Virtual CFO support
Fractional CFO services for Australian startups.
CFO expertise, without the full-time hire.
Cash flow forecasting, board reporting and preparation for your next raise, from CFOs who've spent years working with startups.
Your virtual CFO
CFO support for Australian founders who are raising, hiring and scaling.
A term sheet lands, the board wants a monthly pack and every new hire shortens your runway. You need a CFO, just not a full-time one yet.
Our fractional CFOs (also called virtual CFOs) work alongside you on the decisions that shape the business - how fast to grow, where to spend and what the numbers say about your next move. You get the experience of a senior CFO, for the hours you actually need.
Where your CFO comes in
- Seeing cash pressure coming early
- Monthly numbers you can make decisions from
- Keeping your forecasts current as plans change
- Getting ready for your first or next raise
- Reporting your board can rely on
- A CFO on hand between your monthly meetings
Who we work with
From startup to scale-up.
Founders rarely come to us because they've reached a particular stage. They come because something has landed on their desk that needs senior finance experience. Here's what that tends to look like, from the first raise onwards.
Before the raise
You're getting ready to raise
Investors will want a forecast that holds up when they dig into it, and numbers that tie back to it. If your model lives in a spreadsheet only you can follow, now is the time to get it into shape.
After the raise
You've just closed a round
The money's in the bank, and with it comes a board to report to and a runway to look after. Reporting moves from occasional to monthly, and your investors will want to see where the money is going.
Growing
You're growing faster than your reporting
Revenue and headcount are both climbing, and you need to see which parts of the business make money and where the cash goes each month. Bigger decisions are waiting on those answers.
What's next
You're planning the next big move
A new market, a larger round or the first conversations about an exit. The scrutiny on your numbers goes up, and so does the number of people asking for them.
You don't need to call yourself a startup for this to apply. If one of these sounds like your week, tell us what's on your desk and we'll say whether CFO support is the right fit.
A CFO for the raise and the board table
"When founders are building a business, we need to focus on product and customers. Standard Ledger has helped me do that by taking other things - monthly Xero, BAS, bookkeeping, payroll - off my hands and by providing the financial expertise to take the weight off my shoulders. None of us have financial expertise. With Standard Ledger's CFO service, we can get that expertise without having to hire someone full time at this early stage. This has been a massive help, including now for the capital raise we're doing. We needed a good financial model, financial accountability and a CFO who can come to board meetings and talk about numbers."
Mandeep Sodhi
Founder & CEO, Effi
Bite-sized CFO support
From a few hours a month to two days a week.
Most growing businesses can't justify a full-time CFO. What they need is an experienced CFO's skills for long enough to do the job, with more time when the job gets bigger.
- 4 hours a month Getting ready for growth or a first raise
- 8 hours a month After a raise, with a board to report to
- Half a day a week or more VC-backed and scaling fast
- Up to two days a week About as far as fractional goes
- $201,600 - $336,000 a year In salary and super, before recruitment and on-costs
Skills you couldn't otherwise afford
Our CFOs have worked in venture capital, big accounting firms and inside startups. You get that experience from the first month, for a monthly fee.
Up and down with the business
Step up in the run-up to a raise and back down in a quieter quarter, with your package moving month to month as you need it.
We'll tell you when it's time to hire
Past about two days a week, a full-time CFO makes more sense and we'll say so. We've helped clients recruit their own, and we'll help you find the right person.
Full-time figure: salary range for CFOs in SMEs and privately owned businesses, Robert Walters Salary Survey 2026, which excludes super. Super added at the 12% Superannuation Guarantee rate.
Pricing
CFO packages for each stage of growth.
Each package is a fixed monthly fee for a set amount of CFO time, and every one includes a monthly meeting with your CFO.
Grow
- ✓Monthly P&L, accounts payable & receivable
- ✓Monthly performance review
- ✓Monthly reporting pack incl. forward cash flows
- ✓Monthly CFO meeting on forward cash flows
- ✓Updating of forecasts
- ✓Fortnightly check-in
- ✓4 hrs/month CFO support
Grow+
- ✓Monthly P&L, accounts payable & receivable
- ✓Monthly performance review
- ✓Monthly reporting pack incl. forward cash flows
- ✓Monthly CFO meeting on forward cash flows
- ✓Updating of forecasts
- ✓Weekly check-in
- ✓8 hrs/month CFO support
Partner
- ✓Everything in Grow+
- ✓Rolling 12-month cash flow forecast
- ✓Monthly analysis of actuals against budget for board reports
- ✓Key metric and KPI reporting
- ✓Min. half day/week with your team
Wherever possible, we provide a fixed-fee proposal upfront, so you know exactly what you're paying and what you're getting.
What founders say
Trusted by venture-track founders.
Founders on what CFO support has done for them, from raising capital and reporting to a board through to selling the business.
“Standard Ledger’s fractional CFO services identified KPIs driving operational improvements, making us an attractive acquisition target. Strategic exit planning structured our finances to maximise returns, and negotiating the complexities of the sale process secured us a deal that recognised our full value.”
Peter Neal
“The CFO service gives us expertise we can lean on. It’s been a massive help, including during capital raising when you need a really good financial model and a CFO who can come to board meetings and talk numbers.”
Mandeep Sodhi
“For me, having CFO support has been vital for everything from insurance documents to financial modelling, and strategic advice and guidance. Working with Remco and Mike has transformed my knowledge personally, and also enabled us to grow safely. We wouldn’t have been able to do it without them.”
Charlie Hamer
One-off projects
CFO support for a single piece of work.
Not everyone needs a monthly package. Sometimes there's one job in front of you, usually a raise, and you need a CFO for that. We'll agree the scope and cost with you before we start.
Reporting systems
Reporting set up around the numbers you actually run the business on, so it keeps working long after the project ends.
Pitch deck financials
The financials in your deck, your forecast and the story you tell about them, lined up before investors see them.
Financial modellingValuations
A valuation for an early-stage raise, with the method written down so you can explain how you reached the number.
ValuationsCap tables
A clear record of who owns what today, and what the next round does to everyone's share.
Cap table managementFinancial memorandums
The detailed financial document that goes to investors or buyers, prepared from scratch or reviewed so it reads clearly and stands up to questions.
Due diligence prep
Your numbers and supporting documents in order before investors or buyers ask for them, with us on hand to answer their questions as they come in.
When you're selling or merging, we act as your CFO through the process, so your corporate advisors and the other side get accurate figures when they ask for them.
We also work with businesses looking to make an acquisition, and venture capital firms carrying out due diligence on a company they're looking to invest in.
CFO models compared
Not every business needs the same kind of CFO.
Fractional, virtual, interim, outsourced, financial controller - the names get used loosely, and they don't all mean the same thing. Here's how they differ on time, cost and who they suit, so you can see which fits where you are now.
| Model | What it is | Time | How you pay | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fractional CFO What we do | An experienced CFO working with you for part of the week or month, on the strategy and the hands-on work alike. | A few hours a month, up to about two days a week. Ongoing. | A monthly fee for the time you need. | Startups and scale-ups that need senior finance judgement but not a full-time hire. |
| Virtual CFO What we do | Usually the same service as fractional, with the emphasis on the work being done remotely. The more common term in Australia. | As fractional. | As fractional. | As fractional - the difference is mostly in the name. |
| Interim CFO | A CFO who steps in full-time for a fixed period, to cover a gap or lead one specific piece of work. | Full-time, for a set number of months. | A day or monthly rate for the term. | Covering a departure or leave, or a restructure that needs someone in the seat every day. |
| Outsourced CFO | An external firm taking on the CFO role, often packaged with bookkeeping and accounts. The term overlaps heavily with fractional. | Varies by provider. | Usually a monthly fee. | Businesses that want finance leadership and the day-to-day accounting from one provider. |
| Financial controller | Runs the finance function day to day: month-end close, controls and accurate reporting. The focus is on getting the numbers right rather than planning what comes next. | Part-time or full-time. Ongoing. | A salary, or a monthly fee if outsourced. | Businesses where the volume of transactions and reporting needs dedicated management. |
| Full-time CFO | A permanent member of your leadership team, running finance across the whole business. | Five days a week. Ongoing. | Salary, super and on-costs. | Businesses that need CFO time for more than two days a week. |
We also provide bookkeeping and accounting alongside CFO support, so if you want the outsourced model, with everything under one roof, we can cover that too.
Which one fits comes down to how much CFO time you need, and for how long. Not sure which side of the line you're on? That's a good first conversation to have with us.
Our team
Meet your fractional CFO team.
The people who'll work on your numbers, from your CFO to the analysts behind the reporting.
Remco
Co-founder + CFO
Remco has worked with startups and fast-growing SMEs as a CFO for about 15 years, following four years in venture capital and 10 years in multinational consulting/services firms. He’s also our co-founder and CEO, so he knows a thing or two about running a business.
Michael
Co-founder + CFO
Mike is a uniquely skilled CFO with experience in big accounting firms and startups. His knowledge of tax structuring and financial modelling helps our startup clients expand and he has supported many through capital raising. He’s also our co-founder, along with Remco.
Anne
Senior Analyst
As an experienced financial modeller and team lead, Anne works with our clients to build financial forecasts that provide clear operational visibility and key insights. If there’s something specific you need to know about your finances, Anne is your person.
Caicy
Team Lead
Caicy is an integral part of our team, supporting our bookkeeping, tax, accounting and CFO services. She works with our accounting clients, and leads our back-office support team to run smoother than a warm knife through butter.
Kirsten
Financial Analyst
Kirsten is a financial all-rounder with experience in audit and capital markets and a passion for using numbers to drive growth and shake up the status quo. That’s why she joined our team and why she’ll be an asset to yours.
FAQ
Questions founders ask us.
These are the things founders most often want to know before working with us. If your question isn't here, bring it along when you speak with us.
What does a fractional CFO do that a bookkeeper doesn't?
A bookkeeper records what’s already happened, keeping your transactions, payables and receivables up to date. A fractional CFO uses those numbers to look ahead: updating your cash flow forecast so you always know your runway, turning the monthly numbers into a reporting pack you can make decisions from, and getting your finances ready for investors and your board. You need both, and we can provide both, with a monthly meeting with your CFO and regular check-ins in between.
What's the difference between a fractional and a virtual CFO?
In Australia, the two terms usually mean the same thing: an experienced CFO who works with your business for part of the week or month. “Virtual” emphasises that the work is done remotely, while “fractional” emphasises that you’re buying part of a CFO’s time – you’ll sometimes see it called a part-time CFO too. Either way, it’s what our CFO packages deliver, so use whichever name you’re used to.
When is the right time to bring in a CFO?
Usually it’s when a decision is waiting on numbers you don’t have yet. That might be an upcoming raise, a board that now wants monthly reporting, or growth your spreadsheets can no longer keep up with. If any of those sound familiar, it’s worth a conversation, even if you’re not sure you’re ready. We’ll tell you if it’s too early.
How much does fractional CFO support cost?
It depends on how much CFO time you need, and our three packages are set out in the pricing section above. Each one is a monthly fee, and you can move between them as your needs change, with no lock-ins. For one-off work like a raise, we’ll give you a fixed-fee proposal upfront wherever we can, so you know what you’re paying before anything starts.
Do you look after tax and compliance too?
Yes. Alongside CFO support, Standard Ledger provides tax, bookkeeping and payroll services, as well as help with the R&D tax incentive and government grants. Your tax, BAS, payroll and claims can all sit with the same team that looks after your forecasts, so nothing falls between two providers. We’ll set out what’s covered and what it costs before any work begins.
Next step
Talk to a CFO about where you are now.
Whether you're getting ready to raise, reporting to a new board or planning what comes next, we'll tell you how much CFO support makes sense and what it would involve.
Fixed fee, no lock-in.