Meet the Team
Built by Founders, for Founders
Technologists and finance professionals with 20+ years of experience each. We built the finance team founders actually want, not another spreadsheet shop.
StartupCFO is a service of Rubric Financial, built for venture-scale startups.
Built for the Stretch in Between
Pre-seed to Series B companies fall into a gap. The Big Four and large mid-market firms are built for audits, public-company readiness, and enterprise budgets. A seed-stage company that hires them gets a junior team, a rate card designed for someone else, and a partner it meets once at kickoff. At the other end, bookkeeping apps and low-cost shops stop at the ledger, leaving founders to stitch together a tax preparer, a payroll provider, and a fractional CFO when it's time to raise. Even many startup-focused firms sell CFO work as a separate product, or only take companies that have already raised. StartupCFO is built for the stretch in between, with no funding minimum: one team that runs your financial stack, from bookkeeping and accounting to tax, strategic finance, and fundraising support.
That single team is the advantage. Nothing gets lost passing between vendors, because the team that closes your books also prepares your returns and builds your board and investor materials, all from the same numbers in ClariFi. The senior people you meet are the ones doing the work. Pricing is flat and monthly, sized for a startup budget, CPA support is part of every plan rather than billed by the hour, and we get you live within two business days. We want to grow with you, from your first clean close through Series B diligence, so you can stay focused on product, customers, and go-to-market while we act as your finance function.
For how ClariFi fits in, read How We Run Our Own Finance Practice on AI, a walkthrough of the month our team actually runs.
What We Believe
Every founder deserves financial clarity on demand, not at the price of a full-time hire, and not more data to interpret.
How We Work
AI benchmarked against industry standards generates board packs, Spend Guardrails, and Tax & Compliance Autopilot. Experienced humans validate every output and translate intelligence into action. You get the clarity to decide, not more spreadsheets.
Who We Serve
VC-backed startups from pre-seed to Series B across SaaS, fintech, healthcare, and AI.
“Startups don't need more accountants and spreadsheets. They need a single finance system that translates numbers into strategic decisions.”
Our Story
We've been founders. We've been advisors. We've been mentors in accelerators. And when we looked at how startups approach finance, one pattern kept showing up: founders confuse routine accounting and tax compliance with strategic finance. They scatter the function across bookkeepers, tax preparers, and spreadsheets, and never get the clarity or insights they actually need.
These are exceptional builders, but without a unified finance function they can't see which levers drive the financial outcomes they're after. So we built ClariFi, a proprietary system that connects your accounting systems and turns raw numbers into the intelligence founders actually need: on-demand reporting, proactive spending guidance, automated compliance, and answers you can act on. It gives every founder the clarity and confidence to act.
Our Leadership Team
We think of ourselves as partners and an extension of your team. You focus on product-market fit and growing the company. We handle the financial decisions that help you scale.
Harry Prabandham
Founder & CEO
MBA from Wharton and a master’s in computer science, with decades of experience in finance and technology. At StartupCFO, Harry leads fractional CFO and valuation services, delivering clarity, structure, and strategic insights for startup founders.
Aparna Devalla, CPA
Head of Tax & Accounting
A seasoned CPA with decades of experience in US taxation, accounting, and banking. At StartupCFO, Aparna leads the tax and accounting team, ensuring clients remain structured, compliant, and raise-ready.
Nirmala Murugesan, CA, CPA
Partner, Accounting
A Chartered Accountant and CPA with 20+ years across US GAAP, IFRS, and cross-border entity accounting in the US and India. At StartupCFO, Nirmala leads accounting and controllership, keeping the books clean, audit-ready, and built for startups operating across borders.
Nitasha Ahuja, EA
Partner, Tax Resolution & IRS Representation
An Enrolled Agent with 15+ years inside the IRS, across the Taxpayer Advocate Service, Examination, and Accounts Management, and an MSL in Taxation from Georgetown Law. At StartupCFO, Nitasha handles IRS notices, audits, and collection matters, turning enforcement letters into a plan with a defined outcome.
Girija Srinivasan, CA
Partner, Cross-Border Tax & Corporate FP&A
A Chartered Accountant with 15+ years in finance leadership, ERP implementation, and cross-border compliance, including four years as a GM of Finance owning a full finance function. At StartupCFO, Girija leads US-India cross-border tax and corporate FP&A, building the budgets, rolling forecasts, and management reporting that get numbers in front of founders while they still matter.
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