Finance for startups
Startups fail on cash more often than on product. A founder who knows the burn rate, the runway, the cost to win a customer and the month the money runs out can make every other decision with open eyes. We set up the finance function for early-stage BC companies: the bookkeeping stack, the first model, the metrics investors ask for and the discipline to update them every month. We work alongside your CPA and your lawyer, and we never give investment advice on securities.
What you leave with
A startup that knows its burn, its runway and its unit economics every month, with a model and a reporting routine investors trust.
Who it is for
- Founders who have raised or are about to raise their first outside money
- Technology and product companies pre-revenue or in early revenue in British Columbia
- Founders who run the company from the bank balance and a pitch deck
What we deliver
- A bookkeeping stack set up for a startup: accounting, payroll, expenses and a chart of accounts that investors can read
- Burn rate and runway, calculated monthly and tracked in a one-page update
- A first financial model with hiring plan, revenue drivers and the cash low point
- Unit economics: acquisition cost, payback and contribution per customer
- An investor update template and a data room checklist
- A finance calendar covering payroll, remittances, tax credit claims with your CPA and reporting
How it runs
01Set up
We put the stack and the chart of accounts in place or fix what exists, so every later number is reliable.
02Measure
We calculate burn, runway and unit economics from actual data and agree the metrics to track.
03Model
We build the first model around the hiring plan and the revenue drivers, with the cash low point visible.
04Report
We launch a monthly investor update and a monthly founder review, and run the first three with you.
Engagement and fees
Start with a Startup Advisory session, 60 minutes at $349, by video or in person in Vancouver. Setup and the first model usually run as a Workshop of two to four weeks at $30K to $80K. Ongoing finance leadership is an Advisory Retainer at $8K to $25K per month. Every engagement is scoped after a call and confirmed in writing. See consultations and fees.
Burn, runway and the month that matters
Burn rate is the cash the company loses each month. Runway is the cash in the bank divided by the burn. The month the runway ends is the single most important date in the company, because every fundraising conversation has to close before it, with margin for the months a round takes.
Founders often know these numbers roughly. Roughly is not enough, because burn moves with every hire and every contract. We calculate it from the bank, not from the plan, and we track it monthly alongside the forecast so that the gap between what you planned to spend and what you spent is visible while it is still small.
Set up the finance function once, properly
The cheapest time to set up a chart of accounts, a payroll process and an expense policy is before there are transactions to clean up. A startup that reaches its first raise with two years of uncategorised spending pays for it in due diligence, in delay and in the questions investors ask.
The stack is simple: an accounting product, a Canadian payroll product that handles remittances, an expense tool and a bank account structure that separates operating cash from reserves. We add the metrics layer on top, so the investor update is produced from the books rather than from memory. Your CPA handles the filings and any tax credit claims. We make sure the records are ready for them.
What investors ask and how to answer
Investors in early-stage companies ask about burn, runway, revenue growth, gross margin, acquisition cost, payback, churn and the hiring plan. They ask how the model changes if growth is half what you expect. They ask what the money is for and what it buys. They ask whether the founder knows the numbers without looking.
The monthly investor update answers these before they are asked. One page, the same format every month, the numbers tied to the books and a short narrative. Over a year it builds the record that makes the next raise easier. Securities matters, term sheets and shareholder agreements are for your lawyer and a registered adviser. We prepare the numbers they will rely on.
- Bank statements since incorporation and whatever bookkeeping exists
- Your hiring plan, your pricing and your current customer and revenue data
- Any investor update or pitch material you have already shared
Industries where we run this most
Questions about this service
We are pre-revenue. Is it too early for this?
No. Pre-revenue is when the burn and runway discipline matters most, because there is no income to cover a mistake. The setup is light at this stage and a Startup Advisory session is usually enough to get the first version of the numbers in place.
Do you help with government programs and tax credits?
We make sure the records support the claims and we build the costs into the forecast. The claims themselves, and the advice on eligibility, belong to your CPA or a specialist adviser. We coordinate with them so nothing is missed.
What should a monthly investor update contain?
Cash, burn, runway, revenue and growth, the two or three KPIs that matter for your model, the hiring plan against actual, what went well, what did not, and what you need from investors. One page. Same format every month. Sent on time even when the news is bad.
Can you take the CFO seat as we grow?
Yes. Many startup engagements grow into a fractional CFO seat once the company is post-revenue and reporting to a board. The point of starting early is that the numbers, the systems and the habits are already in place when that happens.
Start with a finance review.
Ninety minutes with Ali on your cash, margin and pricing. You leave with the four numbers to watch and the two or three moves that change them, whether or not we work together.