Fundraising

We recruit full-time, part-time, portfolio and interim CFOs and FDs who specialise in fundraising. Call us on 020 3287 9501. FD Capital is the leading specialist in CFO and FD recruitment and is based in the heart of London at Great Portland Street.

Our portfolio of fundraising CFOs and FDs provides a wealth of experience with specialisms across debt refinancing, securing seed and series A funding, as well as working with PE houses and venture capital.

Debt Fundraising

Debt refinancing and fundraising is a time-consuming process. A fundraising CFO or FD will want to work proactively to raise capital or debt to meet the company’s immediate needs and beyond to ensure stable cash flow. Many companies find that trading equity dilution for more liquidity is the best option for their current circumstances.

The work of a fundraising CFO focusing on debt refinancing is two-fold. They’ll overhaul the existing systems and structures to introduce cost-saving measures that will streamline the organisation’s operations and maximise productivity. CFOs and FDs face a difficult balancing act of cutting costs while creating an environment that encourages sales growth.

Your CFO will consider the various methods of debt fundraising, including through traditional financial institutions and revenue financing while implementing cost-saving initiatives throughout the organisation.

Funding situations such as this require companies to implement operational changes, alongside seeking new capital. Our portfolio of CFOs and FDs have experience working hands-on with operations across supply chains and legal services to implement proactive cost-saving measures.

Recruiting a CFO for Debt Refinancing

Companies seeking to explore debt fundraising should start planning a few months prior to seeking such capital. Our part-time and interim CFOs are an ideal way to get access to top-level talent without the financial burden of a full-time C-suite position.

Recruiting a CFO provides your company with credibility for traditional financial institutions, including banks. Building relationships with banks can enable your CFO to negotiate more favourable terms for service lines.

Interest rate hedging covenants are an important aspect of the negotiations and planning your CFO will undertake. They’ll seek to negotiatie the interest rate hedging in conjunction with the overall lending amount for the best deal.

Seed Funding

It’s easy to view appointing a CFO at a pre-seed start-up to be overkill. However, the evolution of part-time and interim CFOs means that this talent pool of candidates is more accessible than ever for companies at their initial fundraising stage. These CFOs will put the initial systems in place to support the company’s development, including investing in the relevant accounting software.

Recruiting a remote CFO to support your seed fundraising is the most cost-effective option for start-ups. A senior financial executive will lay the foundations for your business and start the process of applying for any relevant grants, such as the Enterprise Investment Scheme while engaging with traditional financial institutions and private equity investors.

The path to a successful seed funding cycle starts with recruiting a part-time or virtual CFO to translate your company’s story and maximise its future valuation.

Series A Funding

Series A funding falls into a similar category as seed fundraising. We recommend that companies recruit their fundraising CFO at least three months prior to this funding round and to hire on a part-time basis. This time window will allow a new CFO to conduct an internal audit, overhaul any necessary systems, implement KPI tracking, and start building relationships with venture capitalists and PE houses.

Our portfolio of fundraising CFOs includes candidates with experience working in the City of London and a proven track record of meeting fundraising targets at every stage of a start-up’s cycle. We’ll connect your company with a candidate who has the skills and experience to achieve your Series A funding goals.

Your CFO is just as essential after the fundraising round as they are prior to it. Venture capitalists and private equity investors will expect your CFO to act as a bridge between them and your company. They’ll offer briefings and financial reports, alongside ensuring KPIs are being tracked and met. When a CFO focuses on investor relations, they enable the company’s CEO to focus on the bigger picture.

Recruiting a part-time CFO at the series A funding stage of your company’s life cycle provides flexibility to expand the role to a full-time position if the need arises.

PE House Funding

Recruiting a CFO before exploring the option of private equity funding provides your company with financial credibility. Many PE houses will require a company to onboard a CFO prior to finalising their funding agreement. Our talent pool of CFOs has relationships throughout the private equity industry and a network across the UK and beyond.

Your CFO will identify potential private equity houses to target and pitch your company to them alongside the CEO. Having a CFO onboard means you’ll have a C-suite leader who can translate financial ideas and strategy into everyday language while incorporating the storytelling of your company’s long-term goals.

CFOs also provide investors with the reassurance that regulations will be met and that there is an experienced senior executive with financial oversight. Companies where the CEO lacks previous fundraising skills will especially benefit from having a CFO on board.

SMEs may choose to recruit a part-time CFO to explore private equity funding options and manage investor relations. Recruiting your CFO prior to a funding round will enable them to get your company’s finances in order, including streamlining accounting and conducting any necessary audits.

SMEs may choose to recruit a part-time CFO to explore private equity funding options and manage investor relations. Recruiting your CFO prior to a funding round will enable them to get your company’s finances in order, including streamlining accounting and conducting any necessary audits.

Our recruiters will help you identify candidates with previous experience in your industry. FD Capital specialises in recruiting CFOs and FDs within tech, private equity, property management, financial services, fintech, SaaS, and insurance industries. Companies that operate within highly regulated industries will want a specialist CFO to oversee their private equity fundraising efforts.

Companies can still recruit CFOs with private equity house experience who have not previously worked in their industry. These placements typically happen in industries that lack financial talent or where its less of an emphasis on leadership teams and regulatory requirements, such as within the arts.

VC Funding

Companies seeking to navigate the venture capital space need to invest in a CFO. It’s a worthwhile investment that is a win-win for any organisation as your CFO will take a high-level view of your company, working proactively to extract the most value from your company. A CFO will create an engaging investor story to pitch to venture capitalists.

CFOs overseeing VC fundraising move at a face pace, tracking KPIs and executing the investment deal, while engaging with internal and external stakeholders. Most venture capitalists will prefer to negotiate directly with a CFO on a more regular basis than the CEO.

Recruiting a CFO also brings financial transparency and a new perspective to your organisation prior to a VC funding round. CFOs bring an unbiased approach to your company’s financial health and won’t be afraid to challenge the status quo by overhauling existing systems and structures to streamline finances and operations.

CFOs with venture capital experience are acutely familiar with the new challenges a company faces when they take on private funding. A CFO’s unique insights will make them a leader within their company, driving growth through stakeholder engagement and financial planning.

Our fundraising specialists are collaborative CFO, articulating the company’s vision and exit strategy for a funding deal that works for all sides.

Navigating the venture capitalist space is incredibly difficult for companies without a CFO on board. VC deals are increasingly time sensitive with due diligence and deal sourcing needing to be led by an experienced financial executive familiar with the industry. Companies without a VC specialist CFO may find themselves with a poor investment or less favourable terms or control due to a lack of due diligence and planning.

Strategies that prioritise compounding returns often lack the analytical tools required to provide the financial transparency that both the company and investors need. Recruiting a specialist CFO will bring value to your company and ensure that you get the best private funding deal possible.

Venture capital agreements typically have a holding period of 5 to 7 years. CFOs must therefore be forward-thinking in their strategy. Stakeholder management is vital for CFOs, feeding into their strategy and execution, to maintain investor confidence. CFOs with consultancy and entrepreneurial backgrounds strive in this space as they have a unique assortment of soft skills and hands-on experience to navigate venture capital funding.

Companies are increasingly recruiting part-time CFOs to prepare their company for engaging with venture capitalist firms. These appointments are often made in SMEs and start-ups where the CEO lacks fundraising experience with a part-time or fractional CFO filling the skills gap.

Fundraising CFOs and Data Transparency

Venture capital deals can be made or broken based on data. The rise of venture capitalist firms is making data a vital component in their decision-making process. Recruiting a CFO will provide your company with the data and financial transparency to negotiate with venture capitalists.

CFOs with venture capital experience will begin their tenure by examining the company’s current financial reporting practices and determining whether data is being adequately utilised. Venture capitalists are more likely to engage with companies that can provide real-time data and forecasting. This information also enables CEOs to ground their decision-making process.

Data transparency will ensure that the company operates as a well-oiled machine with adequate cash flow management. Data forecasting provides an accurate estimate of the company’s value to potential venture capital firms to secure the best investment terms possible.

The evolution of the role of CFO means they are spending less time crunching numbers and more time engaging with other departments. Fundraising CFOs are leveraging AI and automation to enhance data gathering and make forecasting less labour-intensive, while also identifying potential cost-saving areas.

CFOs are venturing outside their finance department to engage with every aspect of the business to ensure that data is being gathered and processed effectively. This function is driving more VC CFOs to engage with technological support, including investing in AI and automation to make data gathering and analysis less labour-intensive.

Part-Time vs. Full-Time Fundraising CFO

Hiring a part-time CFO can be the most cost-effective option for companies prioritising fundraising. Your company can decide how many hours a week they want to contract the CFO for, including whether their focus remains solely within financial management and fundraising or if they should have wider responsibilities.

We’re seeing a growing trend of SMEs and start-ups recruiting part-time CFOs to navigate fundraising. Smaller organisations may not have the workload to justify a full-time C-suite position with recruiting a part-time or remote CFO being a more affordable option.

1. No Long-Term Commitment with a Part-Time CFO

Part-time CFOs are typically recruited on a fixed-term contract, allowing companies to trial the position or candidate. Companies can decide to extend the contract or transition the position to full-time if the need arises.

A part-time CFO provides financial management and in-house strategic advice without a long-term commitment. Initially recruiting your CFO on a part-time basis allows investors a chance to work alongside the CFO to decide if they’re the right fit long-term.

2. Addresses The SaaS Company’s Skills Gap

Most companies have a skills gap, especially with CEOs who lack financial management or investor relations skills. Recruiting a part-time fundraising CFO will fill your company’s skills gap and enable the CEO to focus on their everyday responsibilities.

Our recruiters will work with you to identify the specific needs of your organisations including any other skills gaps that could be filled by a CFO.

3. Cost-Effective Alternative

Companies seeking fundraising need to balance their books, particularly ahead of a funding cycle. Recruiting a part-time fundraising CFO is a cost-effective alternative to hiring full-time CFOs, making it an investment that pays for itself in the long term.

Find Your Specialist Fundraising CFO or FD Today

Outsourcing your CFO recruitment to a specialist CFO and FD agency is the most effective way to find a financial executive with the skills and experience that match your company’s fundraising needs.

FD Capital offers both traditional recruitment services and CFO headhunting services, tailoring the recruitment process to fit the requirements of your organisation. We’ll connect you with a candidate who can hit the ground running.

FD Capital connects companies with private equity houses, venture capital, and fundraising CFOs throughout the UK and beyond.

Start the process of recruiting a CFO with fundraising experience by contacting our team at recruitment@fdcapital.co.uk or 020 3287 9501.