You build a clean financial model for an early-stage startup, covering revenue, hiring and cash, and walk the founder through it before they pitch investors.
Investors use a startup’s numbers to test whether the plan holds together. A DocSend study with Harvard professor Tom Eisenmann looked at more than 200 pitch decks. Investors spent an average of 3 minutes and 44 seconds on each deck, with the most time on the financials, team and competition.
Many founders come from product or engineering and have never built a model to investor standards. A full-time finance lead is out of reach before the raise. Generic templates rarely fit how the business makes money, and broken formulas can stall a raise.
You look over the founder’s current spreadsheet and return 3 fixes that would make the numbers easier to trust.
You propose a fixed price for a full model, with a written list of tabs, assumptions and review rounds.
You walk the founder through the model on a video call and offer paid support to update it during the raise.
They need numbers that hold up in investor meetings, and a clean model frees them to focus on the pitch.
Founders pay for this from the company’s current cash as a one-off project before the raise.
What buyers pay: $5,000 to $15,000 per model, or $150 to $300 or more per hour for senior modelers
Accelerator cohorts, university startup programs and angel networks bring founders together in the months before they raise.
There are 4 places to start, in the order most people find their first buyers.
Tell former deal colleagues and founders you know that you now build fundraising models for early-stage startups, and ask who is raising soon.
Share a sample model with program managers who refer founders to outside help, and offer a short office-hours session for their cohort.
Build referral ties with law firms and accountants who handle early-stage financings and see founders before each round.
Post short breakdowns of common model mistakes, such as hiring plans that do not match the cash forecast.
Every idea has weak spots. These are the ones to test before you spend money.
The SEC says pay tied to the size or outcome of a deal may require broker registration, so charge a flat fee for the model.
Agree in writing that the founder owns the assumptions, and flag every input you expect investors to question.
Upwork lists a median of $25 to $65 per hour for financial modelers, so price by the finished model and lead with your deal experience.
Check any non-compete or outside-work clause, and avoid companies your employer covers or advises.
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