One in six start-ups goes bust because of financial mismanagement. Managing directors of SMEs struggle with the burden that financial management places on them on top of running the business. At the same time, the world's most successful listed companies are those that deploy their capital particularly efficiently – in other words, those that have mastered financial management. Data-driven management is being championed everywhere, too.

For CEOs of SMEs and start-ups, having a competent CFO or finance director at their side – someone who enables them to run the business effectively with regular reports and analyses and supports them in designing and implementing the financial strategy – is often little more than wishful thinking. Sparring partners in this field are in short supply. The challenge has three components:

1. A good full-time CFO costs too much for smaller companies and would not be fully utilised
2. It is currently far from easy to get a competent CFO excited about a smaller company
3. To be effective, a top finance manager has to master the balancing act between analysing the numbers and acting as a sparring partner for business development – not an easy profile to find

From our experience of building start-ups and advising mid-sized companies, it quickly became clear that finance expertise is desperately needed – and holistically, from preparing the numbers through to strategy. At the same time, start-ups are trying to professionalise their investor communications ever earlier.

At Ocular, these are exactly the issues we want to tackle. We support managing directors of start-ups and mid-sized companies in preparing regular management reports, in investor management and in all strategic finance matters. Together with you, our aim is to:

• Enable better decision-making and corporate management through monthly business reviews
• Impress investors with regular, first-class reporting, paving the way for higher valuations and better financing terms
• Support special situations such as cost reductions, contract negotiations and the development of new financing strategies with analysis and expertise

We get involved as a trusted partner, just like an in-house CFO, but can offer our packages at considerably better value for money. This is based on our principles:

1. Digitalisation and service go hand in hand – our clients quickly achieve a high level of standardisation and automation in financial management, which reduces the effort needed to support them
2. Advice tailored to your needs – we are available flexibly whenever you need us and always up to speed thanks to our ongoing analyses
3. A team of specialists rather than a lone wolf – instead of depending on one person, at Ocular you get a team of finance experts

Our clients clearly feel the ROI. Within the first few weeks, business decisions become noticeably more professional and investors are won over by professional monthly reports. These factors quickly translate into higher valuations, better financing terms or operational cost savings. At the same time, our aim is to take the load off managing directors so that they can concentrate on their core competencies.

If your company wants to become more professional in financial management, arrange a call with us and within 20 minutes we will assess whether we can support you.