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CFO & Strategy

Internal Financial Controls for Startups

Written by Harry Prabandham

Curated by Rubric Financial

Last updated

1 / 5

Why Controls Matter Early

  • Internal controls are the processes that protect company assets and keep financial records accurate and reliable.
  • Weak controls expose startups to fraud, payment errors, and misstated financials that surface during diligence.
  • Investors and auditors view a functioning control environment as a sign of operational maturity.
  • Building controls early is far cheaper than remediating problems discovered during a financing or audit.

About the author

Harry Prabandham

Founder & CEO

Founder and CEO of StartupCFO. MBA from Wharton, MS in Computer Science, and decades of experience building and advising venture-backed startups.

More articles by Harry

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