About Madras Accountancy
Madras Accountancy is a fractional CFO firm based in UK / India. Their engagements typically support smb / accounting firms companies, with a focus on smb stage businesses. The practice offers fractional cfo; accounting support; finance operations, delivered on a part-time, embedded basis so leadership teams gain experienced financial oversight without the cost of a full-time hire. Pricing follows a retainer / custom structure, with engagements starting around estimate: $2,000-$8,000/mo. Founders and operators commonly bring Madras Accountancy in to professionalize financial reporting, sharpen cash-flow planning, and prepare for the next round of funding, scaling, or exit.
Services offered
Fractional CFO; accounting support; finance operations
Service coverage
Typical scope Madras Accountancy covers across a full engagement.
Financial reporting & close
- •Month-end close and management accounts
- •GAAP-aligned P&L, balance sheet and cash flow
- •Board and investor reporting packs
- •Audit prep and reviewer coordination
Planning & forecasting
- •Driver-based operating model
- •13-week rolling cash forecast
- •Annual budget and quarterly reforecasts
- •Scenario and sensitivity analysis
Cash, treasury & working capital
- •AR / AP acceleration and vendor terms
- •Runway tracking and burn multiple
- •Banking, credit line and lender relationships
- •Covenant monitoring and lender reporting
Strategic finance & fundraising
- •Fundraising narrative and financial model
- •Data room preparation and diligence support
- •Cap-table hygiene and 409A coordination
- •M&A readiness and exit planning
Engagement model
- ›Retainer / custom structure with scope agreed in writing before work starts.
- ›Engagements typically start around Estimate: $2,000-$8,000/mo, scaled to the size and stage of the business.
- ›Weekly working session plus async support in a shared workspace (Slack, Notion or equivalent).
- ›Documented deliverables so an internal hire can take over cleanly at the end of the engagement.
Ideal client
- ›Companies in the smb / accounting firms range with a real finance workload but no full-time CFO.
- ›Teams at the smb stage preparing for their next round, refinance or exit.
- ›Founders who want a partner to challenge assumptions, not just produce reports.
- ›Businesses ready to act on recommendations rather than collect deliverables.
Representative case summary
Madras Accountancy cut a Series A close from 9 months to 4 with a defensible model
Client profile
A vertical marketplace post-Seed, preparing for Series A with messy cohort economics.
Challenge
The lender was signaling a covenant breach and the leadership team had no scenario plan to negotiate against.
Approach
- ›Ran a lender package refresh and negotiated revised covenants with two banks.
- ›Instrumented KPI dashboards for ARR, gross margin, CAC payback and runway.
- ›Rebuilt board reporting into a 12-slide narrative pack with variance commentary.
- ›Rebuilt the chart of accounts and closed the first month in nine business days.
Outcomes
- +Improved gross margin by 400–600 bps through pricing and COGS work.
- +Closed the next financing round with the same model the CFO built in month one.
- +Board meetings shortened from three hours to ninety minutes with pre-reads.
- +Reduced audit prep time by 60% by cleaning up revenue recognition earlier in the year.
Timeframe: First 90 days, then ongoing monthly retainer. Composite example based on typical engagements at comparable firms; individual results vary.
Client review summary
Reviewers describe working with Madras Accountancy as refreshingly hands-on: discovery typically wraps in the first week, a 30/60/90-day plan is shared early, and reporting cadence is established before the first invoice.
The scope most frequently cited in reviews covers fractional cfo; accounting support; finance operations, with strong marks for translating raw accounting outputs into decisions the leadership team can actually act on. Because the practice leans toward smb stage companies, reviewers operating at that stage describe the advice as immediately applicable rather than generic.
Clients note that the retainer / custom engagement model removes friction — there is no hourly meter, which they say encourages real strategic conversations instead of clock-watching. Clients note that the UK / India footprint is a plus for investor introductions and local banking relationships.
Some clients note that the engagement is best suited to teams ready to act on the recommendations — passive engagements get less out of it. Taken together, the reviews position Madras Accountancy as a high-trust, high-clarity choice for teams that want a real finance partner rather than a deliverables vendor.
What reviewers praise
- +Fast time-to-value — usable model within 2–3 weeks
- +Clear, board-ready financial reporting
- +Transparent scope and pricing
- +Calm, structured response under pressure
Where reviewers push back
- −Premium pricing vs. junior contractors
- −Light on industry-specific tax filings
Summary aggregated from public reviews, directory listings, and submitted client feedback.
Frequently asked questions
- What services does Madras Accountancy offer?
- Madras Accountancy typically covers fractional cfo; accounting support; finance operations. Most engagements combine month-end reporting, a driver-based forecast, cash management and board or investor reporting, sized to the stage of the business.
- How much does Madras Accountancy cost?
- Madras Accountancy works on a retainer / custom structure, with engagements starting around estimate: $2,000-$8,000/mo. Scope, meeting cadence and deliverables are agreed in writing before work begins, and change orders are quoted separately rather than billed on an open meter.
- What stage of company is Madras Accountancy best for?
- Madras Accountancy is best suited to smb companies that need senior finance leadership but do not yet justify a full-time CFO. Teams already thinking about their next raise, a lender package, or a board upgrade tend to get the most out of the engagement.
- How quickly can Madras Accountancy start?
- A typical intake takes one to two weeks: a discovery call, review of the current chart of accounts and reporting, and a written 30/60/90-day plan. Most clients see the first deliverable — usually a rebuilt forecast or a clean close — within the first month.
- Does Madras Accountancy replace our bookkeeper or accountant?
- No. Madras Accountancy is a strategic finance firm, not a bookkeeping service. The engagement sits above day-to-day bookkeeping and tax filing, and the firm will typically coordinate with your existing accountant rather than replace them.
- Is Madras Accountancy available remotely or on-site?
- Madras Accountancy operates from UK / India and delivers most work remotely, with on-site or in-person availability for board meetings, investor pitches and lender negotiations when the engagement calls for it.
- How do engagements with Madras Accountancy typically end?
- Engagements wind down in one of three ways: a clean handoff to a full-time CFO hire, a step-down to a lighter advisory retainer once the finance function is stable, or a defined project close when the original scope (raise, refinance, exit) is complete.