Head of Finance & Operations

Role Overview
We are hiring a high-impact Head of Finance & Operations to serve as a strategic partner to the CEO as we raise our institutional seed round and scale our AI analytics platform.
This is a mission-critical role for a finance leader who has successfully supported and closed seed rounds before , brings warm relationships across top-tier Silicon Valley seed-stage venture firms , leading AI/enterprise SaaS investors, and select strategic corporate venture partners.
The ideal candidate combines fundraising execution, investor-grade financial storytelling, and operational discipline - with the ability to drive fundraising momentum from warm introductions through a fast and efficient close.
Key Responsibilities

Fundraising Execution & Investor Network Leverage (Top Priority)
Partner directly with the CEO to lead and accelerate the seed fundraising process from open → term sheet → close.
Leverage an existing network of top-tier Silicon Valley venture firms, leading institutional seed investors, and aligned strategic corporate venture arms (financial services, enterprise tech, cloud) to generate warm introductions and build rapid momentum.
Drive fundraising execution end-to-end: investor pipeline management, outreach sequencing, diligence workflows, and closing coordination.
Shape fundraising strategy, syndicate composition, valuation positioning, and SAFE/priced round structuring.
Ensure investor confidence through disciplined metrics, clean diligence readiness, and clear financial narratives.
Investor-Grade Financial Narrative & Seed Metrics
Build and own the company's core financial model (3–5 year forecast) including revenue growth, margins, and hiring plans.
Translate traction into investor-ready KPIs and storytelling across:
unit economics (CAC/LTV, payback)
revenue expansion pathways
enterprise sales pipeline dynamics
AI infrastructure economics and gross margin profile
Prepare materials for investor discussions, partner meetings, and diligence Q&A.
Runway Management, Burn Control & Capital Efficiency
Own cash flow forecasting, burn management, and runway planning with precision.
Implement spend controls and operating discipline across the organization.
Partner with leadership on hiring pace, budget allocation, and resource prioritization post-close.
Establish monthly financial cadence: reporting, budget vs actuals, KPI dashboards.
AI Infrastructure Cost & Margin Optimization
Monitor and optimize AI-specific cost drivers: GPU usage, cloud spend, inference/training costs.
Partner with engineering leadership to forecast compute needs and improve cost efficiency over time.
Negotiate key vendor agreements across cloud, tooling, and infrastructure providers.
Finance & Operational Foundation Post-Seed
Build the operational backbone expected by institutional investors:
payroll and expense systems
procurement and vendor management
compliance, tax coordination, insurance
investor reporting and board-ready finance cadence
Maintain strong post-close investor relationships through structured updates and KPI communication.
Lay the groundwork for Series A readiness within 3–6 months. Ideal Candidate Profile
Required Experience

Proven experience helping raise and close institutional seed rounds at a high-growth startup.
Existing warm relationships with leading seed-stage investors in AI, analytics, enterprise SaaS, or infrastructure.
Strong fundraising execution mindset - able to create velocity, not just build models.
Advanced financial modeling, KPI communication, and diligence leadership skills.
Operational ownership mindset - comfortable running both finance and internal execution.
Deep understanding of AI business economics, including compute-driven cost structures.
Strong Preference For Candidates With

Prior Head of Finance, Strategic Finance, or Fractional CFO experience at a VC-backed startup.
Background in venture capital, investment banking, or startup finance with institutional credibility.
Experience progressing a company from Seed → Series A preparation.
Track record of building finance + ops infrastructure from scratch.
What Success Looks Like (First 6–12 Months)

Seed round executed efficiently with strong institutional investor participation and clean diligence.
Investor-grade finance function established: runway control, reporting cadence, KPI discipline.
AI infrastructure spend actively managed with improving margin visibility.
Strong investor communication rhythm and Series A readiness foundation in place.
Investor Caliber Summary Line
We are looking for a finance and operations leader who has closed institutional seed rounds before and can leverage a strong Silicon Valley and strategic investor network to accelerate fundraising, while building the financial backbone for long-term scale.