A newly launched business consulting firm in Charlotte is looking to help growth-stage companies achieve financial confidence before bringing on a CFO.
Fintelos was co-founded in January with a focus on serving growth-motivated software and professional services firms. The company typically targets businesses that lack or may not be ready for a full-time CFO, which can be a costly position to keep on staff. Fintelos aims to bridge that, helping companies with strategic finance before they commit to recruiting a CFO.
"Ultimately, we want them to graduate from what we're doing and kind of move on, get a CFO, continue to grow the business," said Chris Rosbrook, co-founder at Fintelos. "But we kind of fill a gap between when they start and they're just doing QuickBooks at their kitchen table."
Fintelos' core offerings include hands-on mentorship, playbook-based coaching, capital event preparation, fractional and transitional CFO services, and systems and processes expertise. It aims to equip clients with efficient growth, data-informed leadership decisions, effective forward planning and productive board and investor conversations, Rosbrook told CBJ.
Rosbrook and Steve Bernet, Fintelos' other co-founder, launched the firm after years of experience as finance leaders in Charlotte's technology landscape. Fintelos was born after the duo learned during that time that early-stage founders lacked value creation because they were not ready to bring on a full-time finance executive.
"We founded Fintelos to bring strategic finance to these founders," Bernet said.
Its clients typically look for tailored guidance on how to evolve their systems, processes and teams to activate their business' next growth phase. They also need help with installing a finance system or advancing an existing one. Fintelos' ultimate goal is to help companies expand bigger than its solutions.
"We want to help them get from where they are to their next stage," Rosbrook said. "And we think that next stage is having a full-time CFO in the scene, and that comes later."
Fintelos aims to expand its services beyond the Charlotte region. It is also eyeing industries outside of software and professional services.
"A lot of founders aren't familiar working with finance function or a CFO for that matter," Bernet said. "So, it's just helping them understand the value of our services."
