Request for information · OC-RFI-2026-009

Fractional CFO: treasury and capital raising

An Australian consumer AI start-up. An Australian start-up building an AI assistant for everyday household shopping, in private beta with real households. Its name is shared with shortlisted respondents once they agree to keep it confidential.

Location

Melbourne · hybrid

Engagement

1–2 days a week from Nov 2026, more during the raise

Budget

Success fee only, on capital raised; indicative rate sought. Respondents must hold, or operate under, an Australian financial services licence

Closes

2026-10-30, 5pm AEDT

Manage the start-up's money and lead the process for its seed raise: cash and runway, payment flows and controls, the financial model, data room and investor process.

Context. The start-up is becoming its own company and plans a seed raise in 2027, followed by a larger round. Customers top up credit by card, so cash, refunds and controls matter from day one. An AI treasury agent drafts routine reports; this person owns and approves them.

Why it matters. Investors judge a young company on how well it knows its numbers. A credible model and a well-run process decide the size and terms of the round.

What we're looking for

• Has run at least two venture rounds end to end, ideally a seed and a Series A, in consumer or marketplace businesses
• Can build and defend a unit-economics model (acquisition cost, payback, margins)
• Treasury and payments experience: card top-ups, refunds, reconciliation and controls
• Relationships with Australian seed and Series A investors
• Works on a success-fee basis and holds, or operates under, an Australian financial services licence

Scope

• Cash, runway and payment-flow controls; approve the treasury agent's reports
• Financial model, unit economics and the raise plan with the founder
• Data room, cap table and investor materials
• Run the investor process and negotiate terms with the company's lawyers
• Board and investor reporting after the round

How responses are assessed

• Capital-raising record (35%)
• Model and unit-economics depth (25%)
• Treasury and controls (20%)
• Investor networks (10%)
• Value for money (10%)

Timeline

• Responses close, 5pm AEDT: 2026-10-30
• Conversations: 2026-11-04
• Decision: 2026-11-13

Responses are confidential and assessed by a panel against the published criteria.