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When should a new tech startup (preparing to ask for seed funds) hire a CFO hourly consultant?

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

Here’s the recommended timeline for CFO Services for Startups:

  1. Seed Stage: you don’t need a full time or even part time CFO at this point, but you absolutely need a rock solid financial model when you go to pitch your Series A. The financial model is your strongest argument in securing more funds and shows investors that you are professional and driven to complete the mission. You have a plan, you’ve thought things through. Check out Kruze startup financial modeling options here, built by former VCs (!!)
  2. Series A: if you’ve raised up to $15M in your Series A, you should be consulting with a part time CFO at least once per month to benchmark your financial model to your actual monthly performance. These reports are known as Budget to Actuals, BVAs, B2As, etc. If you’ve raised more than $15M in your Series A, you should strongly consider having a part time CFO on site at least once a week. They’re not just there to wrangle accounting, they’re a member of your executive team: setting the culture, assisting with strategy, advising the executive team. We’ve vetted a number of fabulous part time CFOs as a part of the Kruze CFO Team, check them out here. Y’all welcome.
  3. Series B: you now need a part CFO at least one full day per week. Caroline Moon at a16z has a fabulous overview of what your finance function should look like at this point.
  4. Series C: by the middle of your Series B, you should start looking for a full time CFO and or VP Finance. These ladies and gents are in hot demand and take months to find, so plan at least 6+ months ahead. This Wall Street Journal article on Startup CFOs is a must read. Pony up and use a recruiter, you will not be able to find the caliber of talent you need without one. Derek Shaw at CV Partners is fabulous, and we work with him extensively when our startups are ready to graduate from Kruze: Derek Shaw <dshaw@cvpartnersinc.com>.

Hope this helps!!

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Alex Janeck
 Kruze Consulting
Edith Silva
 Kruze Consulting
Randy Hall
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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Healy Jones
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.

 Kruze Consulting
Vanessa Kruze, CPA
Founder & CEO
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Experienced team helping you

Our account management team is staffed by CPAs and accountants who have, on average, 11 years of experience.

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Bill Hollowsky, CPA
VP of Accounting Services
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Claudine Vantomme, CPA
Controller
 Kruze Consulting
Morgan Avery
SUT/R&D Sr. Tax Accountant
 Kruze Consulting
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
Scott Orn
 Kruze Consulting
Alex Janeck
 Kruze Consulting
Edith Silva

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Important Tax Dates for Startups

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