Fractional CFO / FD for funded startups
Build the finance function investors expect.
We provide Fractional CFO and FD support for funded seed-Series A scaleups, so you can focus on growing a business you love.
Two stages, one underlying problem.
In both cases, the finance function hasn't kept pace with the business - and someone external needs to close that gap fast.
Seed-Series A funded startups
In any sector - the common thread is needing investor-grade numbers before the round closes, not after.
Growth-stage scaleups, 15-100 staff
Facing a first audit, a board's first real reporting requirements, or deciding whether it's finally time to hire a CFO - and what that role should actually look like before you commit to it.
Two areas of focus.
Project fees to set the foundations, a retainer to keep them running once they're built.
Finance function setup
Finance architecture
Chart of accounts design, reporting framework, controls & governance, accounting software selection (Xero, QuickBooks, NetSuite, AccountsIQ), bookkeeping process setup.
Investor-ready reporting
Monthly management accounts, cash flow forecasting, KPI dashboards, board pack templates - tailored to your revenue model.
Revenue recognition
Deferred revenue, subscription MRR/ARR tracking, advertising and usage-based billing cycles, IFRS 15 / ASC 606 compliance.
Fundraise preparation
Financial model build, cap table, use of funds, data room finance section, due diligence readiness, investor Q&A preparation.
Fractional CFO / scale support
Fractional CFO retainer
Ongoing strategic finance leadership: financial strategy & planning, team management, board liaison, scenario planning, cash flow management, leveraging technology & AI.
Finance team build-out
Define roles, write job specs, interview and assess candidates for Finance Manager, Controller and CFO hires.
Exit readiness
Sell-side financial due diligence prep, data room readiness, and acting as the finance point of contact through a sale process.
Three ways to work with Mariposa.
Priced against the outcome, not the hour - get in touch for a tailored quote.
Starter
Project-based
- Finance function audit
- Chart of accounts setup
- Reporting template pack
- 3-5 year financial model
Growth
Monthly retainer
- Fractional CFO (2-3 days / week)
- Board pack preparation
- Cash flow management
- Fundraise support
Advisory
Monthly retainer
- Monthly 1:1 strategy call
- KPI review & commentary
- On-call for key decisions
- Investor comms review
All engagements start with a free 30-minute intro call to confirm fit before any fee is agreed.
Karen Charman
Mariposa Consulting was founded by Karen Charman, a fractional CFO who spent six years inside Sister Group's portfolio of media and entertainment businesses before going independent.
Earlier in her career, she worked at FremantleMedia in Fremantle Enterprises - the division responsible for exploiting rights beyond the productions themselves: merchandising, telephony, interactivity, sponsorship, and events.
Sister Group invests across TV and film, digital-first production, podcasting, publishing, and music and live experiences. Karen was Finance Director for two of the portfolio companies and partnered closely with founders, CEOs and senior leadership of the rest, who reported into Sister Group as their investor.
Karen also spent two years as acting VP Finance for Sister US Productions, the sole finance lead business partnering the CEO. Most development spend never becomes a greenlit show, so much of the role was managing cashflow and risk across a slate and deciding what to write off. There was no existing finance infrastructure, so she built the processes, chart of accounts and controls herself.
At group level, Karen was Global Head of Group FP&A: she ran the planning cycle across Sister Group's multi-entity portfolio - the annual budget, rolling forecasts and long-range plan - consolidating inputs from each portfolio company into one group view. She owned the KPI framework and management reporting pack for the exec team and board, acted as commercial finance partner to the CEO and CFO, and rolled out systems that cut days off the monthly consolidation process.
Mariposa now applies that same playbook - investor-ready reporting, revenue recognition, fundraise readiness - to founders building finance functions of their own, in media and beyond.
Why Mariposa? It's Spanish for butterfly - a fitting namesake for the transformation between a seed round and a Series A, and the one Mariposa exists to support.
Contact
Let's talk before the round closes.
Book a free 30-minute intro call - an honest read on whether fractional CFO support is what you need right now, and what it would look like.