Fractional CFO for automotive software companies
Automotive software sits between OEM and Tier 1 procurement timelines measured in years and a P&L investors read in quarters. A single contract often blends licence, per-vehicle royalty, NRE recovery and engineering services, each landing differently under ASC 606.
Royalty modelling is where the work concentrates. Bookings tie to expected vehicle volumes by OEM programme, design-win to series-production conversion is tracked explicitly, and cash and reported revenue diverge sharply.
Flow provides financial modelling, FP&A and fractional CFO advisory to automotive software companies across ADAS and autonomy, in-vehicle infotainment, vehicle data and telematics, EV charging, and dealer and aftermarket systems. We work as the outsourced startup CFO through growth, fundraising and sale processes.
KPIs to track for "automotive software" startups
We're very 'KPI-driven' fractional CFOs, and we make sure to monitor the right metrics for your startup.
Design wins
Programme backlog
Per-vehicle royalty
SOP timing
Licence revenue
Services attach
OEM concentration
Connected vehicles
Gross margin
R&D / revenue
Financial modelling for "automotive software" startups
As fractional CFOs, we build KPI-driven financial models that are insightful and easy to maintain.
Financial modelling is both art and science - models must be robust, but also understandable, and useful for both internal planning and VC fundraising purposes. Hire a fractional CFO who knows how to handle both sides of the equation.
Per-vehicle royalty model
Bookings tied to expected vehicle volumes by OEM programme, with design-win to start-of-production conversion modelled explicitly across model years. Cash and reported revenue diverge sharply once series production starts, and the model has to show both.
Programme backlog & SOP timing
Active design wins translated into a multi-year revenue plan that respects SOP slippage, programme cancellations and volume re-forecasts. Without explicit SOP timing the backlog reads as larger than it converts.
Multi-element contract waterfall
Licence, per-vehicle royalty, NRE recovery and engineering services separated under ASC 606 so each line falls under the right recognition pattern. A single contract often blends all four and reporting them as one number misleads the board.
OEM concentration & connected-vehicle ARR
Revenue concentration by OEM customer and programme, plotted against the connected-vehicle base feeding recurring data and services revenue. Diligence reads concentration first, so the model surfaces it rather than hiding it inside a blended total.
Design-win pipeline & CAC by programme
Pursuit costs and engineering investment per design win, with conversion rates tracked from RFI through nomination to series production. Year-long pursuit cycles mean blended CAC tells you nothing - the unit is the programme.
Cap table & SAFE stack
Pre/post-money cap table with SAFE conversions, option pool top-ups and waterfall scenarios under strategic OEM or Tier 1 investment terms. Automotive rounds often involve OEM stakes with veto and ROFR provisions that change dilution materially.
Founders and investors we've worked with
We've supported winning builders across automotive software and beyond.
Marcura
We acted as fractional CFO to Dubai-based Marcura, owner of maritime payroll and B2B payments platform MarTrust, advising on the strategic e-Wallet vendor selection and supporting product/finance integration.
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Hector
We acted as fractional CFO to Hector Aurumi, a Dubai-based specialist software house with AI/ML, IoT and data science expertise, providing confidential valuation guidance to the management team.
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Testim
As a fractional CFO we performed a confidential valuation of Testim, a Tel Aviv-based AI-based software testing automation platform, supporting Elevator Fund's portfolio management.
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Panorays
As a fractional CFO we performed a confidential valuation of Panorays, a Tel Aviv-based software platform for third-party security management, supporting Elevator Fund's portfolio management.
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Percepto
As a fractional CFO we performed a confidential valuation of Percepto, a Tel Aviv-based autonomous drone monitoring platform for critical infrastructure and industrial sites, supporting Elevator Fund's portfolio management.
See moreRecent fractional CFO track record
See our fractional CFO and financial modelling experience across automotive software and beyond.
Simple pricing
No hidden costs, no complicated long-term contracts. We understand how important flexibility is for automotive software startups.
Per month
- Accounting / FP&A tech stack implementation
- Monthly financial statements and reporting pack
- Quarterly board pack with detailed financial analysis (with variance analysis vs. budget, relevant KPI observations etc.)
- Investor-friendly output
Per month
- Everything in Core, plus
- Operating model (via an online platform like Runway or Excel-based)
- Ongoing model maintenance, refining projections, burn/runway management
- Customer cohorts modelling, churn and retention analysis
- LTV / CAC, unit economics analysis
- Cap table management
Per month
- Everything in Grow, plus
- M&A / fundraising support; review of business plan
- Pitch deck preparation
- Investor approach strategy / list building
- Due diligence support and deal negotiation
- Valuation as required and free access to Multiples Pro
Packages shown are illustrative, final pricing is tailored to client requirements.
Explore our fractional CFO offering for similar verticals
We're a specialized fractional CFO to software companies.
Our fractional CFO experience spans across all software verticals.
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We know tech inside & out.
We provide fractional CFO services to companies operating across the entire tech.
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We help you scale by providing fractional CFO advice, through fundraising and a successful M&A exit.
VC fundraising for automotive software companies
We help you prepare materials, reach out to investors in our extensive network, negotiate fair term sheets and structure the VC round.
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We advise winning tech companies on M&A exits, and over the years successfully executed numerous transactions with both financial and strategic buyers.
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