01 — Diagnose
AI Startup Financial Audit
2–3 weeks
- Unit economics review built for AI cost structures
- Compute, model, and infra spend breakdown
- Runway and burn-multiple reset
Fractional CFO · For AI Startups · CFA Charterholder
The CFO who speaks AI startup.
I'm Sergei Mochtchenkov, CFA — a fractional CFO for founders of AI-native startups. From inference economics to Series B diligence, I bring the financial discipline that lets AI-savvy investors say yes.
300+
Clients served
CFA
Canadian charterholder
AI-native
Sector focus
Seed → B
Stage coverage
CFA Institute
Charterholder
Upwork
Top Rated Plus · 100% JSS
AI-Native
Seed → Series B
NA & EU
Remote engagements
The AI Founder Problem
If any of this sounds familiar, the problem isn't the model. It's the finance underneath it.
- 01
Compute and inference spend is eating your runway faster than the model predicted.
- 02
Investors keep asking about gross margin once you back out GPU costs.
- 03
Your usage-based pricing makes ARR feel like a moving target.
- 04
R&D, COGS, and infra all blur together in your books.
- 05
You're closing a round but your unit economics aren't defensible yet.
What I Do
CFO work, executed with the discipline of a CFA — for the messiness of AI.
I don't deliver decks. I build the financial backbone an AI startup needs to manage compute, defend unit economics, and close rounds with AI-native investors.
01
AI-native unit economics
Cost-per-query, gross margin after inference, and contribution margin by model — measured the way AI investors actually evaluate them.
02
Compute & GPU cost control
Break down spend across OpenAI, Anthropic, AWS, and on-prem GPUs. Find the 30% you're leaking before your next board meeting.
03
Usage-based revenue modeling
NRR, expansion, and forecast models built for token-based, seat-based, or hybrid pricing — not the SaaS playbook from 2018.
04
Investor-grade fundraising support
Series A and B data rooms, defensible models, and the calm presence in the room when AI-savvy VCs start drilling.
05
Fractional CFO on retainer
Strategic finance partner to the founder — board prep, hiring plans, and cash discipline as you scale from PMF to Series B.
Engagements
Three ways to engage. Each built for a different moment in an AI startup's life.
02 — Build
Fundraising & Model Buildout
1–3 months
- Driver-based model for usage-based revenue
- Investor data room and diligence package
- KPI dashboards AI investors expect
03 — Operate
Fractional CFO for AI Startups
Monthly retainer
- Strategic finance partner to the founder
- Board prep, monthly reporting, lender support
- Hiring plans tied to model and infra cost
About
The CFO AI founders call when the numbers have to be right.
Canadian CFA charterholder. 300+ engagements across SaaS, AI, and venture-backed operators. I focus exclusively on AI-native startups because the financial questions — compute, margin, usage — deserve a CFO who has answered them before.
300+
Engagements completed — with a Top Rated Plus, 100% Job Success record on Upwork.
CFA
Canadian Chartered Financial Analyst — the global standard for financial rigor.
AI-only
Sector-focused practice. Every engagement is an AI-native startup, seed through Series B.
“
Sergei rebuilt our model in two weeks. By the time we sat down with our lead investor, every line on the P&L tied back to a token, a GPU hour, or a seat. The round closed forty percent faster than the last one.
Founder & CEOSeries A AI infrastructure company
How I Work
A four-step path from chaos to control.
01
Diagnose
Forensic review of cash, infra spend, and unit economics — the way an AI investor will read them.
02
Stabilize
Cut leaky compute, tighten controls, and lock down runway.
03
Systemize
Install reporting, forecasting, and a model that survives diligence.
04
Scale
Position the company for the next round, an acquisition, or profitable growth.
Let's talk
Build the financial story your next investor wants to read.
A 30-minute intro call. We'll talk through your stage, your stack, and whether a fractional CFO who lives in AI startups can move the needle for yours.