Our Services
Finance Services for Startups: Accounting, FP&A & Fractional CFO
Finative gives startups and founder-led companies a connected finance function - from clean books to forecasting to executive financial guidance.
Your books aren't just a compliance obligation - they're the raw material for every financial decision you make. When they're late, messy, or unreliable, everything downstream breaks: your model drifts from reality, your board deck is stale, and your CFO spends half their time reconciling instead of strategizing.
Problems We Solve
- Month-end close that consistently takes 3-4 weeks
- Revenue recognition errors and misclassified expenses
- Audit prep that turns into a fire drill every time
- Disconnected books across multiple entities or tools
Who It's For
Founders who need accurate, investor-grade financials without hiring a Controller and a staff accountant. Companies that have outgrown their bookkeeper but aren't ready for a full in-house team.
A financial model isn't a spreadsheet you update once a quarter. It's a decision-making engine that should tell you where your cash is going, what your unit economics actually look like, and when you'll need to raise again. Most startups don't have this - and the ones that do often have models that don't reconcile to their actuals.
Problems We Solve
- No reliable cash flow forecast or runway visibility
- Board questions you can't answer with data
- Pricing decisions made on gut feel, not margin analysis
- Scenarios that exist as napkin math, not structured models
Who It's For
Founders preparing for fundraise who need a model that holds up to investor scrutiny. Growth-stage companies that need rolling forecasts, KPI dashboards, and scenario planning built by someone who understands their business model.
A great CFO doesn't just report on what happened - they shape what happens next. They sit across from your investors, negotiate your debt facility, pressure-test your pricing, and tell you the truth about your runway. But most companies under $10M can't justify a $300K+ hire. Finative gives you that caliber of leadership on your terms.
Problems We Solve
- No senior finance voice in strategic conversations
- Board decks that take a week to assemble and still feel thin
- Fundraise processes that stall because the numbers aren't ready
- Cash management by instinct rather than by policy
Who It's For
Seed-to-Series B founders who need a finance leader for board meetings, fundraise, and strategic planning. Growth-stage companies whose VP of Finance needs a senior sparring partner and strategic bandwidth.
The Integrated Model
Three capabilities. One shared context. Zero gaps.
Most companies buy these services separately - a bookkeeper here, a fractional CFO there, and a consultant for the model. The result is a finance function held together by Slack messages and good intentions.
At Finative, your accountant, your analyst, and your CFO are one team. They share systems, workflows, and context. When the books close, the model updates. When the model shifts, the CFO knows why. That's not efficiency - it's accuracy.
Client Testimonials
What Founders Say About Working With Us.
"Partnering with Finative has been transformative. As a solo founder, I spent years trying to manage everything myself, including the books. We brought Mike and his team on in 2025 to handle our finance and accounting, and my only regret is not making this move sooner. The peace of mind and bandwidth I've gained to focus on strategy and growth has been invaluable. The opportunity cost of doing it myself was far greater than I realized."
Darren McKee
Founder & CEO, Darren McKee Co.
Go Deeper
Frameworks & Playbooks for Each Service
Long-form guidance on accounting operations, FP&A, and fractional CFO strategy, drawn from our engagements with founder-led companies.