Dana Whitfield · Fractional CFO · AustinI’m a fractional CFO for Series A–C startups. Embedded, part-time, and senior — I lead the raise, build the FP&A, control the burn, and turn your numbers into a story a board will fund.
A fractional CFO through the raise
Investor-ready model, a clean data room, and a narrative your lead will believe — then I sit beside you in diligence.
Clients have closed $240M+ since 2017, often above the forecast valuation.
A full-time startup CFO costs $350K–$500K and a slice of the company. Most Series A–B startups don’t need that yet — they need the judgment, a few days a month, embedded in the team. That’s exactly what I do.
A direct conversation about where you are, what hurts, and whether I’m the right fit. No pitch — if I’m not, I’ll tell you who is.
I map the engagement to your real need — fractional, interim, advisory, or project — with a clear scope, cadence, and fee. In writing, before anything starts.
I get the numbers honest: a model you trust, a runway you can defend, and a quick-wins list. You’ll feel the difference in the first board update.
I’m in your Slack and your key meetings. We lead the raise, build the team, and run the cadence together — until you can run it without me.
The goal is to work myself out of a job. When you’re ready for an in-house team, I help you hire them and hand off clean.
Take all of it or the one piece that’s on fire. Every engagement is scoped to what your company actually needs right now.
I build the model, the data room, and the financial narrative — then sit beside you through diligence so the round closes on your terms.
I build real FP&A from whatever you have today: a driver-based model, a clean monthly close, and dashboards that answer “how are we doing?” in one glance.
A 13-week cash model, a ruthless but surgical spend review, and a runway plan you can defend to a board without flinching.
I build the reporting cadence, write the board deck’s finance section, and (when you want) present it — so your board meetings build confidence instead of burning it.
Whether you’re acquiring, being acquired, or just getting ready, I clean the books, build the data room, prep for quality-of-earnings, and quarterback diligence.
When your CFO departs or you’re between leaders, I step in near-full-time to hold the seat, keep the trains running, and help you hire the permanent leader.
From a steady part-time retainer to a single fixed-scope project — the shape follows the need, never the other way around.
Your part-time CFO, on a steady retainer.
Near-full-time coverage for a defined gap.
A senior CFO on call, lighter touch.
One outcome, scoped and fixed.
Anonymized snapshots from real engagements — the number, the work behind it, and the founder’s words.
Seed → Series ABuilt the model and narrative; closed a $14M Series A 20% above the founder’s target valuation.
Series ACut burn 34% and extended runway from 4 to 9 months to hit the milestones for the next raise.
Series BBuilt FP&A from zero — driver-based model, KPI dashboards, and a board package the investors actually trusted.
Not a junior with a senior title — eighteen years in startup finance, two CFO seats, and a public-company exit.
Led the $24M Series B; built FP&A from zero.
Raised seed + Series A; cut burn 34%.
Series A→C; through a public-company acquisition.
Owned the board model and investor reporting.
Companies served — anonymized for confidentiality
Sectors: B2B SaaS · Hardware & IoT · Marketplaces · Fintech · MedTech · Climate · Dev tools · Consumer
Dana made our numbers fundable. She sat in diligence and answered things I couldn’t have — the round closed faster and higher than I’d modeled. The best money we spent before the raise.
Marcus ReyesWe thought we were out of road. Dana found five months of runway we didn’t know we had and kept the team intact. She’s the calmest person in any cash crisis.
Priya AnandFor the first time our board meetings were boring — in the best way. The numbers held up, and she built the in-house analyst who owns it all now. That’s the whole point of her.
Daniel ChoA direct 30-minute discovery call — no pitch. We’ll talk through where you are and whether bringing me in makes sense. If it doesn’t, I’ll tell you. — Dana