"We've engaged Cornell as our Fractional CFO during a critical phase of our business. We wanted to confirm our internal judgements and have someone bring a level of financial rigour, strategic thinking and hands on expertise that made a real difference to how we understood and managed our business. The work Cornell delivered, such as the financial models that could be tweaked quickly to deliver different outcomes was awesome. The reporting and strategic analysis gave us clarity and confidence in our numbers and confidence to reinvest in the right parts of the business. Cornell was a pleasure to work with and I would not hesitate to recommend him to any founder looking for senior financial leadership - especially in a high growth phase. "
Services
Most founders who come to this page know they need financial help. They are not sure what kind. That is not a gap in your thinking, it is the nature of the problem. Every engagement starts with a Financial Health Diagnostic that tells you exactly where the gaps are and what to do about them.
Start here. Every time.
The Financial Health Diagnostic is where every engagement begins, regardless of what you are trying to achieve. It is a structured assessment of your business across seven financial dimensions, producing a clear picture of where you stand and a recommended path forward.
In a few weeks you will have a scored assessment across your key financial dimensions, a prioritised gap analysis, a recommended set of modules, and a proposed engagement path, whether that is building financial infrastructure, preparing for a raise, or getting exit-ready.
The diagnostic determines which work is necessary. You do not need to know that before we start.
Book a discovery call
The discovery call is a short conversation to understand where your finance function is falling behind the business.
We'll talk through your current stage, revenue model, reporting, cash visibility, investor or board requirements, and the decisions you're trying to make.
By the end, we should both know what the right next step looks like. A specific finance project, a broader engagement, or whether it's too early for CFO support.
Financial Health Diagnostic
Capital Raise
Preparing to raise
Financial Capability
Building financial infrastructure
Exit
Planning an exit
Financial Health Diagnostic
Capital Raise
Preparing to raise
Financial Capability
Building financial infrastructure
Exit
Planning an exit
Most founders don't know which financial question they can't answer until someone asks it.
The Financial Health Diagnostic maps your business across these seven areas. The modules we work on together depend on what it finds.
1. I can't trust my numbers
“I have numbers everywhere. I just don't know which ones are right.”
Your chart of accounts wasn't built for how your business actually works. Historical financials have errors you may not know about. Your MRR in Xero, your billing system, and your CRM all tell a different story. Before any strategic work is credible, the numbers have to be trustworthy.
2. I don't know how my business is actually performing
“The numbers look okay. I just can't tell you what's driving them.”
Clean numbers are not the same as useful ones. This cluster builds the reporting and metrics infrastructure that turns accurate data into something you can actually use to run the business, track performance, and understand what is working and what is not.
3. I can't see where the cash is going
“We're growing. So why does cash always feel tight?”
Revenue growing, team expanding, bank balance not reflecting it. Cash is where SaaS founders get caught most often. This cluster builds the visibility and tools to manage cash as a deliberate decision rather than a constant surprise.
4. I don't know if I can afford the decisions in front of me
“We're spending. I just can't tell you if we can afford it.”
Hiring, pricing, expanding into new markets. You are making these calls without a clear view of whether the business can sustain them. This cluster builds the planning and modelling tools that let you see the financial consequences of your choices before you make them.
5. My customers tell me one story, my financials tell another
“We're growing, but I can't tell you if that growth is actually healthy.”
Topline growth can hide a lot. This cluster surfaces what is actually driving revenue, which customers, which segments, which cohorts, and whether that revenue is sticky, concentrated, or at risk.
6. I need to raise and I don't know if I'm ready
“An investor asked me a question last week and I couldn't answer it.”
Preparing for a funding round requires the right financial infrastructure underneath it. The diagnostic determines which gaps need closing before the raise conversation starts.
7. I'm thinking about an exit and I don't know what it's worth
“Someone expressed interest. I have no idea if the number they mentioned is good or not.”
Preparing for an exit takes 1-3 years done properly. The diagnostic tells you where you stand today and what needs to change to put you in the strongest possible position when the time comes.
You do not need to diagnose the finance problem yourself. These issues are usually solved through focused CFO work across cash flow, financial modelling, SaaS metrics, reporting, unit economics, pricing, fundraising readiness, and financial controls. The diagnostic identifies the highest-priority gaps and the right workstreams.
Your accountant keeps the books clean. That's their job.
A CFO tells you what the numbers mean, where the business is headed, and what to do about it. It is the difference between knowing your revenue and understanding what is driving it. Your accountant produces monthly statutory statements. A CFO turns that information into a decision you can make with confidence today.
Most founders find out they needed a CFO when they can't answer a basic question about their own business. Not because someone else asked it. Because they asked themselves, and didn't know where to look.
Why founders work with me
I've spent two decades in CFO roles across Asia-Pacific, including Amazon China and Groupon APAC across 13 countries. Before that, investment banking and a CA qualification that taught me how numbers work under real pressure.
I work exclusively with B2B SaaS and software founders up to $10M ARR. The stage where the financial decisions are hardest, the stakes are most personal, and getting it right actually changes the trajectory of the business.
The feedback that consistently surprises me is founders telling me they finally understand their own business. Working together made them better leaders. My goal is not to make myself indispensable, but to build your capability so you can make confident financial decisions long after our engagement ends.
