AI/Operational CFO for PE-backed SaaS, software, and tech-enabled services in the $50M–$500M range. I work at the inflection points that define outcomes — and AI governance is now one of them.
"AI strategy is a capital allocation problem. Most CFOs are delegating it to the CTO. That's the mistake."
Every engagement is structured around your situation. Hover or tap each card to see who it's for and what it costs.
You need pattern recognition across the portfolio, not another seat at one company.
You're a mid-market PE firm that needs senior finance operating coverage without adding headcount. You've been burned by advisors who gave you frameworks instead of answers.
Project-based or retainer, $15K–$50K/month
Sometimes the right answer is a permanent hire. I can help you get there right.
You're approaching a financing event or IPO and need institutional memory. You've outgrown fractional coverage. You need a finance leader who can hire and develop a team over a multi-year horizon.
Permanent hire; $250K–$450K all-in
Your CFO just left. You have 90 days before the board starts asking questions.
CFO just left and you need someone in the seat within two weeks, not on a retainer for three months while you search. Pre-transaction situations where the company needs a seasoned operator to lead diligence preparation and management presentations.
3–12 months; $25K–$60K/month ($8K–$12K/week)
You need CFO-level thinking. You don't need a $350K W-2 hire.
Early-stage companies in the $5M–$20M ARR range. You have a strong controller but need a CFO voice in the room for fundraising, board meetings, and strategic decisions.
Monthly retainer; $5K–$20K/month
Technology decisions are capital allocation decisions. Don't let IT own this without finance in the room.
You're making a major platform decision: ERP migration, CRM consolidation, data warehouse implementation, or significant AI infrastructure investment. Finance and technology are not aligned on the same decision framework.
Assessment to implementation; $20K–$75K/month
You don't need one person. You need a team that can build and run the finance function simultaneously.
Post-acquisition integration where the target company has an underdeveloped finance function. Companies with a finance infrastructure that requires a rebuild rather than incremental improvement.
Full team deployment; $30K–$120K/month
Your board is asking about AI governance. Your CFO doesn't have a defensible answer yet.
PE-backed companies that have deployed AI tools without financial governance in place. Companies evaluating significant AI investment and needing a CFO who can underwrite the ROI, not just approve a budget line.
Phased engagement; $15K–$50K/month
Tap or hover each card · Full details in the Engagement Models section below
Finance, operations, and AI transformation — integrated under one capital allocation framework. Powered by 30+ years of hands-on operating experience.
Transform how your finance function operates—from reporting results to enabling decisions in real time.
Manage transaction lifecycles for maximum deal value and minimum risk.
AI strategy is a capital allocation problem — not a technology problem. I own the governance layer, the ROI framework, and the investment decisions that determine which AI systems get built and funded.
Seven engagement models cover very different situations. Answer three questions and get a specific recommendation — plus the full decision guide as a download.
What best describes your current situation?
Seven models. Different scopes. Different costs. Different outcomes. Not all CFO engagements are created equal.
"You need pattern recognition across the portfolio, not another seat at one company."
A senior finance executive embedded by a PE fund — either on the fund's roster or engaged independently — to work across the portfolio. Usually project- or initiative-scoped, not day-to-day operational.
I bring cross-portfolio pattern recognition across multiple companies and situations rather than deep operational ownership of a single company. Value creation diligence. Post-close integration planning. Specific transformation initiatives. Situations where the fund needs a trusted operator to diagnose a problem and design a solution without adding permanent headcount to the portfolio company.
You're a mid-market PE firm that needs senior finance operating coverage without adding headcount. You've been burned by advisors who gave you frameworks instead of answers.
"Sometimes the right answer is a permanent hire. I can help you get there right."
A W-2 executive with full accountability for the finance function: financial reporting, FP&A, treasury, tax, compliance, capital structure, and investor relations. Owns the finance team, the numbers, and the narrative to the board and investors.
This is the right model for companies at $30M+ ARR approaching a financing event, operating in a regulated environment, or requiring consistent board-level presence and institutional memory. I help companies scope the role correctly, avoid the most common hiring mistakes, and transition cleanly from interim to permanent.
You're approaching a financing event or IPO and need institutional memory. You've outgrown fractional coverage. You need a finance leader who can hire and develop a team over a multi-year horizon.
"Your CFO just left. You have 90 days before the board starts asking questions."
A senior CFO brought in full-time on a defined-term basis — typically 3 to 12 months — to bridge a gap, manage a leadership transition, or lead a specific event such as an exit, restructuring, or capital raise.
The interim CFO operates with the same authority and accountability as a permanent CFO while in the seat. Attending board and investor meetings, owning the finance team, running the monthly close, managing the audit relationship, and carrying the full weight of the CFO title and responsibility. This is not advisory; it is operational.
CFO just left and you need someone in the seat within two weeks, not on a retainer for three months while you search. Pre-transaction situations where the company needs a seasoned operator to lead diligence preparation and management presentations.
"You need CFO-level thinking. You don't need a $350K W-2 hire."
A part-time CFO — typically 10 to 30 hours per week — serving one or more companies simultaneously. Provides CFO-level strategic thinking, financial oversight, and board-level communication without requiring full-time commitment or cost.
Works best when the company has a competent controller or senior accountant handling day-to-day operations. The fractional CFO adds strategic overlay, external stakeholder management, and the financial model governance that early-stage companies need before they can justify a permanent hire.
Early-stage companies in the $5M–$20M ARR range. You have a strong controller but need a CFO voice in the room for fundraising, board meetings, and strategic decisions.
"Technology decisions are capital allocation decisions. Don't let IT own this without finance in the room."
Technology-focused advisory covering systems architecture, vendor evaluation, ERP and CRM selection, data infrastructure decisions, and IT governance. Sits at the intersection of finance and technology — the best versions of this engagement are led by someone who understands the financial implications of technology decisions, not just the technical specs.
Most valuable when finance and technology need to be aligned on the same decision framework — which is not the default state in most PE-backed companies. I've led 50+ enterprise system implementations. I know what breaks and why.
You're making a major platform decision: ERP migration, CRM consolidation, data warehouse implementation, or significant AI infrastructure investment. Finance and technology are not aligned on the same decision framework.
"You don't need one person. You need a team that can build and run the finance function simultaneously."
A consulting model that embeds a team — not just an individual — to build, run, or transform the finance function. Covers accounting operations, FP&A, financial reporting, and system implementation simultaneously.
Often deployed when the existing finance function is insufficient and the company needs both leadership and execution capacity. Particularly powerful when paired with a system implementation mandate — the consulting team can build the process and the system simultaneously rather than sequentially.
Post-acquisition integration where the target company has an underdeveloped finance function. Companies with a finance infrastructure that requires a rebuild rather than incremental improvement.
"Your board is asking about AI governance. Your CFO doesn't have a defensible answer yet."
A CFO-led engagement specifically scoped around AI transformation and operational modernization. Covers capital allocation for AI investments, financial governance frameworks for AI systems, Lead-to-Cash readiness assessment, ROI measurement infrastructure, and board-level AI governance reporting.
The defining characteristic: the CFO lens is primary, not secondary. AI deployment decisions are capital allocation decisions — they involve risk, return, governance, and audit trail. A technologist cannot own this. The CFO can.
PE-backed companies that have deployed AI tools without financial governance in place. Companies evaluating significant AI investment and needing a CFO who can underwrite the ROI, not just approve a budget line.
This guide defines all seven engagement models — what each looks like in practice, how they're structured, and what the first 30 days involve. Reading it before we talk makes the conversation more productive for both of us.
Real feedback from finance leaders and board members who've worked with Brad.
"Brad has a strategic breadth which he combines with rigorous financial discipline in a way that is rare among CFOs. He maintains a holistic view across the business, which makes him a highly effective partner to CEOs, boards, and investors."
Harm Radstaak
Board Member & C-Level Executive | Driving Growth, Transformation & Value Creation
"One of his most significant accomplishments was his leadership in developing and implementing a unified ERP system that integrated multiple business units under the Elm Street banner."
Mitchell Fanning
Chief Growth Officer • GTM Operating Advisor • Fractional CMO
There's a whole plethora of fractional CFOs out there who do tasks. That's not me.
My skill set is coming into your business and saying: let me look at your whole business and figure out what I think you need to do. Not just the numbers—the strategy, the people, the operations.
I've been CFO and COO of about 25 different businesses — and I've run 50+ enterprise system and AI implementations as the operator who had to sign the financials. Nine transformations are documented in full on the Impact page. I know what AI implementations stall, what governance frameworks hold, and what boards will actually fund.
I give honest, direct advice that clients may resist but ultimately need. At the end, you can take it, leave it, throw it away—whatever you want to do with it. But you'll know what needs to change.
Common questions from PE sponsors and CEOs
Fractional CFOs typically handle tactical tasks—cash flow statements, monthly closes, basic reporting. I look at your whole business: strategy, operations, talent, governance. I'm not here to do tasks. I'm here to figure out what you need to do and help you do it.
I'm not looking for two-week gigs. Interim CFO roles typically run 6-18 months. Strategic advisory depends on the project—an M&A deal might be 3-6 months, a system implementation 6-12 months. I want long-term partnerships, not quick fixes.
I focus on the lower middle market — PE-backed SaaS and software companies under $500M in revenue. These companies have real AI transformation decisions to make but don't have a CFO who owns the governance layer. That's the gap I fill.
Technology and SaaS are my sweet spot, but I've been CFO across many industries—financial services, healthcare IT, security, environmental services. The common thread is PE-backed companies going through growth or transformation.
If your CFO just left or you don't have one, you need interim. If you have a capable team but face something they've never seen—a major acquisition, capital raise, or system failure—you need advisory. We can figure out which fits in our first conversation.
Yes. Interim CFO engagements run $8K–$12K per week depending on scope and complexity — structured for the lower middle market, not Big 4 pricing for Big 4 overhead you don't need. Advisory and board roles are scoped separately. The goal is senior-level financial leadership at a cost that makes sense for your stage.
Yes — and this is a distinct buyer. PE sponsors use this path specifically to add credible financial oversight to portfolio company boards. I've served as Audit Committee Chair at four public companies and as CFO at three. I know what management presents to the board and what they leave out. I know what a nominating committee should be looking for before a liquidity event. This is a separate engagement from CFO work, with its own scope and structure. If you're filling a board seat, this is the conversation to have.
Open to the right opportunity — project, interim, or permanent — where the work is consequential and the team is serious.
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