The cost of not hiring a CFO.
And what it’s quietly costing you right now.
Most SaaS founders raising Series A in the next 3–9 months discover the price of a missing CFO at the worst possible moment — mid-raise, mid-board-meeting, or mid-runway. Here’s the real cost, and the answer that takes two weeks to put in place.
Hidden costs
Four expensive blind spots SaaS founders raising Series A in the next 3–9 monthsface every month.
Each of these costs more than a year of fractional CFO fees. Most founders don’t see them until it’s too late.
Round priced low — 20–40% discount
Without a CFO triangulating valuation, you accept the first term sheet — usually below market.
Diligence death spiral — 8 weeks added
Financial Q&A management eats founder time, slows the round, gives investors leverage.
Bad term-sheet traps — 20% extra dilution
Liquidation preferences, ratchets and option-pool top-ups the lawyers don’t catch on commercial terms.
Round pulled — 9-month delay
Three IC rejections from spreadsheet-grade modelling = quietly killed round, 9 months to retry.
The fix
Two weeks to a finance function investors trust.
We’ve built this onboarding 40+ times. Same shape, same speed, same depth — tuned to your stage and sector.
Week 1 — diagnostic
Finance audit, systems access, gap analysis. By Friday you know exactly where the holes are.
Week 2 — model + dashboard
Investor-grade driver-based model. Live MRR/ARR/NRR dashboard. First runway scenarios pressure-tested.
Week 3–4 — board + narrative
First board-ready pack with CFO commentary. Investor narrative drafted if raising.
Month 2+ — operating rhythm
Monthly close in 3 days. Strategic Slack-accessible partner. Pricing, hiring, fundraise — not just numbers.
Next step
Find out what it’s costing you. Free 20-min call.
We’ll quantify the cost of the gap on the call — even if we’re not the right answer for you.
FAQ
Questions founders ask.
When should I engage a Series A CFO?
3–6 months pre-raise ideally. Pre-raise readiness work — model, data room, KPI baseline, narrative — compounds.
Do you negotiate the term sheet directly?
We review and brief. Your lawyer drafts and negotiates. We focus on commercial economics (pref, pool, ratchets); you and your lawyer drive.
What’s the typical fee for a Series A engagement?
£7.5k–£8k/mo, typically 12–18 weeks. Or fixed-fee £65k–£120k for the whole engagement.
Will you be on every investor call?
Every financial call. Yes.
Can you handle US-based investors?
Yes — ~40% of rounds we’ve supported have US-led terms. Fluent in US comparables, ARR multiples, SAFE mechanics.
Book a free call
Pick a time that works.
20 minutes. No pitch. We’ll diagnose where the gap is and whether we’re the right fit to help.
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