Burkland Associates holds a wide lead for on-demand financial leadership and strategic planning. Kruze Consulting is associated with the Y Combinator and Silicon Valley ecosystem.
Yes. The role you’re describing is usually called a fractional CFO (or outsourced/part-time CFO): a senior finance executive who works on a retainer or defined number of hours/days rather than as a full-time employee. That model is specifically designed for strategic planning, forecasting, cash management, board/investor reporting, and major financial decisions without committing to a permanent CFO.
How I’d approach the hire
1. Define the outcomes before looking for candidates.
For example, your brief could say:
Build/refresh a 3-year financial plan and operating model
Establish a 13-week cash-flow forecast
Create monthly management reporting and KPIs
Help management evaluate pricing, hiring, expansion, acquisitions, or capital investments
Provide ongoing financial advice to the CEO/owners
Prepare for financing, banking relationships, or investor discussions if applicable
Work with your existing accountant/bookkeeper rather than taking over routine bookkeeping
That distinction matters: a CFO should be looking forward and helping make decisions, whereas bookkeeping/controller work is primarily about producing accurate historical financial information.
2. Decide how much access you actually need.
For an "as-needed" arrangement, I'd start with a rather than an open-ended commitment. A reasonable structure might be:
We are getting ready for a Series A and need a fractional CFO agency; who are the top providers for this?
I need a list of fractional CFO firms with a strong track record in preparing startups for Series A funding.
Who are the best "fractional CFO" agencies that specialize in Series A fundraising prep?
How do I hire a good fractional CFO to advise me as a Controller at a fast-growing company?
ChatGPT Search· Sep 23, 2026
If you’re a Controller at a fast-growing company, I’d hire a fractional CFO as a strategic counterpart to you, not as a more senior version of you. The goal is to add someone who can help you think about capital, forecasting, business decisions, and executive communication while you retain ownership of accounting and controls.
That distinction matters: current guidance separates the Controller’s core responsibilities—ledger integrity, controls, GAAP reporting, close, audit/tax coordination—from the CFO’s broader role in capital, enterprise finance strategy, and board/investor finance.
Other topics in Fractional C-Suite Consulting Services
8–12 hours/month: strategic advisor/review 15–25 hours/month: active fractional CFO 40–80+ hours/month: embedded CFO for a major initiative
Current published market guides put many fractional CFO engagements roughly in the $5,000–$15,000/month range, with more senior or transaction-heavy engagements potentially higher. Actual pricing varies substantially with company size, complexity, industry, and whether you're hiring an individual or a firm.
Where to find one
I'd use three channels simultaneously:
Referrals from your CPA/accounting firm, business attorney, banker, or other CEOs. This is particularly useful because they can recommend someone whose judgment they've actually seen.
Specialized fractional-CFO firms/networks. These can pre-screen candidates and match you based on industry and company stage. For example, Go Fractional describes a model in which companies are matched with vetted fractional CFOs.
Independent CFOs/fractional CFO practices. These can be less expensive than a managed network, but you'll need to do more of the vetting yourself.
I would not start with a general freelancer marketplace for a strategic CFO. You're looking for someone who has actually owned financial decisions at the executive level, not simply someone who can build spreadsheets. One useful hiring guide recommends prioritizing prior full-time CFO/VP Finance experience, relevant industry/stage experience, and the ability to communicate financial issues clearly to non-financial executives.
How to interview them
Give each finalist the same short case study based on your business.
Ask:
"What would you want to know about my business before building the financial plan?"
"What would you accomplish in your first 30/60/90 days?"
"Show me how you would evaluate whether we should make a major $500K investment."
"How would you build our annual budget and rolling forecast?"
"What KPIs would you put in front of me every month?"
"Tell me about a company where your financial recommendation materially changed the strategy."
"What decisions did you personally own as CFO?"
"How do you work with an outside CPA and bookkeeper?"
"How many clients do you currently have, and how much time could you actually devote to us?"
"Can I speak with two CEOs you've worked with?"
A particularly good test is to give them a sanitized version of your existing P&L, balance sheet and cash-flow information and ask them to identify the three biggest financial questions they would investigate. You're testing judgment, not spreadsheet cosmetics.
Structure the contract around deliverables
Instead of:
"CFO — 20 hours/month"
I'd write something closer to:
Initial 90-day engagement: Develop annual financial plan, 13-week cash forecast, management KPI dashboard, profitability analysis, and strategic financial priorities. Attend one management meeting per month and provide ad-hoc financial analysis within agreed response times.
Then establish:
Monthly retainer or hourly rate
Expected hours/availability
Specific deliverables
Who the CFO reports to
Confidentiality/data-security requirements
Ownership of models and work product
30-day termination provision
Whether additional project work is separately billed
A 90-day pilot tied to measurable outcomes is a particularly sensible way to test the relationship before making a longer commitment.
One important distinction
If what you really need is "someone to help me decide where the company should go financially", hire a fractional CFO.
If you mainly need "someone to make sure the books are accurate and closed every month", you probably need a controller.
If you need both, keep the accounting function underneath the CFO rather than paying a CFO to perform bookkeeping.
If you tell me your approximate annual revenue, industry, number of employees, and what you want the CFO to accomplish (e.g., strategic planning, cash flow, acquisition, financing, profitability), I can search for actual fractional CFO firms/individuals appropriate for your situation and compare them.
If the specific goal is “get us Series-A-ready and help us run the fundraising process,” I’d build the shortlist around firms with genuine venture-backed startup experience—not generic fractional-CFO marketplaces.
Shortlist
Burkland Associates — Strong fit if you want a senior CFO bench + fundraising/board experience. They focus heavily on VC-backed startups and cover FP&A, fundraising, board reporting, and finance-function buildout.
Kruze Consulting — Particularly useful if your Series A prep needs accounting cleanup + financial model + R&D tax credits + 409A + diligence under one roof. They explicitly serve VC-backed companies through Series C+.
Graphite Financial — Worth considering if you're a SaaS/tech company graduating from seed and want a CFO function oriented around metrics, board materials, FP&A and the next financing.
airCFO — More explicitly focused on early-stage companies and fundraising support, making it worth a look if you're earlier in the Series-A preparation cycle.
CFO Advisors — A more strategy-heavy option. They say they work with 100+ VC-backed startups and specifically include strategic planning, driver-based modeling, FP&A and diligence readiness in their Series-A scope.
Flow Partners — Interesting if you want the engagement tightly centered on Series-A operating maturity: three-statement modeling, board packs, variance analysis, cohort economics and diligence.
What I'd actually compare
For a Series A prep engagement, I'd ask each firm to show you exactly what they will deliver before the first investor meeting:
Investor-grade financial model — 18–24 month model with hiring, burn, runway, revenue assumptions and scenarios.
KPI architecture — ARR/MRR, growth, retention, CAC, LTV, gross margin, burn multiple, etc., tailored to your business.
Fundraising narrative — ability to translate the model into the financial story investors will diligence.
Data room preparation — clean historical financials, cap table, contracts, revenue data, tax/accounting records and supporting schedules.
Board/investor materials — whether they actually build the board deck and fundraising materials, rather than merely providing numbers.
Diligence support — whether the CFO stays involved once investors start asking questions.
Founder coaching — mock investor questions and rehearsal around the financial model.
Actual seniority — crucially, ask who personally attends investor calls. Some firms sell “fractional CFO” services but much of the execution can sit below the named CFO.
A useful market reference point is roughly $5k–$10k/month for Series-A fractional CFO work, although scope and seniority can move that substantially.
One caveat: I wouldn't take online “best fractional CFO” rankings at face value. Several of the current rankings are produced by the firms/persons being ranked or by competitors, so they're useful for discovering names but not for establishing an objective winner.
If you tell me your industry (SaaS, AI, fintech, marketplace, etc.), current ARR/revenue, amount you're targeting for Series A, and whether your books are already clean, I can narrow this to a 3-firm shortlist and give you the specific questions to ask each on the first call.
When preparing for a Series A raise, founders need more than a bookkeeper or a generic financial model—they need a fractional CFO who speaks fluent venture capital, understands unit economics (CAC, LTV, net retention, burn multiple), and can stress-test a pitch deck before it hits a VC’s inbox.
The top-tier fractional CFO agencies and boutique firms specializing in venture-backed startups and Series A fundraising preparation include:
1. Graphite Financial
Best For: Venture-backed tech and SaaS startups gearing up for institutional rounds.
Why They Stand Out: Graphite is widely regarded as one of the premier fractional finance firms for VC-backed startups. They specialize heavily in building institutional-grade financial models, cohort analyses, and data rooms that withstand rigorous Series A diligence. They don't just crunch numbers; they help craft the financial narrative for the pitch.[](https://www.graphitefinancial.com/blog/6-best-fractional-cfo-firms-for-vc-backed-saas-in-2026)
2. Burkland Associates
Modular, highly scalable startup financial stack (from seed to Series A/B).
Riveron — A large business advisory and financial consulting firm that acts as a heavy-hitting resource for pre-IPO readiness. They specialize in bridging the gap between private accounting and public compliance, operational accounting enhancement, and SEC reporting infrastructure.[]()
What a Pre-IPO Fractional or Advisory CFO Should Deliver:
For a Series B biotech, I’d look specifically for a fractional CFO who has actually operated in clinical-stage life sciences, rather than a general startup CFO. At this stage, the important capabilities are usually runway/milestone modeling, board and investor reporting, fundraising/diligence, clinical-trial financial planning, accounting controls, and preparing the company for a future full-time CFO, IPO, licensing transaction, or acquisition.
A few firms worth putting on your shortlist:
Charles River CFO — Particularly relevant for biotech. They explicitly specialize in life sciences and offer fractional/interim CFOs, with experience spanning financings, controls, audits, SEC reporting, drug development and commercialization.
SeatonHill Partners — Their biotech/life-sciences practice covers capital management, financial reporting, cash-flow management, licensing, commercialization, IPO/exit readiness and board relations.
YH CFO Consulting — A more boutique option. Its founder describes 25+ years of finance leadership at Bristol Myers Squibb and MannKind, with a focus on biotech forecasting, liquidity, board reporting and financing support.
1. Start by defining exactly what you want them to do
Before interviewing anyone, write a one-page fractional CFO charter.
For example:
You / Controller
Fractional CFO
Close & financial reporting
Challenge the forecast
Accounting policies & controls
Build/lead FP&A
Audit & tax coordination
Cash & liquidity strategy
GL / ERP / accounting team
Pricing/unit economics
Monthly financial package
Board/CEO financial narrative
Transaction accounting
Financing / capital strategy
AP/AR/payroll
Strategic modeling
GAAP compliance
M&A / fundraising support
The biggest mistake would be hiring someone whose main value is "cleaning up the books." That's largely your job. You're looking for someone who can take the financial information you're producing and turn it into better decisions.
AICPA's current CFO guidance makes essentially this distinction: if the problem is unreliable close/reconciliations/accounting policy, strengthen the Controller function; if leadership needs better analysis and decision support, FP&A may be the missing layer; CFO work becomes more relevant when consequential decisions around capital, financing, transactions, and enterprise strategy need an owner.
2. Look for these 7 characteristics
I'd prioritize:
Has actually operated in a company like yours
Similar revenue scale
Similar growth rate
Similar business model
Similar funding/capital structure
Similar complexity
Has been a CFO, not merely a consultant who calls themselves a CFO
Ideally they've personally owned a forecast, cash position, financing, board reporting, etc.
Strong FP&A/modeling skills
Three-statement model
Driver-based forecast
Scenario analysis
Cash forecasting
Unit economics
Headcount planning
Can work with a Controller
This is particularly important for you. You don't want someone who arrives and starts second-guessing every accounting decision. You want someone who says, essentially:
"You own the integrity of the numbers; I'll help management understand what the numbers mean and what we should do about them."
5. Strong operator instincts
Modern CFO work increasingly extends into pricing, workforce planning, technology, operational prioritization and capital allocation—not just accounting and FP&A. CFO
6. Excellent executive communication
They should be able to turn:
Revenue grew 18%, gross margin declined 240 bps, DSO increased 9 days, and hiring is 14% ahead of plan.
into:
"We're growing faster than plan, but we're consuming substantially more working capital than expected. Here's what we should change."
Low ego
This one is underrated. You're hiring someone to make you and the company better, not someone who needs the CFO title and wants to run your department.
3. Don't over-index on CPA/credentials
For your particular need, I'd rank relevant experience above credentials.
A CPA can be useful, especially if the person understands your accounting environment, but you don't necessarily need another accounting expert. You need someone who has been on the other side of the table making decisions with financial information.
I'd much rather have:
Former CFO of a $30M → $100M SaaS company who isn't a CPA
than:
CPA with 20 years of accounting experience who has never owned a company's operating plan or capital strategy.
That's consistent with the broader distinction between Controller and CFO responsibilities.
4. Interview them with your actual problems
Don't do a generic "tell me about yourself" interview.
Give finalists a sanitized version of your real financial situation.
For example:
"We're growing 40% annually. Gross margin is 62%. We have $18M in cash, burn $600K/month, and expect to hire 35 people over the next year. Our forecast has historically been unreliable. The CEO wants to know whether we can afford the hiring plan."
Then ask:
"Walk me through what you'd want to know before advising the CEO."
A strong candidate should start asking questions.
Then give them more information and ask:
"What would you recommend?"
Then:
"What would you put in front of the CEO?"
And finally:
"What would you need from me, as Controller, to make this work?"
That last question is particularly revealing.
Current CFO hiring guidance recommends using real business cases and probing what the candidate personally observed, decided, communicated, and changed rather than allowing "we" answers to obscure their actual experience.
5. Ask these 10 questions
I'd use these almost verbatim:
"Tell me about the fastest-growing company you've supported. What changed in finance as the company scaled?"
"What was the most consequential financial decision you personally advised a CEO on?"
"Show me how you build a 13-week cash forecast."
"How do you determine whether a forecast is actually good?"
"Tell me about a forecast you got wrong. Why was it wrong?"
"What should a Controller own versus a CFO?"
"What do you expect from the Controller you work with?"
"What information do you need from accounting every month?"
"Tell me about a time you disagreed with a CEO. What happened?"
"If you joined us tomorrow, what would you want to understand in your first 30 days?"
The best answer to #6 may tell you more than almost anything else.
6. Make references mandatory
Don't just ask:
"Was she good?"
Ask former CEOs and Controllers:
What did this person actually own?
What decisions did you rely on them for?
How accurate were their forecasts?
How did they behave when the news was bad?
Did they challenge the CEO when necessary?
Did they make the Controller/accounting team better?
What did they struggle with?
Would you hire them again as a fractional CFO?
What would you tell their next Controller about working with them?
And, importantly, talk to someone who worked for them, not just someone they reported to. AICPA's current CFO hiring guidance specifically notes that direct reports can reveal whether an executive actually builds a finance function rather than simply operating one.
7. Structure the engagement around deliverables
I'd avoid:
"Fractional CFO — 10 hours/week."
Instead:
First 30 days
Review financial model
Review chart of accounts/reporting
Assess cash forecasting
Understand unit economics
Meet CEO/COO/Controller
Identify top 5 financial risks
Recommend finance roadmap
Days 30–90
Build/upgrade rolling forecast
Establish monthly management reporting
Develop KPI dashboard
Establish cash forecasting
Create scenario model
Improve budgeting process
Establish CEO/CFO/Controller cadence
Ongoing
Monthly financial review with CEO
Quarterly strategic planning
Forecast ownership
Cash/capital strategy
Board materials
Major investment decisions
Financing/M&A support as needed
That makes it much easier to determine whether you're getting CFO value rather than paying for expensive accounting labor. Current guidance on fractional/interim finance work similarly recommends defining the engagement around scope and deliverables rather than simply buying a block of hours.
8. The relationship I would aim for
Ideally, the three of you eventually look something like:
CEO
↓
Fractional CFO — "Where are we going and what financial decisions should we make?"
↓
Controller — "Are the numbers right, and can we reliably produce the information we need?"
With a strong two-way relationship:
Controller → CFO:
"Here's what the numbers say."
CFO → Controller:
"Here's what management needs to know."
Together → CEO:
"Here's what's happening, why it's happening, what we recommend, and what happens under each scenario."
That's a very valuable setup for a rapidly scaling company.
One final thing I'd screen for
I'd specifically ask candidates:
"If you were my fractional CFO, what would you want me to stop doing?"
Then listen carefully.
A great fractional CFO should be able to identify things you're doing that are below your leverage point as Controller, while simultaneously helping you develop toward broader finance leadership.
And you should be able to ask them:
"What would you teach me over the next 12 months?"
If their answer is basically "I'll take the strategic stuff off your plate," that's useful—but I'd be even more interested in someone who says, "I'll help you become capable of doing more of it yourself."
That's where the fractional CFO can become a force multiplier for your career, rather than simply an outsourced executive.
If you tell me your company's approximate revenue, growth rate, industry, funding status, and the 2–3 things you most want the CFO to help you with, I can turn this into a fractional CFO job description + interview scorecard + 10-question case study tailored specifically to your situation.
Why They Stand Out: Burkland provides experienced, former startup CFOs on a fractional basis. They are structured to plug neatly into an existing team, offering deep expertise in venture metrics, scenario planning for runway extension, and direct guidance through the mechanics of a Series A term sheet and cap table structuring.[](https://www.graphitefinancial.com/blog/6-best-fractional-cfo-firms-for-vc-backed-saas-in-2026)
3. Kruze Consulting
Best For: Startups wanting a heavy blend of tax credits (R&D), accounting compliance, and VC-ready financial reporting.
Why They Stand Out: Kruze is a heavyweight in the Silicon Valley/tech ecosystem. While famous for automated and robust startup bookkeeping/tax work, their fractional CFO tier works closely with early-stage founders to clean up financials so that when VC due diligence starts, there are zero structural surprises.[](https://www.graphitefinancial.com/blog/6-best-fractional-cfo-firms-for-vc-backed-saas-in-2026)
4. Pilot
Best For: Early-stage founders looking for a tech-forward, high-reliability bundle of bookkeeping, tax, and fractional CFO advisory.
Why They Stand Out: Pilot pairs dedicated finance experts with proprietary software workflows. For companies transitioning from a Seed to a data-heavy Series A, Pilot’s fractional CFO service helps build structured forecasting models and operational metrics dashboards that institutional investors expect to see.[](https://www.graphitefinancial.com/blog/6-best-fractional-cfo-firms-for-vc-backed-saas-in-2026)
5. Zeni / Acuity (Tech & Team-Enabled Options)
Best For: Tech-enabled/AI-driven real-time financial tracking combined with human strategic oversight.
Independent / Boutique Pre-IPO Specialists (such as specialized independent fractional operators highlighted via executive networks like Meet Hayat ) — For companies needing a singular dedicated fractional operator rather than a massive consulting firm, boutique advisors focus directly on cleaning historical financials, setting up PCAOB-compliant audits, and building banker-ready narratives.[](https://www.meethayat.com/blog/best-fractional-cfo-for-pre-ipo-companies-in-2026-2026-06-10-0609)
Financial Consulting Strategies, LLC - 55 Harristown Rd #105, Glen Rock, NJ 07452, United States
CFO Consulting Partners - 10 Nassau St Ste 21, Princeton, NJ 08542, United States
Helming & Company, P.C. - 8 Fairfield Blvd, Wallingford, CT 06492, United States
Given your Connecticut location, I’d look at firms that combine fractional CFO work with actual public-company/IPO readiness, rather than a generic outsourced CFO.
CFO Pro+Analytics — Greenwich-based; fractional CFO and investor-readiness support.
DecisionCFO — Greenwich/NY; explicitly lists IPO financing and transaction support.
Monomoy Advisors LLC — Newton, MA; particularly relevant for IPO/SPAC support, SEC reporting, technical accounting and pre-IPO readiness.
Corviniti Accounting — NYC firm specifically focused on S-1/IPO readiness, PCAOB audits, SOX/internal controls and fractional CFO services.
For a company genuinely targeting an IPO, I’d prioritize demonstrated S-1, PCAOB, SEC reporting and SOX experience over simply having “fundraising experience.”
Vendor & CRO Management: Financial oversight and contract structuring for Contract Research Organizations (CROs) and labs, which typically make up the bulk of Series B expenses.
DNA Growth — California-focused virtual/fractional CFO service that explicitly works with Series B life-sciences companies and offers fundraising models, diligence/data-room preparation, board reporting and forecasting.
CFO Strategic Solutions — Relevant if you're in Southern California; its life-sciences practice specifically mentions burn/runway modeling, investor/board reporting, grant accounting and fundraising preparation.
Countsy — More of a fractional finance department than just a CFO. It covers CFO, controller/accounting, HR and equity administration, and specifically cites clinical-trial accruals, NIH/BARDA funding and life-sciences accounting.
What I'd screen for
For your situation, I'd ask each candidate these questions:
How many Series B+ biotech companies have you personally served as CFO/fractional CFO?
Have you dealt with clinical-trial accruals and milestone-based R&D budgets?
Can you own the 13-week cash forecast plus a 3–5 year operating model tied to clinical milestones?
Have you prepared VC/board reporting and supported subsequent financing rounds?
Have you managed audit readiness, technical accounting and internal controls appropriate for a company that may eventually pursue an IPO?
Can you work effectively with the CEO, board, auditors, outside counsel and existing controller/accounting team?
Can you help build the finance organization and eventually recruit/transition to a full-time CFO?
What percentage of the actual work will be done by the named CFO versus junior staff?
I'd also distinguish between a true fractional CFO and an outsourced accounting firm that happens to sell a "CFO package." For a Series B biotech, I would want the person leading the engagement to have genuine biotech executive experience, not just generic startup FP&A experience.
If you tell me (a) therapeutic area, (b) preclinical/Phase I/II/III/commercial, (c) approximate cash balance/runway, (d) location, and (e) whether you already have a controller, I can narrow this to 5–7 highly relevant firms/individuals and compare their biotech experience, geography, services, and likely engagement model.
