As the competitive landscape of business intensifies, the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) role has evolved from managing numbers to playing a crucial role in strategic decision-making. One of the critical areas where CFOs make significant contributions is in assessing whether a company’s products or services are achieving product-market fit (PMF). Product-market fit occurs when a...
For startups with less than nine months of runway and less-than-clear product market fit, pursuing a parallel path of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) alongside fundraising allows founders to feel like they can travel towards two paths with both as viable options. This dual approach provides flexibility and increases the chances of securing the necessary resources...
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, as the story of two startups unfolds under the watchful eye of Alex Sterling, a seasoned venture capitalist known for his strategic foresight and uncompromising pursuit of excellence. On one side is InnovateX, steered by the meticulous and introspective James Archer, a founder...
When it comes to winding down your startup, understanding the associated costs is crucial for an orderly and compliant closure. The expenses can vary greatly depending on the method chosen – Bankruptcy, Assignment for the Benefit of Creditors (ABC), or a direct Wind-Down. Let’s dive into what these processes entail and the likely costs involved....
In times when you’re constantly running out of runway in the dreaded zone of insolvency, and as a founder, you feel like making payroll is an impossible obstacle course every two weeks, understanding and managing every aspect of your startup’s cash flow and sales becomes a matter of survival. This is where a waterfall analysis...
Welcome to “Evaluating Your Startup Financial Health,” a four-part series where we dive deep into crucial financial strategies for startups. In this series, we’ll focus on making substantial financial cuts, vigilantly monitoring every dollar, and accelerating Accounts Receivable collections. In this first part, we tackle the critical task of stabilizing your startup’s cash flow. This...
As Dr. Doom, a Chief Restructuring Officer, I’ve faced many challenges, but the case of this chair company was particularly intriguing. The founder, an eccentric and brilliant architect, had combined his passion for design with the unparalleled craftsmanship of Amish artisans. Yet, his pursuit of perfection was leading the company to financial peril. It was...
Early in my career, I was lucky enough to experience the rise of the PC in Silicon Valley. I worked for a company called Optimal Communications, a phone company being launched with the likes of The Macintosh. At the time, Kleiner Perkins and IVP had invested, eager to join the PC race. On the finance...
There’s an old saying, “Cash is King“. In the dynamic world of startups, while product innovation often steals the limelight, the real unsung hero in the narrative of sustainable growth is effective cash flow management. As a startup founder, understanding and managing your cash flow is not just a financial practice; it’s a strategic imperative,...
As we approach 2024, many startup founders find themselves gazing nervously at a horizon clouded with economic uncertainty. If you’re one of those founders with only a year of runway left, the anxiety is understandable. As a CFO who has weathered the storms of both the 2000 dot-com bubble and the 2008 financial crisis, I’ve...
