Three or free · Finance at AI speed
Startup accounting.
Financials by day 3,
or it's free.1
Most firms send statements mid-month, with no explanation. You get financials and a brief on what to do next by business day 3. Accounting and fractional CFO for founders, pre-seed to Series A.
- Close Books kept current as transactions come in, and closed by business day 3. Daily
- Explain What moved, why, and what it means for your next decision. WeeklyMonthly
- Forecast Your model, rolled forward with actuals. Cash-out date included. Monthly
- Ask Your books and forecast answer through the AI you already use. We approve any change to your model. Any time
¹ Business day 3 of each month. Qualified startups, pre-seed to Series A, from your second close. Financials on every plan; the forecast on Financials + Forecast.
Four problems founders have with their accounting firm.
A bookkeeper gives you records. Running a company takes answers, early enough to act on.
Every firm says on time. Ours has a date and a penalty in the contract.
- The promise
- Closed financials in your portal by business day 3, and your updated forecast on Financials + Forecast.
- If we miss it
- The close is free: you don't pay that month's close fee.
- Who qualifies
- Pre-seed to Series A startups on the systems we use, with consistent practices month to month. The full terms are in your engagement agreement.
Closed by the third business day. Every number traces to its source.
We keep your books current every day, so month-end is a review, not a scramble. On business day 3 you get the package below: the CFO's read written onto the numbers it is about, the statements behind them, and the transactions behind any figure.
Larkspur Labs
September 2026 close
Monthly package · accrual basis
Period 1–30 Sep 2026Published 5 Oct 2026, business day 3Prepared and second-reviewed by StartupEdge
- Revenue
- $142,000
- +$8,100 +6.0% on Aug
- Gross margin
- 68.0%
- −4.4 pts on Aug
- Net burn
- $96,000
- +$2,000 on Aug · plan was $94,000
- Cash
- $1,370,000
- −$96,000 on Aug · 14.3 months of runway
Lock the hosting commitment before the October hires go out. It's worth about a month of runway.
Watch in October
- The first invoice after the hosting renewal.
- Offer acceptance timing for the two engineers.
- The two re-activated accounts at their next renewal.
Written by Adam Ahern · prepared and second-reviewed by StartupEdge ·
Profit and loss
USD · month ended 30 Sep 2026. Lines marked Why have a recorded reason.
| Line | Sep 2026 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | 142,000 | 133,900 | +8,100 |
| Subscription revenue Why | 131,400 | 123,600 | +7,800 |
| Services | 10,600 | 10,300 | +300 |
| Cost of revenue | 45,440 | 37,000 | +8,440 |
| Hosting and infrastructure Why | 28,940 | 21,100 | +7,840 |
| Customer support | 11,200 | 10,900 | +300 |
| Payment processing | 5,300 | 5,000 | +300 |
| Gross profit | 96,560 | 96,900 | −340 |
| Gross margin Why | 68.0% | 72.4% | −4.4 pts |
| Operating expenses | 201,060 | 197,000 | +4,060 |
| Research and development | 116,800 | 115,600 | +1,200 |
| Salaries and benefits | 98,400 | 97,900 | +500 |
| Contractors | 12,100 | 11,600 | +500 |
| Software | 6,300 | 6,100 | +200 |
| Sales and marketing | 55,800 | 53,500 | +2,300 |
| Salaries and benefits | 24,600 | 24,600 | 0 |
| Paid acquisition | 12,400 | 14,100 | −1,700 |
| Contractors | 9,000 | 9,000 | 0 |
| Software | 5,900 | 5,800 | +100 |
| Events Why | 3,900 | 0 | +3,900 |
| General and administrative | 28,460 | 27,900 | +560 |
| Salaries and benefits | 14,800 | 14,800 | 0 |
| Rent | 6,200 | 6,200 | 0 |
| Professional fees Why | 4,100 | 2,900 | +1,200 |
| Insurance | 2,300 | 2,300 | 0 |
| Other | 1,060 | 1,700 | −640 |
| Net income Why | (104,500) | (100,100) | −4,400 |
Accrual basis: revenue when earned, costs when incurred.
Balance sheet
USD · month ended 30 Sep 2026. Lines marked Why have a recorded reason.
| Line | 30 Sep 2026 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assets | 1,552,500 | 1,643,400 | −90,900 |
| Cash Why | 1,370,000 | 1,466,000 | −96,000 |
| Accounts receivable Why | 118,400 | 109,200 | +9,200 |
| Prepaid expenses | 41,300 | 44,600 | −3,300 |
| Fixed assets, net | 22,800 | 23,600 | −800 |
| Liabilities | 288,000 | 274,400 | +13,600 |
| Accounts payable | 38,900 | 36,200 | +2,700 |
| Accrued expenses | 52,700 | 49,900 | +2,800 |
| Deferred revenue Why | 196,400 | 188,300 | +8,100 |
| Equity | 1,264,500 | 1,369,000 | −104,500 |
| Paid-in capital | 6,250,000 | 6,250,000 | 0 |
| Accumulated deficit | (4,985,500) | (4,881,000) | −104,500 |
| Total liabilities and equity | 1,552,500 | 1,643,400 | −90,900 |
Assets equal liabilities plus equity in both months.
Cash flow
USD · month ended 30 Sep 2026. Lines marked Why have a recorded reason.
| Line | Sep 2026 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operating activities | (96,000) | (94,000) | −2,000 |
| Net income | (104,500) | (100,100) | −4,400 |
| Depreciation | 800 | 800 | 0 |
| Accounts receivable | (9,200) | (3,100) | −6,100 |
| Prepaid expenses | 3,300 | (1,200) | +4,500 |
| Accounts payable | 2,700 | 1,900 | +800 |
| Accrued expenses | 2,800 | 1,400 | +1,400 |
| Deferred revenue Why | 8,100 | 6,300 | +1,800 |
| Investing activities | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Financing activities | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Net change in cash | (96,000) | (94,000) | −2,000 |
| Beginning cash | 1,466,000 | 1,560,000 | −94,000 |
| Ending cash | 1,370,000 | 1,466,000 | −96,000 |
Indirect method. Ending cash ties to the bank statements.
Trace a number
Every figure opens to its reason and its transactions.
The reserved-instance commitment expired on 14 Sep and the account rolled onto on-demand pricing for the rest of the month. About $7,800 of this is price, not usage. The renewal quote needs a signature before the October hires land.
Adam Ahern, StartupEdge · 5 Oct 2026| Date | Vendor | Amount | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 Sep | Amazon Web Services | On-demand compute, 15–30 Sep | 14,620 |
| 14 Sep | Amazon Web Services | Reserved instances, to 14 Sep | 6,180 |
| 30 Sep | Amazon Web Services | Storage and data transfer | 3,410 |
| 1 Sep | Datadog | Monthly, 12 hosts | 1,890 |
| 1 Sep | Vercel | Team plan | 1,640 |
| 1 Sep | Cloudflare | Enterprise, monthly | 1,200 |
| Total | 28,940 | ||
6 transactions. Ties to the statement.
Both accounts paused in August, Northwind Robotics and Helix Bio, came back on 1 Sep at the same tier: $6,200 of the increase. The rest is two seat expansions. No price change.
Adam Ahern, StartupEdge · 5 Oct 2026| Step | Amount |
|---|---|
| August | 123,600 |
| Northwind Robotics, reactivated 1 Sep | +4,100 |
| Helix Bio, reactivated 1 Sep | +2,100 |
| Carraway Health, seats 12 to 20 | +900 |
| Fieldline, seats 8 to 14 | +600 |
| September | 131,400 |
From 41 customer accounts. Ties to the statement.
$96,000 out, against a $94,000 plan. The whole gap is hosting. Two annual prepayments collected in September are why burn is smaller than the loss.
Adam Ahern, StartupEdge · 5 Oct 2026| Step | Amount |
|---|---|
| Net income | (104,500) |
| Depreciation | +800 |
| Receivables rose | −9,200 |
| Prepaid expenses | +3,300 |
| Payables and accruals | +5,500 |
| Deferred revenue: two annual prepayments | +8,100 |
| Cash from operations | (96,000) |
From the cash flow statement. Ties to the statement.
Down $96,000: the month's net burn, no timing items. Reconciled to the bank statements on 2 Oct.
Adam Ahern, StartupEdge · 2 Oct 2026| Date | Vendor | Amount | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 Sep | Mercury | Operating | 1,118,400 |
| 30 Sep | Mercury | Treasury | 250,000 |
| 30 Sep | Brex | Card balance | 1,600 |
| Total | 1,370,000 | ||
3 bank and card accounts. Ties to the statement.
Five looks at your numbers a month, not one.
The close is one event. The weekly cash snapshot is the other four: what you have, who owes you, what you owe, and which renewals are coming up, with a note from us when something needs a decision.
Sample Weekly cash snapshot · Larkspur Labs Week of 12 Oct 2026
- Cash, reconciled
- $1,342,000
- Down $28,000 on last week
- Effective cash
- $1,395,000
- Cash + receivables − payables − cards
- Past-due receivables
- $18,400
- Of $96,400 owed to you
- Net burn, 13-week average
- $20k a week
- 13.9 months of runway
The hosting renewal quote is in: $21,500 a month at today's footprint. Sign it before the 15th and October's margin recovers 3 points.
Cash in Cash out
- Northgate Clinics Past due Invoice 1174 · 19 days past due $18,400
- Carraway Health Invoice 1181 · due 14 Oct $22,600
- Payroll 15 Oct · Gusto $84,200
- Amazon Web Services Due 16 Oct · on-demand, October to date $14,900
- Halvorsen Legal Past due Bill 2207 · 12 days past due $6,200
- Error monitoring Annual plan ends 2 Nov · cancel or renegotiate first $9,600 a year
- Design tools, 14 seats Annual plan ends 9 Nov $2,520 a year
A model that matches the books, rolled forward on business day 3.
The forecast is built on the same books as your financials, so it never drifts from them. Each month the actuals roll in, the plan rolls forward, and the cash-out date moves with them. Scenarios are a question away: a hire, a price change, a slower quarter.
Sample Larkspur Labs · Forecast of record · v9 Rolled forward 5 Oct 2026 · actuals through Sep 2026
Cash, 12 months out
Choose a scenario. The hosting one is the decision the September read pointed to.
- Cash today
- $1.37M
- Reconciled 2 Oct
- Net burn, next 3 months
- $98k a month
- October to December
- Cash-out
- Jan 2028
- The forecast of record
- Runway
- 16 months
- At forecast burn
- Cash today
- $1.37M
- Reconciled 2 Oct
- Net burn, next 3 months
- $122k a month
- October to December
- Cash-out
- Sep 2027
- 4 months sooner than the forecast of record
- Runway
- 12 months
- At forecast burn
- Cash today
- $1.37M
- Reconciled 2 Oct
- Net burn, next 3 months
- $114k a month
- October to December
- Cash-out
- Oct 2027
- 3 months sooner than the forecast of record
- Runway
- 13 months
- At forecast burn
Stop screen-sharing a spreadsheet.
Hard to read, out of date, slow to answer.
Can we afford two more engineers?
2 days later
See attached. Scenarios tab, row 212.
Plain, current, and it answers you.
Can we afford two more engineers?
Yes. Burn goes from $96k to about $122k a month and cash-out moves from January 2028 to September 2027. Locking hosting first gives back about a month.
From forecast v9Actuals through September
Then 20 minutes with Adam. The question on the table is the hire, not the spreadsheet.
Answers come from our AI, or the one you already use through the StartupEdge MCP. Ask as much as you like. We review and approve anything that changes the model of record.
Start with a read of your own books. Free, read-only, no commitment. Your price comes with it.
Led by a CFO with twenty years in startup finance.
A team led by Adam Ahern.
Adam Ahern
Founder, StartupEdge
Adam started in investment banking, then spent two decades in tech and startups: raising capital, running finance and taking companies through exits. He built StartupEdge so founders get that judgment every month, without hiring a CFO.
- Years in tech and startup finance
- 20
- Capital raised
- $500M+
- Exits
- 4, worth $2.7B
Essays and the newsletter are on adamahern.com. LinkedIn.
Our accountants prepare and document every close. A reviewer checks each one before it reaches you, and Adam reads every close.
For founders running the business, getting ready to raise, or just funded.
- Run the business You want to make hiring, pricing and spend decisions on numbers you trust, without becoming an accountant. Close · Explain · Ask
- Getting ready to raise Books closed on time with documented support, and a model investors can test and you can defend. Close · Forecast · Explain
- Just raised Monthly board packages, runway against plan with a cash-out date, and investor updates that don't take a week. Forecast · Explain · Ask
One onboarding, a short list of questions each month, and a portal where you can ask anything any day. Your CPA keeps doing your taxes; we work alongside them.
Two monthly plans. Project work when you need it.
Month to month. Cancel any time. Your price is set from your real books after the diagnostic.
As needed
Project work, outside the monthly plans.
Custom quote
- Cleanup: prior periods brought current before your first close
- Diligence prep: books and support ready for a raise or a sale
- Fractional CFO: hands-on support for the decisions that need one
Quoted in writing before you sign. Ask on your diagnostic call.
See it on your own numbers first. The diagnostic is free, read-only, and back within one business day.
Questions founders ask
Does AI do my accounting?
AI prepares the daily work: categorizing, reconciling and documenting transactions by rules set for your business. A person reviews everything before it posts, and Adam owns the analysis.
What happens if you miss business day 3?
The close is free: you don't pay that month's close fee. The full terms are in your engagement agreement.
What can I ask the AI, and what do you review?
Anything about your historical financials or your forecast: why a number moved, what a hire does to runway, a custom report for the board. Your books and forecast connect to Claude or another assistant through the StartupEdge MCP. We don't review every question. We review and approve any change before it touches the model of record.
Do I still need a CPA?
For taxes, yes. StartupEdge is not a CPA firm. We work alongside your tax preparer and hand them clean, documented books.
My books are a mess. Can you still help?
Yes. The diagnostic shows how much cleanup there is. Cleanup, if needed, is priced before you sign. Three or free starts with your second close.
Who does the work?
A trained accounting team keeps the books current every day, with AI doing the preparation. A second person signs off on every close. Adam writes the read, runs the forecast and makes the recommendations.
Which system do you run on?
Whyzr, the software we built to run this firm. Your portal and your forecast carry StartupEdge branding. We work in QuickBooks Online today.
Can I switch firms mid-year?
Yes. We handle the handover, and the diagnostic tells us how long onboarding will take.
Am I locked into a contract?
No. Your fee is month to month, and you can cancel any time.