North Star Metrics: Finding your Startup’s “True North”
Successful startups don't just emerge out of the blue; there are many elements involved in growing a startup– along with a lot of preparation and pivoting along the way. Previously we
Finance
Board Meeting Prep Checklist: Part 2
In our last post on board meeting best practices, we outlined a checklist for the 30-day window up until 2 weeks before the board meeting. Here we walk through the
Operator’s Guide to Revenue Operations
By Alex Wittenberg, COO, airCFO. You’ve finally found your product/market fit. Now, you’re ready for growth mode — and you have investors and other stakeholders with high expectations. However, when your marketing, sales,
Board Meeting Prep Checklist: Part 1
Running an effective board meeting is a critical part of building a strong relationship with your investors. Preparation for your board marks the time to review your company’s performance over
Your Guide to The LTV: CAC Ratio
There is a near-endless list of metrics you can look at to evaluate your business’s health, but few offer as much insight as your LTV:CAC ratio. LTV:CAC folds several critical
SQSP S-1 Teardown
Written by Joseph Perez, Financial Advisory Manager at airCFO For our second S-1 teardown, the airCFO team took a deep dive into the all-in-one website / brand building giant, Squarespace, Inc.
How to Discuss Financials with your Board
Written by Michael Pearson, Financial Advisory Manager, airCFO With the countless responsibilities you have as a founder, it can be easy to overlook the importance of communicating with your board of
Bumble S-1 Teardown
Written by Joseph Perez, Financial Advisory Manager at airCFO. Bumble Inc., maker of the popular dating app “where women make the first move”, will be going public later this month in
North Star Metrics: Net Revenue Retention
By Alex Wittenberg, airCFO Director of Financial Advisory At airCFO, we help startup founders like you track the metrics that matter most to support your startup’s financial growth. These mission-critical metrics are
Great Ways To Fund Your Startup
Written by Kayle Paustian Startup founders wear many hats, with one of the most important ones being raising startup capital. A common assumption is that after you’ve tapped out on personal
Budgeting for Startups: A Simple, Step-by-Step Guide
As a startup founder, you put significant time and effort towards the end of each year mapping out your strategic plan for the year to come. And yet, many startups
Mergers & Acquisitions for Startups
by Kayle Paustian, airCFO Manager of Financial Advisory In the earlier stages of any startup, founders are focused on building a solid team, creating healthy cash flow, and hitting key performance
eCommerce Metrics for Startups
by Evan Loh, airCFO Manager of Financial Advisory With the continued evolution in technology (not to mention the continued impact of COVID) more people are selling and buying online than ever.
Dealing with Nonperforming Board Members
by Michael Pearson, airCFO Manager of Financial Advisory Recently, a letter from a CEO to departing board member went viral on #VCTwitter. In it, the founder of CircleUp published an anonymous
How to Write a Great Investor Update
Commonly, founders initially fund their startups by bootstrapping - that is, from their own pockets or funding from friends and family. But as they grow, their need for capital grows,
Understanding Market Capitalization: Private vs. Public & Other Considerations
There comes a time in every startup's journey where they need to decide on an exit strategy. Some early investors may even ask for your view as the founder as
Confused About Liquidity Ratios? Here’s What You Should Know
As every startup matures, their profits and liabilities change. With engineering and technology needs, office space and talent, founders need a financial measurement to show their dedication to financial responsibility
What is Equity Financing?
There comes a point where every startup needs to start considering how they plan on funding their growth in the coming years. Angel investments, growing rounds of financing and lines
What is Financial Statement Analysis?
Startups track a lot of data as they begin to grow. From revenues to key performance indicators, net promoter scores and churn rate, these are all important factors to a
How To Nail Your Investor Reports
It’s a necessary evil for every startup. No matter whether you do it monthly or quarterly, investor reports and communication ensure you stay accountable to your external partners, and ensures
Your Margin and You: Gross Profit & Cost of Goods Sold
In today’s macroeconomic environment, top-line revenue growth is no longer enough for startup founders seeking investment. ‘Quality of revenue’ has become heavily scrutinized by investors, who are seeking companies with
What is Lean Finance?
Possibly one of the most important concepts to come out of the 1990’s was the idea of “Lean Management.” The idea of driving efficiency and reducing waste to improve customer
Fundraising at Different Stages of Growth
Starting a new business isn’t easy. You may have a great idea, and lots of motivation, but you need to find the funds to help your company grow. While you can bootstrap your business with your own money, and get funding from friends and family in the early days, the time soon comes when you have to think about the longer-term future of your company, and seek out financing.
Fundraising In A Crisis
In a matter of weeks, the venture capital landscape has taken a sharp downward turn. With market and public uncertainty around COVID-19, the fundraising environment has become tenuous for companies