Under the strategic financial leadership of an experienced Finance Leader, this company is transforming its rental deposit alternative solutions for the UK market.

Company Profile

The company specialises in offering innovative rental deposit alternatives for tenants and landlords in the UK. Through a web-based platform and a suite of APIs, they enable real estate agents to offer tenants a choice between traditional cash deposits and alternative products efficiently and compliantly.

Board of Directors’ Mission

Faced with the departure of the founder and CEO, the Shareholders and Board of Directors sought an interim CFO/CEO, skilled in strategic financial leadership, to steer the company through a crucial phase. With the company in a loss-making state and stagnating revenues, the new leader’s task was to implement a fresh strategic plan and secure funding, revitalising the business that had struggled to meet its business plans for several years.

CFO’s Objectives

  • Oversee daily business management across finance, strategy, HR, legal, and compliance.
  • Formulate and implement a sustainable growth-focused strategic plan.
  • Engage with shareholders and external investors to raise necessary capital.
  • Establish a finance function from the ground up, ensuring best practices.
  • Foster a culture of delivery and operational excellence.

What the CFO Did

Delivered a New Strategic Plan Within 60 Days

The CFO, along with the management team, conducted a strategic review to pinpoint growth levers and efficient action plans. A new business plan was devised, focusing on diversified revenue streams and a robust commercial strategy. This plan involved an initial phase of rapid growth, followed by sustainable development, targeting short to medium-term profitability. The strategic financial leadership ensured a plan that capitalised on the company’s strengths, people, products, and technology, without disrupting ongoing business operations.

Executed Emergency Fundraising Supported by the New Strategic Plan

After finalising the strategic plan, the Finance Leader spearheaded a fundraising initiative among existing and potential investors. Leading discussions on strategy, execution capabilities, valuation, and structuring, they successfully raised the necessary capital through an advanced subscription agreement. This approach facilitated swift execution and left open opportunities for further funding once the business stabilised.

Day-to-Day Management of the Business

In daily operations, the Finance Leader’s strategic financial leadership was pivotal in shaping a results-driven culture. They assembled a team equipped with the talent, resources, and mandate to support the company’s new direction. Implementing the Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) framework, they introduced performance and workflow management, alongside standardised management tools and IT infrastructure, laying the foundation for sustainable growth and operational excellence.

The Results

 

  • Raised sufficient capital to execute the plan across a diversified mix of existing and new VCs and angel investors. 
  • Successfully rolled out the SaaS product to key target customers, with the alternative deposit product’s penetration rate increasing by 100% 
  • Post fundraising, launched a nationwide marketing campaign to support the roll-out of the SaaS product, resulting in a 50% increase in active customers, resulting in an immediate increase in revenues by +30% year-on-year 
  • Led cost allocation exercise to refocus resources on growth, with cash burn halved within 9 months of joining 
  • Ensure the finance function was scalable with the hiring of a finance manager and the adoption and roll-out of accounting, procurement and expense management software suite 
Get In Touch