A la carte approach to building finance that supports your unique journey.
We work with founders and investors to identify and address specific financial needs. Understanding a frontier business and building the necessary capabilities takes time, commitment, mindset, expertise, and depth. We structure engagements to include all of these foundational blocks.
Two paths, tailored for founders and investors.
Founders buy a capability they do not yet have.
Investors buy reduced risk on capital already committed.
Each engagement structure below runs through its own sequence of stages, customized to the needs of each group.
Engagements are designed to partner with founders in building finance capabilities that support their vision.
Diagnostic
Assessment of the current financial state. We review existing models, finance processes, unit economics, reporting cadence, capital plan and pricing logic, and interview the people who actually make and execute decisions. Deliberately short, producing findings that let both sides evaluate the working relationship before committing to more.
- OrientationA direct conversation about what you are building and whether outside help is warranted. No cost.
- AssessmentReview of current financial state and interviews with decision-makers.
- FindingsA memo covering the gaps that matter most, with a recommended scope and effort for the work ahead.
Right when the problem is felt but not yet defined.
Scoped Project
A defined scope with agreed-upon deliverables and a timeline — building the model, defining the unit economics, implementing budgeting and forecasting, incorporating AI tools, constructing ROI-based business case, designing the pricing architecture, preparing investor materials for the raise, etc.
- Scope designWorkstreams, deliverables, internal owners, stakeholders, and success measures are well defined.
- BuildThe core work, discussed with leadership on a weekly cadence rather than executed in isolation. Assumptions and findings are well documented.
- TransitionOwnership handed over. The people who will maintain the work are well trained.
- HypercareSupport through the first live cycle — first close, first board meeting, first unit economics walkthrough with investors. Team is well prepared to run the work.
Right when the deliverable is known and the end state is clear.
Fractional Finance Leader
Embedded senior financial leadership on a part-time basis, committed as a set number of days per month. Scope might include financial close, audits, diligence, board preparation, capital raise, planning cycles, and the recurring finance activities that do not fit inside a project scope.
- OrientationAgreement on mandate, decision rights, and what sits with the fractional role versus the founder.
- Embedded operationRunning the finance function at an agreed cadence — planning, reporting, board cycles, capital decisions.
- SuccessionPreparing for the eventual full-time hire, including scoping the role and handing over cleanly.
Right when the need is continuous but a full-time hire is premature.
Sprint
A single urgent question answered under time pressure — a board is asking something the team cannot yet answer, a term sheet needs an economic defense, a pricing decision is due. Narrow by design and priced accordingly.
- FramingThe question stated precisely, deliverable is well understood, founder is aligned.
- Focused buildThe analysis, model, narrative, or other deliverable needed to answer the question.
- HandoverWalkthrough with whoever has to present or defend it, or presenting and defending the answer on behalf of the company.
Right when there is one question and a date it has to be answered by.
Board Advisor
A standing outside perspective on financial matters, with availability between board sessions. Usually follows a completed engagement rather than starting one — and deliberately optional, because it should be chosen for being useful rather than because the company was left dependent.
- Standing reviewPlan against actuals, assumption drift, and capital allocation reviewed on a quarterly cadence.
- Board and investor supportMaterial preparation ahead of board meetings and investor conversations.
- On-callAvailable between sessions for capital allocation, transaction decisions, and ad-hoc requests.
Right when the capability is built and what is wanted is a second read.
Engagements are designed to run with the fund or, post-close, with a portfolio company.
Pre-Investment and Post-Close Diligence
Commercial and financial diligence on a target — pressure-testing the unit economics, path to profitability, assumptions underneath the model, ability of the finance foundation to support the business growth. Particularly useful where the business has no comparable to benchmark against.
- MandateThe specific questions the diligence has to answer, and the decision it feeds.
- AssessmentModel review, assumption testing, and management sessions on the economics.
- FindingsA memo stating what holds, what does not, and what would have to be true for the investment case to work.
- Decision supportAvailable through IC and close for follow-on questions.
Right when the thesis depends on economics that needs to be independently modeled or tested.
Build Finance Backbone
Standing up the finance function immediately after an investment closes — systems and processes, cash management, investor communications, reporting cadence, financial planning architecture, unit economics definition, and the capital deployment framework.
- Scope designAgreed with both the fund and the company, with internal owners named from the start.
- BuildThe infrastructure, models and reporting the company will operate on.
- TransitionOwnership handed to the company's team, documented for whoever inherits it.
- HypercareSupport through the first reporting cycle and the first board meeting run on the new basis.
Right when a new investment has capital but no financial infrastructure.
Ongoing Engagement
Engagements across portfolio companies as needs arise. A second read on economics when a partner wants one, a model that does not sit right, a pricing structure that may leave value on the table, a business case that needs an independent review before the capital is committed. Structured as a retainer or on an hourly basis.
- FrameworkPreliminary agreement on the scope and expected turnaround time for engagements.
- DeploymentIndividual engagements run against the retainer, each scoped as its own piece of work, or charged on an hourly basis.
- InsightsPeriodic read across the portfolio on what the pattern of requests is revealing.
Right when the fund needs flexibility in financial support.
Diligence on a company and advisory work for that same company are not taken on together. Where a conflict could arise, it is raised before the engagement begins.
Intentional
We focus on producing the outcome rather than activity. Every engagement starts with the problem statement, a hypothesis, agreed-upon deliverables, and a defined end.
Embedded
We work with the team, not against them. We are as interested in the success of the company as the people who work there. But we also recognize the importance of maintaining our independence to provide objective insights and challenge the status quo when necessary.
Forward-Looking
We build for the future, not just the present. Scale puts enormous pressure on having the right foundation that makes scale value-accretive and sustainable. We build for scale that doesn't break the business.
First Principles
To truly understand something, you must break it down to its irreducible truths. Then reason upwards from there, instead of relying on assumptions or convention. This approach is at the core of our engagement model.
Start with a conversation.
Every engagement starts the same way — a direct discussion about what you are building, what challenges you face, and how we can partner. No cost, no obligation, and a straight answer about whether we're a good fit for each other.
Inquire about working with us