Services for Startups

Fractional CFO

Scale smarter and achieve your vision sooner with strategic financial guidance from your Burkland CFO
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750+ startups trust Burkland, including:

Why Hire a Burkland Fractional CFO?

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Grow In the Right Direction & Don't Get Caught Off-Guard

Burkland fractional CFOs are startup experts who know what's around each corner.

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Be Prepared for Your Next Fundraising Round

We know investors, and we know what they need to see to make a confident investment.

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Upgrade Your Decision Support

We'll develop the metrics, financial reporting, and modeling/planning you need.

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Full Finance Tech Stack that Grows with You

Recommendations, implementation and management of a financial tech stack to meet your unique needs.

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Enjoy a High Level of Service & Responsiveness

Burkland CFOs are highly-proactive. But when it's time to react, we’re there for you.

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Scale Your Finance Function as You Scale Your Startup

Our fractional CFO model is designed for growing startups. Plus, we provide accounting, tax and people operations.

What is a Fractional CFO for Startups?

A fractional CFO is a part-time CFO who works with your startup on a contract basis until your company is ready to hire a full-time CFO. Just like a full-time CFO, a fractional CFO helps manage your startup’s strategic finance functions, so your time can stay focused on product development, revenue growth, and building a strong team. A proven CFO also gives board members, investors, and other outside stakeholders extra confidence in you and the company.

Most startups are ready for a fractional CFO somewhere between their Seed round and Series A or B. At this stage, many startups are ready to benefit from a CFO’s expertise, but not ready to take on the fixed and much higher costs of hiring a full-time CFO.


Why Burkland Fractional CFOs?

Partner with experienced top-tier finance leaders for startups

  • Together Burkland CFOs have worked with more than 750 startups, 250+ of which have successfully IPO'ed or been acquired.
  • We've helped our clients raise more than $6.5B in venture capital.
  • Our VC network includes hundreds of partners spanning dozens of leading venture capital firms.
  • Over 70% of our CFOs have graduate degrees from institutions like Stanford, Harvard, Wharton, Brown, UCLA, University of Chicago, Duke, University of Michigan, and Yale.
  • Burkland CFOs average over 20 years of professional experience each.
  • Our CFOs maintain an active Slack channel, constantly sharing questions, best practices, tools, techniques, and tips so our clients receive the benefit of Burkland's collective CFO brain power.
  • Burkland CFOs participate in frequent Knowledgeshare sessions to learn new technologies, industry trends, regulatory changes, and more.
  • Our CFO team is supported by a team of accountants and tax providers who are current on the latest best practices, regulations and tax laws.
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How Do I Choose a Fractional CFO for My Startup?

Hiring a fractional CFO is a significant milestone and an important strategic move for your startup. Even on an outsourced basis, your CFO is one of the pillars of your company. It’s essential to take your time, do your homework, and find the best fit for your needs.

When Hiring a Fractional CFO for Your Startup Look Closely at These Five Areas:


Startup Experience

What kind of experience do they have with venture-backed startups?

Venture-backed startups have unique finance and operations needs, and you want to hire a fractional CFO who has “been there, done that” in the startup world. A CFO might have an impressive resume with enterprise or mid-market companies, but if they’ve never helped a company through a successful Series A or acquisition, they’re probably not the best fit for your startup. You need someone on your team who can effectively see around corners and help you with the challenges of managing cash while you scale.


Service Expertise

Do they have a proven track record in the services where your startup needs the most support?

Not only are the needs of startups different from the needs of established large businesses, but the needs of startups also vary greatly from one to the next. Examine your company’s specific strategic finance needs, and look at how each candidate’s experience and expertise fit those needs. Consider your current and anticipated future needs as you scale your startup.


Industry/Sector Experience

Are they experts in your startup’s particular sector?

Next, you want to look at how well a CFO candidate’s sector experience fits your startup’s sector. For example, SaaS startups have much different needs from Fintech, which are different from Consumer, etc.


Relationships

Will they expand your network of investors and partners?

When it comes to successfully scaling a startup, it’s what you know and who you know. Beyond bringing relevant expertise to the table, your CFO should also bring quality relationships.

Ask your CFO candidates about their relationships with investors and with other companies in your industry. Will they help you tap into synergies to accelerate growth and expand your footprint?


Process & Time-to-Value

How soon will your new CFO start delivering value?

Finally, you want to look at the expected time-to-value for your new CFO hire. Hiring a fractional CFO is significantly less expensive than the fixed cost of a full-time CFO, but it still costs money. You want to make sure that your new CFO will be up-and-running and delivering value to your startup as close to day one as possible.

A great fractional CFO can help your startup build the right financial foundation to scale quickly and confidently.


Fractional CFO Services

  • Cash / Runway Management
  • Financial Planning & Analysis
  • Financial Modeling
  • Pricing & Revenue Recognition
  • Cap Table Planning
  • Strategic Planning
  • Fundraising Support
  • Board Meeting Support
  • Mergers & Acquisitions
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