An embedded, SaaS-native fractional CFO and head of finance for early-stage B2B SaaS companies that have outgrown founder-led finance but don't yet need — or want to pay for — a full-time CFO. Not detached, once-a-month advisory: a hands-on finance leader who works inside your team, your tools, and your numbers.
B2B SaaS companies between roughly $1M and $25M ARR where finance is still run by the founder or a bookkeeper, a board meeting or a raise is coming, and decisions increasingly hinge on the numbers — but a full-time CFO would be overkill.
A generalist CFO learns your business on your dime. A SaaS-native fractional CFO already knows that net revenue retention drives your growth math, that headcount × quota overstates real capacity, and what your board actually cares about. It's the same finance thinking behind ARRGuide and our library on SaaS metrics, retention, and planning — applied inside your company.
Your fractional CFO is Eric Stephenson, a SaaS finance leader with 20+ years of experience. Across those roles he has supported $400M+ in private fundraising, led $30M in debt financing (convertible notes and other debt vehicles), and was part of the finance team that took Domo public. Day to day the focus is board and investor materials that hold up under diligence, ARR planning and unit economics, fundraise prep (model, deck, data room), and the monthly close discipline and KPI dashboards a CEO actually reads.
| Embedded fractional CFO | Full-time CFO | Bookkeeper / accounting firm | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical cost | Typically $8–12K/month, scoped to the hours you need — a fraction of full-time | $300–350K fully burdened (salary, bonus, benefits) | ~$1–4K/month |
| Core job | Finance leadership: model, forecast, board & investor reporting, cash, metrics | Same scope — full-time and permanent | Bookkeeping, monthly close, and compliance |
| SaaS-native | Yes — built around ARR, retention, CAC, and all the core SaaS metrics | Depends entirely on the individual hire | Rarely, and not their job |
| Best fit | $1–25M ARR, outgrown founder-led finance, board or raise ahead | $25M+ ARR or high financial complexity | Every stage — for the books, not strategy |
| Commitment | A few days per month to ~2 days per week; scale up or down | Full-time salary, bonus, benefits, and equity — hard to unwind | Ongoing monthly retainer |
Also searched as: outsourced CFO for SaaS, part-time CFO for SaaS, fractional head of finance, early-stage SaaS CFO.