Finance for venture-stage companies
Finance infrastructure that doesn't reset when you raise.
Full-stack finance teams embedded from seed through Series B. Over the last 18 years, we've partnered with hundreds of venture-backed companies. Now you benefit from the playbook.
Founders we’ve partnered with at venture stage
Why venture stage companies build with Propeller
You're past proof-of-concept with capital in the bank, but the unknowns multiply fast. Renewal rates shift. CAC spikes. Burn accelerates. Shortcuts here cost you six months later.
Since 2008, we've helped founders navigate these exact challenges. We deliver clean books, defensible models, and the foresight that no single hire brings. You focus on building; we handle what investors scrutinize.
Expert finance teams for the entire venture journey.
From first close through Series B and beyond, building for what's next requires the right expertise, the right team, and the right economics.
Scalability
Full-stack teams that grow with you
CFO, controller, FP&A, and accounting working as one. Light touch when you're building, intensive support when you're raising. Full flexibility that adapts to your stage.
Affordability
Senior-level talent without the overhead
At the venture stage, every dollar extends runway. We deliver world-class teams for around 25% less than building in-house—plus, you skip the months-long hiring cycle.
Experience
Expertise shaped by hundreds of companies
With pattern recognition from hundreds of companies, we know where cash flow breaks, which metrics matter, and how to structure operations that scale.
Our services
Full-stack finance operations, embedded into your business.
-
Executive CFO services
Strategic finance leadership without the full-time cost or commitment.
-
Financial planning and analysis
Financial models and forecasts that show where you're heading next.
-
Accounting and bookkeeping
Clean, accurate financials that stay current as your business grows.
-
Fundraising support
Investor-ready financials and expert guidance through the entire raise.
-
Transaction advisory
Expert support and due diligence through M&A, exits, and complex deals.
A model that grows with you.
We start as your full finance function and evolve into a strategic intelligence layer. The right-sized scope at every stage, no long-term contracts.
Propeller-led
$3-30M
Propeller’s fully embedded team handles your complete finance function.
- CFO, accounting manager and staff—all Propeller
- PropellerOS visibility built in
Propeller + selective hires
$10-50M
Add selective in-house hire while Propeller provides core finance and cross-portfolio insight.
- Add a W2 finance director
- Benchmarking and FP&A included
Propeller + your team
$30-300M
Hybrid model:your team handles strategy, Propeller supports reporting, analytics, and projects.
- In-house CFO or VP Finance
- Analytics and project support layered in
Led by your team
$100M+
Your senior finance team leads, Propeller provides scalable support and intelligence.
- Client-led senior finance team
- Full intelligence layer in place
"The best decision I have ever made in my 28 years of running a business was engaging with Propeller Industries. With Propeller behind us, there was no opportunity we could not participate in. When we went out to raise money for the first time, we would have made serious missteps without Propeller to assist us."
Helen Russell
Co-Founder & Executive Chair, Equator Coffees
Ready to build something remarkable?
Tab to the active metric, then use the left and right arrow keys to move between metrics.
1,500+
Clients served
18+
Years of experience
26
Unicorns partnered with
$100B+
Enterprise value created
$29B
Raised by clients
230+
Exits
1,500+
Clients served
18+
Years of experience
26
Unicorns partnered with
$100B+
Enterprise value created
$29B
Raised by clients
230+
Exits
FAQs
Questions your board will ask.
A venture-stage company is a startup that has raised institutional capital — typically seed through Series B, or about $3M to $30M in revenue — and is operating with outside investor expectations around growth, reporting, and governance, but usually without the internal finance infrastructure of a larger company. It's a stage defined less by revenue and more by complexity: cap table structure, board reporting cadence, and burn management all become real disciplines the moment a priced round closes, even if the team is still under 50 people.
Fractional CFO support typically runs $5K-$15K/month for venture-stage companies, compared to $400K+/year all-in for a full-time hire (salary, benefits, equity, and the 3-6 month search included). Propeller's embedded model delivers senior-level teams (not a solo contractor) for roughly 25% less than building the equivalent function in-house, with no hiring cycle to wait through.
The trigger is usually a financial decision you can't model with confidence — closing a priced round, managing tight runway, or prepping for diligence — arriving before you can justify a $250K+ full-time salary. Most venture-stage companies bring in fractional support well before they need 100% of a CFO's time; the real question isn't "fractional vs. full-time," it's whether you need 160 hours a month or 40.
A fractional CFO owns strategy — fundraising narrative, board materials, cash runway decisions; an accounting firm owns the historical record — bookkeeping, reconciliations, tax filings. Propeller's embedded model combines both under one team (CFO, controller, FP&A, accounting) so the strategic story and the underlying books are never out of sync, which is usually where diligence problems start.
No: the model is built to evolve and adapt to clients’ needs. As you add in-house hires, Propeller shifts from running your full finance function to providing selective support, benchmarking, and the intelligence layer underneath your growing internal team, all the way through $300M+ in revenue and beyond.
