Fractional CFO services in Helsinki

Helsinki has produced a disproportionate share of Europe's most capitalised consumer tech companies - Supercell (sold to Tencent for $8.6B), Wolt (acquired by DoorDash for $8.1B), Rovio (acquired by SEGA for €706M) and Smartly.io - from an ecosystem anchored by Aalto University's entrepreneurship culture and the annual Slush conference, which drew 13,000 attendees and 3,300 investors in 2024.

Finland's startup investment reached €1.1B in 2024, with Helsinki accounting for the majority of activity.

We work with Helsinki-based startups from seed to Series B+, supporting them on fundraise prep, financial modelling, unit economics, equity/option grants and monthly close.

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Helsinki startup ecosystem

What makes Helsinki's startup ecosystem distinct - its university anchors, sector clusters, geography and the talent pipeline that underpins Finland's outsized venture outcomes.

Aalto University as the ecosystem engine

Aalto University's entrepreneurship society (Aaltoes), founded in 2009, created Slush and incubated Wolt, Smartly.io and Swappie among others. The Aalto Startup Center at A Grid - a 25,000m² campus converted from old university buildings - houses roughly 150 startups at any time. Aaltoes is estimated to have generated over €2B in startup value since launch.

Gaming, consumer tech and deep-tech as dominant clusters

Supercell's €200M+ annual R&D spend and Rovio's decade of mobile publishing have seeded a gaming talent pool unique in Northern Europe. Wolt's DoorDash acquisition and Smartly.io's performance-advertising scale illustrate the consumer internet depth. Deep-tech momentum is growing: ICEYE (synthetic-aperture radar satellites), Oura Health (wearables) and Varjo (XR headsets) all emerged from Helsinki in the past decade.

Kalasatama and Maria 01 as the physical hubs

Maria 01, located in the former Maria Hospital complex in Kamppi, is the Nordics' largest startup campus, hosting over 200 companies and 2,000 founders. Kalasatama, Helsinki's regenerating harbour district, is the city's growth cluster for climate-tech, circular-economy and maritime-tech startups. The Aalto campus in Espoo, 12km west, anchors deeptech and engineering spin-offs.

Aalto, University of Helsinki and the Nokia alumni network

Aalto University and the University of Helsinki together enrol over 60,000 students, with Aalto's engineering and design schools particularly productive for technical founders. The Nokia alumni network - spread across engineering, product and sales roles across the global tech industry - is a secondary talent and angel-investor resource that gives Helsinki access to world-class seniority at earlier-than-expected stages.

Accelerators and angel networks active in Helsinki

Helsinki's accelerator scene is anchored by Maria 01 as a campus, Slush as an annual conviction event and a set of structured programmes spanning government-backed and private cohorts. These are the most active programmes Helsinki-based founders engage with at pre-seed and seed.

Maria 01

Maria 01 is the Nordics' largest startup campus, converting the former Maria Hospital in Kamppi into a home for over 200 companies and 2,000 founders. Operates as a community and co-working hub rather than a programme-based accelerator - the density of founders and investors across the campus is itself the primary accelerant.

Slush

Slush is the annual Helsinki conference that anchors the entire Finnish and Nordic venture calendar. The 2024 edition drew 13,000 attendees, 5,500 startups and 3,300 investors. For Helsinki-based founders, Slush is the most concentrated fundraising and network event of the year - many Finnish Series A and B rounds are structured around it.

Kiuas Accelerator

Kiuas is Finland's leading early-stage accelerator, running the Kiuas Accelerate programme for pre-seed founders and the Kiuas Prime programme for top Nordic founders with a €40k investment. Has supported over 200 Finnish startups and is considered one of the strongest conviction signals for a Helsinki-based founder ahead of their first institutional round.

NewCo Helsinki

NewCo Helsinki is the City of Helsinki's official startup support agency, providing free advisory, market-entry support for international founders and connections to the local investor and corporate community. The soft-landing programme is the first port of call for non-Finnish founders relocating to the ecosystem.

Business Finland

Business Finland is the Finnish government's primary innovation funding agency, providing R&D grants and internationalisation support to Finnish startups. For Helsinki founders, Business Finland grants are frequently the first meaningful non-dilutive capital - and a credible signal for subsequent private investor conversations.

Aalto Startup Center

Aalto Startup Center is the entrepreneurship hub of Aalto University, running pre-incubation and incubation programmes for students, researchers and alumni. Portfolio alumni include Wolt, Smartly.io and Swappie. The A Grid campus provides lab, co-working and event infrastructure for Aalto-connected founders.

Helsinki startup accountants vs Flow fractional CFO

Most Helsinki startups work with a KHT-tilintarkastaja or accounting firm for tilinpäätös filings, ALV and yhteisövero under Finnish GAAP (FAS). That compliance work is mandatory - but it does not replace a fractional CFO.

Helsinki startup accountants

Tilinpäätös, ALV, yhteisövero and Finnish GAAP. The firms most-used by Helsinki venture-backed startups.

BDO Finland
BDO's Helsinki office covers audit, tax and advisory for Finnish growth-stage companies, with a technology and digital client base across the Uusimaa region.
KPMG Finland
Big Four coverage for later-stage Helsinki startups approaching Series B+ or managing complex IP-holding and transfer-pricing structures ahead of an international round.
Greenstep
Family-owned Helsinki-founded firm offering accounting, payroll, CFO, tax and legal services across Finland, Sweden and Norway. Explicitly positions itself for startups and growth companies - one of the most widely used accounting partners in the Maria 01 community.
Talenom
Helsinki-listed accounting technology company providing automated bookkeeping, payroll and tax compliance services for Finnish SMEs and early-stage startups. Particularly cost-effective for pre-seed and seed companies needing reliable statutory coverage.
Deloitte Finland
Big Four coverage for Helsinki companies with international shareholders, complex M&A or IFRS conversion requirements ahead of a US or Tier 1 European capital raise.

Flow fractional CFO

Financial modelling, FP&A and fundraise prep in EUR. We work alongside your tilintarkastaja - not instead of them.

Builds the financial model - revenue assumptions, headcount, unit economics, runway in EUR.
Sets up the monthly FP&A cycle: budget, forecast vs actual, variance analysis.
Puts together the monthly board pack - P&L, cash, KPIs and forward outlook.
Prepares the fundraise: investor model, deck financials, data room and diligence prep.
Keeps the cap table tidy and handles option pool structuring under Finnish company law.
Reports on the KPIs that move the business - ARR, gross margin, CAC payback, retention.
Pressure tests hiring, pricing and big spend decisions against the model before the founder commits.
Sits in board meetings and is embedded week-to-week, not just engaged annually for compliance.

Simple pricing

No hidden costs, no complicated long-term contracts. We understand how important flexibility is for Helsinki startups.

Core£4,000

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

Grow£8,000

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

Pro£12,000

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.

Recently completed fractional CFO projects

Selected fractional CFO engagements and prior CFO experience.

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Got questions?

Schedule a call ordrop us an email to learn more about our CFO-as-a-service, capital raising and M&A advisory offering.

Unlike old-school financial advisory firms that are stuck in the past, we truly understand tech and challenges startups face. Decades of investment banking experience allow us to see bigger picture, strategically integrate into your workflows, and ultimately provide guidance towards an M&A exit or the next funding round.

Fractional CFO services in Helsinki