Guides
AI startup finance guides
Practical, driver-based guidance on fractional CFO work, fundraising, gross margin, compute budgeting, and pricing for AI-native startups — written by Sergei Mochtchenkov, CFA.
- Post-Money SAFE Dilution: How to Model It for Founders
How post-money SAFEs dilute founders, how they convert at a priced round, and how to model stacked caps, discounts and the option pool on a cap table.
- Burn Multiple for AI Startups: Calculate and Improve It
How to calculate burn multiple, what investors read into it, how AI compute and usage revenue distort it, and how to improve it. By a CFA Charterholder.
- 409A Valuation for Startups: When You Need One and Why
When a startup needs a 409A valuation, how the IRS safe harbor works, what triggers a refresh, and how AI founders can prepare, from a CFA Charterholder.
- What Does a Fractional CFO Do for an AI Startup?
What the role covers day-to-day, and how it differs for AI-native companies.
- When Should a Startup Hire a Fractional CFO?
The five signals that mean CFO-level support is worth the cost.
- AI Startup Data Room Checklist for Seed and Series A
What to include in a diligence-ready data room, including AI-specific economics.
- AI Startup Gross Margin: A Practical Finance Guide
How to classify, segment, and forecast margin when inference cost is a variable.
- How to Budget AI Compute Without Lying to Yourself
Mapping compute spend to workload and driver, not a flat overhead line.
- Usage-Based Pricing for AI Startups: A Finance Framework
Weighing value, cost units, allowances, and hybrid pricing structures.
- Financial Modeling for AI Startups: A Driver-Based Guide
Building a model around token revenue, inference COGS, and AI-adjusted gross margin.