Fractional CFOOttawa
Fractional CFO services for growing companies in Ottawa and the National Capital Region: forecasting, cash flow, reporting, financing and transactions. A CFO’s judgment on the decisions that matter, without the cost of a full-time hire.
When companies call us
Most companies bring us in at a turning point, when the decisions get bigger than the finance function behind them.
Profitable on paper, short at the bank. A rolling cash forecast and tighter control of receivables, payables and inventory show what is coming.
Investors and lenders will want a model, clean financials and clear answers. We prepare all three and stay through their questions.
Decisions run through one person’s spreadsheet. We put in reporting and forecasts the leadership team can use without them.
Revenue is up but margins are unclear. Reporting by product, customer and location shows what is earning its keep.
Directors and investors expect a regular package with KPIs, variance analysis and a forecast they can rely on.
Clean records, a defensible model and diligence-ready numbers before a buyer, a target or an investor asks for them.
How we help
Part-time CFO services for owner-led, bootstrapped and venture-backed companies in Ottawa and the National Capital Region. The support scales from a few hours a week to a major initiative such as a raise, a turnaround or an acquisition.
Driver-based budgets, rolling forecasts and scenario models that tie operations to the numbers, with a monthly review of results against plan.
A 13-week cash forecast, runway visibility and better terms on receivables, payables and inventory, so cash needs are seen months ahead.
Plans for growth, pricing and investment, tied to the capital they need, and the model and materials for investors or lenders when it is time to raise.
A reliable month-end close, reconciliations and internal controls, with oversight of your accounting team or external bookkeeper.
A monthly reporting package built around the few KPIs that drive results, and board and investor updates on a regular schedule.
Clean data, a clear model and investor-ready materials before an acquisition, a sale or a financing, and support through the diligence that follows.
Finance leadership in Ottawa
Ottawa’s growing companies are often technology firms in and around Kanata North, or engineering, consulting and professional services firms selling to the federal government. Both reach a point where the founder can no longer run finance alone but a full-time CFO is not yet justified, and a fractional arrangement fills the gap.
The banks, BDC, venture investors and acquirers that finance and buy Ottawa companies each read a set of numbers in their own way, and the forecasts and reporting have to be prepared with that reader in mind.
Read our guide to what a fractional CFO does and what it costs.
Federal contracts bring stable revenue but also procurement cycles, holdbacks and payment terms that strain cash. A CFO plans for them and keeps contract profitability visible.
Software companies are judged on recurring revenue, retention and gross margin. A CFO puts these metrics on a reliable footing, so management, the board and investors work from the same numbers.
Ottawa technology companies raise from angels, Canadian and U.S. venture funds and strategic investors. They need a model that holds up in diligence, clean cap table records and regular investor reporting.
Many Ottawa technology companies are eventually acquired by larger Canadian or U.S. strategic buyers. A CFO prepares the numbers, the contracts and the data room well before a buyer asks.
Our view
Clean books and timely reports are the foundation. The value of a CFO is in what comes next: which customers and products make money, how much cash growth will consume, and when to raise capital or hold back.
We join the leadership team rather than reporting to it from outside. The person who builds the forecast is in the room when it is used, and accountable for the decisions it supports.
Watch: Fractional CFO for Growth
How an engagement works
We start with a short review of the books, the reporting and the cash position, agree the priorities, then settle into a regular monthly cadence that can scale up for a raise or a transaction. You receive a written proposal with the scope and the fee before any work begins.
Need hands-on accounting support rather than strategic finance? Our fractional controller service covers the close, reporting and controls.
Need senior finance support without a full-time hire?
Selected clients
Frequently asked questions
The work of a chief financial officer on a part-time basis: planning and forecasting, cash management, reporting, financing and transactions, and oversight of the accounting function.
Usually when the business has outgrown basic bookkeeping but does not yet need, or cannot justify, a full-time CFO: before a raise, during fast growth, when cash gets tight or ahead of a sale.
It depends on the stage of the business and the work ahead. Some companies need a few hours a week, others more during a financing or a transaction. The proposal sets the cadence, and it can change as your needs do.
It depends on the scope and the time involved. After a first conversation we send a written proposal with the scope, cadence and fee, so the cost is clear before work begins. Our guide explains what drives the cost.
A controller makes sure the books are accurate and closed on time. A CFO uses those numbers to plan, raise capital and make decisions. If the need is in the accounting function, see our fractional controller service.
When the volume of financial decisions, the size of the team or the demands of investors need someone in the seat every day. A fractional CFO can build the function that a full-time hire then takes over.
Yes. Most of the work, from monthly reporting and forecasts to lender and board materials, is done remotely, with access to your accounting system and a regular schedule of calls with you and your team.
Yes. Our office is in Vancouver, and we work with companies in Ottawa, Kanata, Gatineau and across the National Capital Region, and elsewhere in Ontario, including Toronto.
Have a question that isn’t covered here? Ask us directly.
Related insights
Start a conversation
Tell us where the business is and what is coming up. We will come back with the questions that matter for your situation.
What happens next
Office
Alphabridge Group Inc.555 Burrard StreetVancouver, BC V7X 1M8
We use your details only to respond to your inquiry.
vasant@alphabridge.co
+1 778 903 4883
Five practices, organized around the decisions our clients face.
Sector depth across the businesses we advise, from early-stage ventures to established operators.
Perspectives on transactions, valuation, capital, performance and strategy.
An independent strategic finance firm, founded in 2016 and led by its principal on every engagement.
