Fractional CFO services for climate companies
If you run a climate company and finance is eating your week, a fractional CFO takes it off your plate: organized books, a financial model you trust, and numbers you can act on, without a full-time hire. That holds whether you're venture-backed and getting ready to raise, or profitable and growing on your own cash flow.
What does the fractional CFO service cover?
The whole finance function, built as a stack where each layer makes the next one possible:
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Financial infrastructure
The "pipes" of your finance function: the people, processes and tools behind your books.
For example: setting up the chart of accounts to match the financial model, and managing the accounting team so reporting is accurate.
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Performance management
Tracking the right KPIs so you run the business proactively, not reactively.
For example: using sales-funnel data to track customer acquisition cost, and setting up controls across teams to manage cash burn.
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Strategic planning
A strategic financial model and the analysis behind your big decisions.
For example: a five-year model for a capital raise, or working out how much working-capital financing to raise.
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Stakeholder management
Short, relevant reporting for your board, investors and team.
For example: preparing the board pre-read and supporting the board meeting itself.
Finance touches every other part of the company, from your CRM and invoicing to hiring plans, so the work connects with sales, operations and HR as well.
Venture-backed: how do we get you ready to raise?
For climate startups from Pre-Seed to Series A and beyond. Investors will scrutinize your numbers, so we get the books, the model and the data room in shape before the first meeting, then support you through the raise:
- Decide how much to raise and in what form: equity, SAFEs, debt or a mix.
- Build the financial model and investor materials (pitch deck, one-page summary and model).
- Map potential investors and support introductions.
- Organize the data room and manage due diligence.
- Negotiate terms, and model dilution and the cap table along the way.
“Kyle has been essential in navigating our successful capital raise. He helped us distill a complex plan into a powerful financial model that has resonated with investors and was a huge help working with everyone to get us across the finish line. He’s been a great thought partner, negotiator and has taken charge of running and optimizing our financial processes. It is very difficult to find resources who can operate seamlessly between the US and Mexico, so his support has been indispensable.”
“I really appreciated working together on our first investor-ready financial model. Kyle brought strong structure and discipline to the model while keeping it practical and investor-focused. I especially valued how he pressure-tested the capital strategy and simplified complex areas without losing rigor, it materially strengthened the story for the raise.”
Cash-flow positive: do profitable firms need a fractional CFO?
Often, yes: not to raise money, but to know where profit and cash actually come from. Many climate firms (engineering, architecture, consulting) run on their own cash flow while finance still runs through the founder. It's usually time to bring in a CFO when:
- You can't say which clients or projects make the most money.
- You don't know what cash will look like in three months.
- Your evenings go to invoices, reconciliations and spreadsheets.
- A big decision is coming (a key hire, a new office, a large project) and you're not sure what the business can afford.
On top of the core service, profitable firms usually get:
- A rolling cash-flow forecast, so there are no surprises.
- Profit by project and by client, so you know which work to pursue.
- Pricing that protects your margins.
- The numbers behind a hire, an office or a large project before you commit.
- Support with bank or debt financing when you need it.
“Kyle has been invaluable in creating data-driven tools to monitor and optimize our cash flow, accounts payable, sales goals and much more. He is proactively managing our risks and takes an ownership perspective in our business. It is vitally important to us that our whole team is committed to sustainable values and goals, so having a CFO who aligns with us so well is critical. Highly recommend him for anyone looking for a Fractional or Interim CFO in the Climate Space!”
Can you help with a single project?
Yes. Not every company needs ongoing support. Common one-off projects:
- A strategic financial model, or a more detailed operating model.
- Investor materials for a raise: pitch deck, one-page summary and financial model.
- Investor mapping, for example a list of 50 potential investors that fit your raise.
- Full support through a raise: finding investors, introductions, due diligence and negotiating final terms.
- Financial-modeling training for your team.
- Operational or strategic consulting, and market sizing.
How does it work?
- Free 30-minute call. Your stage, your timeline, and how finance is handled today.
- Diagnostic (first 3–4 weeks). We get up to speed on all four layers of your finance function, then present what we found and a workplan built around your needs, weaknesses and strengths.
- Ongoing: build and run. We work through the plan together, month to month. Your finance function scales up as the company does.
How is it structured?
- Monthly retainer, as if we were part of your team. It keeps incentives aligned and caps your cost, unlike an hourly rate.
- Training included. We teach your team to run the finance function, and can help you prepare for a full-time CFO when the time comes.
- Three-month trial first, then a longer agreement. Either side can cancel or propose changes with one month's notice.
How much does it cost?
It depends on scope: how much of your finance work we take on, and whether you're preparing for a raise. You'll know the scope and the price after a free 30-minute call, before any work starts.
Common questions
Track record: 25+ early-stage clients supported and $12M+ in client raises supported across equity, debt and mezzanine structures. More about Kyle →
I'm the CEO of a climate startup and finance is eating up too much of my time. What should I do?
Hand the recurring finance work to someone else, and keep only the decisions for yourself. For most startups and small firms, that usually means a fractional CFO: someone who oversees your bookkeeping, keeps your model and reporting current, and handles investor questions for a set number of hours a month, instead of a full-time hire.
The first step is to list what you're doing yourself each month (reconciling, chasing receipts, updating the model, answering investors) and decide what only you can do. Usually it's very little.
Our books are a mess and we need to raise in the next few months. Where do I even start?
Start with the books, not the deck. Investors will check your numbers in due diligence, so get every month closed and reconciled first. Then build a financial model that ties back to those actuals, and only then put together the investor materials and data room.
The order matters more than the speed: a polished deck on top of books that don't reconcile tends to fall apart in due diligence.
Does Cool Change Consulting work with climate startups raising a Series A?
Yes. Cool Change Consulting works with founder-led climate startups from Pre-Seed to Series A and beyond, and getting ready to raise is one of the most common reasons founders reach out. Support covers the investor materials, the financial model, due diligence and negotiating terms.
Do I need a fractional CFO if my company is already profitable?
Often, yes. Profitable firms rarely need help raising money; they need a clear view of where profit and cash actually come from, so the founder can make decisions without guessing. A fractional CFO gives you that view for a few hours a month, without a full-time hire.
A good test: if you can't say which clients or projects make the most money, or what cash will look like in three months, it's worth it.
My firm is profitable but I never know how much cash we'll have next month. What should I do?
Build a rolling cash-flow forecast: expected money in and out, week by week, for the next few months, updated as invoices go out and payments land. Profit and cash are different things; a profitable firm can still run short if clients pay late or big costs land together.
The forecast only works if it's kept current, which is exactly the kind of recurring work worth handing off.
How do I know which projects actually make money?
Track revenue and costs by project, including the time your team spends on it, then compare what each project earned against what it cost to deliver. Most firms only look at profit for the business as a whole, which hides the projects that quietly lose money.
Once you can see profit by project, pricing and which work to pursue become much easier decisions.
How do I know if my firm can afford to hire or grow?
Model the decision before you make it: what the new hire, office or project adds in cost each month, what it should bring in, and what that does to your cash over the next year. If the business can carry the cost through a slow quarter, you can afford it.
Do I need a full-time CFO instead?
Most early-stage startups and small firms don't. A fractional CFO gives you the same oversight and decision support for the hours you actually need. A full-time CFO starts to make sense when you need someone in the business every day, typically once you have a finance team to lead.
Not sure what you need?
Book a free 30-minute call and we'll work out together what to take off your plate first.