Case studies

Situation:A PE-backed digital infrastructure services company had roughly doubled revenue organically but the finance function hadn't scaled with it. The books were not on audited U.S. GAAP, the reporting cadence was manual and inconsistent, there was no ERP, and the data infrastructure required to support diligence didn't exist. The company's ownership was preparing to take the business to market.

The work: Over a 30-month period spanning VP Finance through CFO, we transitioned the company to audited U.S. GAAP compliance, built the financial narrative and data room for market introduction, and led diligence directly with the investment banking team. Post-close, we implemented NetSuite across the combined entity, consolidated four legal entities into a rationalized reporting structure, stood up a data warehouse with management dashboards and automated field production reports, and deployed cloud-based systems for real-time operational data collection. In parallel, we augmented the internal team, redesigned internal controls, and built the weekly flash reporting cadence the sponsor now relies on.

OutcomeThe company completed a $75-100M liquidity event with a new financial investor. EBITDA grew approximately 300% over the engagement period. The finance function transitioned from pre-audit, cash-basis books to a fully audited, GAAP-compliant operation with institutional-grade reporting, a functioning ERP, and a back office the incoming sponsor could underwrite.

Situation: A founder-led firm providing program creation and technology consulting to top universities raised institutional capital for the first time to acquire a similarly sized healthcare consulting and strategic enrollment firm. Overnight the combined company doubled in size, added a new service line, and moved to a more complex capital structure. The back office did not scale with it. The combined entity ran on a lean finance team with outsourced accounting, no in-house legal, and a single HR resource. There was no audit readiness despite new investor requirements, systems and processes were inconsistent across the two legacies, the month-end close was running 30-45 days, and the acquired entity had limited budgeting capability and no forecasting. Additional acquisitions were on the near-term horizon, so the platform had to stabilize and scale in parallel.

The work: Over a four-month period, we ran a comprehensive integration and build that began with a diagnostic of systems, personnel, and processes across both legacy entities. On the foundation side, we engaged audit and tax partners against a time-bound roadmap, reorganized the finance function (including hiring a controller and optimizing the cost structure), standardized systems and consolidated vendors across payroll and elsewhere, completed purchase accounting, established GAAP-compliant financials, rebuilt and unified the chart of accounts across both entities, and partnered with business leaders to define departmental structures and reporting categories. On the forward-looking side, we built a bottoms-up budget, introduced a recurring forecast process, redesigned the month-end close down to 10 days, developed financial reporting with variance analysis, and established a board reporting cadence with a PE-ready board deck template. For governance and scale, we implemented internal controls and audit readiness processes, introduced a delegation of authority and purchasing rigor, contracted a fractional General Counsel and standardized internal contracts, and provided ongoing strategic guidance to the executive team.

OutcomeWithin four months, the combined company transitioned from fragmented operations to an integrated, audit-ready, scalable platform. The month-end close dropped from 30-45 days to 10. The company achieved GAAP compliance and audit readiness, ran on disciplined budgeting, forecasting, and variance analysis, and had governance, controls, and board-level reporting in place. Costs were streamlined while team capability expanded. One year on, the processes remain firmly in place; the company operates as one of the most compliant, well-run portfolio companies within its sponsor's group, with a foundation positioned for continued growth and future acquisitions.