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Does a CFO need to have his CPA or CFA?

Vanessa Kruze, CPA, is a leading expert in startup taxes and tax compliance. Her team at Kruze Consulting has filed thousands of tax returns for companies that have raised billions in VC funding, and her work has been diligenced by leading VCs, attorneys, and M&A teams at the largest technology companies.
Vanessa Kruze, a highly-experienced CPA, brings valuable tax expertise to startups, drawing from her rich background at Deloitte Tax and as a financial controller for a $20 million startup. As the leader of Kruze Consulting, recognized multiple times in the Inc 5000 list, she specializes in navigating the complex tax landscape for startups. Her firm is known for delivering precise and strategic tax solutions, delivering tax credits utilizing advanced tools to ensure compliance and optimize tax benefits for startups throughout the United States.

Table of contents

A CFO does not need to have a CPA, CFA, or MBA designation. But of the three, having a CPA designation does help dramatically .

I’ve passed the CPA, and I can say that it is the most important designation to have if you’re considering being a startup CFO. And having taken the CPA, CFA, GMAT, and MBA courses, I can attest that the CPA is the most exhaustive and comprehensive. We actively encourage our accountants to get the CPA, and I believe that we have the best CPAs for startups in Silicon Valley.

I got through Level II of the CFA before I discovered that it didn’t really matter if you want to be a CFO. The CFA designation is best suited for those that want to be involved in institutional finance (hedge fund manager, IR, etc). Our COO Scott passsed the CFA and was a VC; he reports that the CFA did little to nothing for his career. CFA dues tend to be a bit of a racket too. You can’t say that you’re a CFA unless you pay hefty dues to the Institute. Which is pretty ingenious… the CFA Institute created a test and designation but they make you pay to flash the letters. In other words, they’re laughing all the way to the bank.

As for the MBA, again it’s not necessary to be a CFO but it does add points if you don’t have a CPA. An MBA designation helps with only one aspect of your potential CFO duties: relationships to cohorts who will become VCs, angel investors, and bankers. A number of our fractional CFO’s have MBAs, and tech founders tend to like working with finance professionals with a top tier MBA. However, if you talk to our actual CFOs who have MBAs, they tend to downplay what they learned and talk more about the people they met during their masters programs.

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Ian Williams
Viz AI

$250M+ VC Funding Raised


"I had a great experience working with Kruze Consulting when we raised Series A. They know what VCs need to see, and how to present a startup’s books and finances. If you are going to raise venture capital, you need experts like Kruze."
Chris Mansi

Chris Mansi

CEO

Startup Venture Capital Assistance

With former venture capitalists on staff, our team is here to help you navigate the fundraising process and manage your board of directors

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Scott Orn
COO | Former VC
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VP FP&A | Former VC
Pequity

Scale Remote Operations & Team


"Kruze has supported us above and beyond basic accounting needs by ensuring we have everything we need to expand and support our team wherever they may be located"
Zack Fisch

Zack Fisch

Head of Operations & Legal

Clients who have worked with Kruze have collectively raised over $15 billion in VC funding.

We set startups up for fundrising success, and know how to work with the top VCs.

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Vanessa Kruze, CPA
Founder & CEO
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Our account management team is staffed by CPAs and accountants who have, on average, 11 years of experience.

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VP of Accounting Services
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Controller
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SUT/R&D Sr. Tax Accountant
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Beth Bassler
Controller, CPA
Protara Therapeutics

Grew from a 2-person startup to a NASDAQ listed public company.


"The Kruze team helped us grow from a 2-person startup to a NASDAQ listed public company in 2 years. We wouldn’t have gotten public without Kruze’s support. Anyone thinking of launching a startup should make Vanessa their first call!"
Jesse Shefferman

Jesse Shefferman

CEO

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READY TO CONNECT FOR A FREE CONSULTATION?

We are the experts at helping seed/VC-backed Delaware C-Corps with their accounting and finances!


Talk with a real accountant, not a generic salesperson!

 Kruze Consulting
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 Kruze Consulting
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 Kruze Consulting
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Important Tax Dates for Startups

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