One finance function.
Four levels, at the stage of the business.
Spurwing CFO earlier-stage mandates: the same CFO-led finance function, at the stage of the business. One owner, one set of standards, one source of truth.
Earlier-stage mandates deliver the same finance function the core mandate work delivers, scaled to the stage of the business. Pre-seed through Series B and beyond. One owner across the books, the controls, the reporting, the model, and the board pack. The mandate moves up when the business moves up.
Same function. Different stage.
The same CFO-led finance function, tiered to the stage of the business: one owner, one set of standards, one source of truth.
At every tier, the finance function is owned end-to-end. The accounting gets done: invoices in, invoices out, bank reconciled, month-end closed, payment files ready on the cycle. A controller reviews every close and signs off before the numbers are released. A CFO owns the function and carries the leadership conversation. What scales across the tiers is the CFO time included and the depth of the reporting. What does not change is the fact of ownership.
Launch
The accounting is owned from day one. Supplier invoices processed. Month-end closed. Bank reconciled. Payment files ready on the cycle. A controller reviews every close and signs off. Each month the business gets a basic board pack, a monthly reporting package, and founder-level cash visibility. CFO time is available on request, with check-ins when needed. The finance function in its earliest form, so the founder is not carrying it in a spreadsheet.
from USD 500 per month
Ascent
Everything in Launch, plus receivables managed and invoiced, a full board pack with CFO narrative written against the numbers, and the financial model updated and reviewed every month. 8 CFO advisory hours included each month, with a standing monthly CFO check-in. The finance function a seed-stage board should see, at the cadence a seed-stage business needs.
from USD 3,000 per month
Orbit
Everything in Ascent, plus budget versus actuals tracked against the operating plan, scenario planning and cash flow projections, working capital oversight, and controls investors can rely on. 12 CFO advisory hours included each month, with a biweekly CFO check-in. The finance function a Series A business needs to carry the next 18 months without rebuild.
from USD 4,800 per month
Apex
Everything in Orbit, plus a full investor reporting package, financial oversight that extends across the other departments of the business, and transaction readiness for capital raises or M&A. 21 CFO advisory hours included each month, with a weekly CFO check-in. The finance function a Series B and beyond business cannot fake.
from USD 7,350 per month
Pricing shown in US Dollars. Where clients operate in a different jurisdiction, pricing is adapted to the local currency on engagement.
Step up a tier
when the business steps up a stage.
The tiers are not a ladder to climb because time has passed. They match the stage of the business. Launch is the finance function in its earliest form. Ascent is what a seed-stage board should see. Orbit is what Series A requires. Apex is what a later-stage business cannot fake. The tier moves up when the business moves up, not before and not later.
One person accountable for the function at Launch is the same principle as one person accountable at Apex. The depth of what is owned changes with the tier. The fact of ownership does not. No handover between a team of people doing pieces.
- Same CFO accountability at every tier
- Same standards applied, scaled to stage
- No handover when the tier changes
Each tier is built to be ready for the next. The chart of accounts at Launch carries through Ascent. The month-end at Ascent carries through Orbit. The controls at Orbit carry through Apex. The finance function is not rebuilt every time the business grows. It is extended.
- Foundations built to carry the next stage
- No rebuild of the function as the business grows
- Board, investor, and audit-ready at each step
The tiers cover most of what a business needs through Series B. Beyond that, or where the complexity of the business calls for a CFO in the seat several days a week, the full CFO mandate takes over. Same accountability, more depth, structured around how many days the CFO is in the business.
- Complex groups and multi-jurisdiction structures
- Capital events run from the CFO seat
- Board-level challenge every week, not every month
Past the earlier-stage mandates, or already carrying the complexity of the core mandate work? See the core CFO mandate.
Pick the tier that matches
where the business actually is.
- You are pre-seed or seed and setting up a finance function for the first time
- Your books are in a bookkeeper's ledger and the model lives in the founder's head
- You are preparing for a first board pack, or the current one is not investor-ready
- You want the foundations built once, properly, so you are not rebuilding in a year
- Cash is being watched by instinct, not by forecast
- You have raised Series A or later and the finance function needs to match
- You are running multiple entities or preparing for audit-ready financial statements
- A capital event, fundraise, or transaction is on the horizon
- The board is asking for forecasting and scenario work the current setup cannot produce
- You already know the tier you are on is not going to carry the next stage
Start a conversation about the right stage for your business.
The tier follows the business, not the other way round. A short conversation is how the right starting point gets established, and where local currency is confirmed.
Start a conversation