Industry overview
What is shaping information technology
IT services and technology companies sell to CIOs, IT heads and business leaders through long, multi-stakeholder buying cycles where trust and proof matter.
- Buying committees are getting larger
- Thought leadership and proof points shorten sales cycles
- Win/loss evidence improves bids
Client background
An IT product and services start-up, working in Bengaluru, with clients in the USA & UK. Client identity is withheld to protect confidentiality.
- Organisation
- An IT product and services start-up
- Sector
- Information technology
- Team engaged
- Finance & Accounts
- Services
- Virtual CFO services, Budgeting & financial forecasting, Tax planning & advisory
Client challenge
Most revenue came from overseas clients, creating foreign exchange, export compliance and cash-timing challenges that the founders managed informally. Founders spent hours each month on invoicing and cash questions instead of building the business.
Research objectives
- Deliver on the brief: financial leadership for a fast-growing IT start-up.
- Design around the real needs of international clients.
- Establish accurate, reconciled numbers management can rely on.
- Put a reporting and compliance rhythm in place that runs on time.
Target audience
The work focused on 40 international clients.
- international clients40
Audiences we typically reach in information technology
CIOs and IT headsBusiness decision-makersProcurement teamsExisting clientsPartners and resellers
Geographic coverage
Coverage: Bengaluru, with clients in the USA & UK. Markets: India, United States and United Kingdom.
- India
- United States
- United Kingdom
Research methodology
A structured finance engagement: review the current process, set up controls, run the routine and report.
- 1Brief
- 2Cash forecasting
- 3Export billing and tax review
- 4Board reporting
- 5Insight
Our virtual CFO introduced rolling cash forecasts with currency scenarios, reviewed export invoicing and tax compliance, and set up monthly board reporting. Monthly reviews with the founders covered cash runway, receivables by client, currency exposure and hiring plans, using a simple dashboard.
Virtual CFO servicesBudgeting & financial forecastingTax planning & advisory
Sampling strategy
- international clients
- 40
- Every ledger, entity and transaction stream in scope was covered, with sample-based checks during review.
Data collection
- Source documents, bank statements and ledgers were collected through a secure shared workspace.
Data quality & validation
- Maker-checker review on all entries
- Bank and ledger reconciliations
- Client approval before every filing or report
- Supporting documents kept for every figure
Data analysis
- Variance analysis against budget and prior periods
- Ratio and trend analysis
- Cash-flow view for management
Key findings
- Investors noted the quality of financial reporting during due diligence, which helped the round close smoothly.
International revenue needed financial discipline from the start.
Recommendations
- Build on the core insight: international revenue needed financial discipline from the start.
- Focus effort where the evidence was strongest: investors noted the quality of financial reporting during due diligence, which helped the round close smoothly.
- Re-measure after the changes to confirm the effect.
Business impact
- The founders planned hiring with confidence, reduced exposure to currency swings and entered a funding round with clean financial reporting.
What changed in the business as a result of the work. Impact is described qualitatively.
Deliverables & next steps
- Monthly MIS pack and reconciled books
- Compliance calendar and filings
- Repeat the measure after changes are in place to track progress.
- A natural follow-on question: why do we win or lose deals?
Client identity is withheld to protect confidentiality.