: the model, the data room and answering finance questions from the investor's diligence team.
Do you take equity instead of fees?
No. Engagements are on fixed monthly retainers or project fees.
Get your numbers ready before your investors ask.
An intro call with a senior member of the team. We will tell you plainly what the Diagnostic would look at.