Finance & Business Advisory — Virtual CFO Service India | Coordinated through Batchwise

What this is

Finance and business advisory — strategic finance support for founder-led SMEs, growth-stage companies, and family-owned businesses in India. Scope spans virtual CFO retainer, fundraising preparation, financial planning & analysis (FP&A), board pack preparation, business-case modelling, banker / investor relations, audit transition, and ad-hoc strategic finance projects.

The service starts with a structured discovery engagement at ₹9,999 that produces a specific scoping document and recommendation. Ongoing scope is custom-quoted based on retainer hours and project complexity — typically ₹25,000 to ₹1,25,000 per month for virtual CFO retainers, or fixed-fee for specific projects.

Engagement is routed to a vetted partner — a Chartered Accountant in practice with CFO experience, an independent virtual CFO, or a senior finance professional — who delivers the advisory under their own credentials. Batchwise itself does not provide finance advisory.

Who this is for

• Founder-led companies in growth phase — finance work has outgrown the founder + bookkeeper model; not yet justified for full-time CFO hire (typically 10–100 employees, ₹5 cr to ₹100 cr revenue).
• Companies preparing for fundraising — angel, seed, Series A, debt — need investor-grade financial model, projections, due diligence pack, finance partner to engage with investor finance teams.
• Companies with banker relationships — working capital sanctions, term loan negotiations, CMA data preparation, ongoing covenant compliance, banker reviews.
• Family-owned businesses navigating generational transition, professional management induction, restructuring, asset protection.
• Companies preparing for statutory audit transition — first-time audit, Ind AS adoption, audit qualification remediation.
• Pre-acquisition or pre-strategic-transaction companies — buy-side / sell-side diligence preparation.
• Companies in distress / turnaround — cash-flow restructuring, lender negotiation, OTS evaluation, working capital optimisation.
• Founders feeling finance-overwhelmed — finance work is slowing down strategic time; want senior partner to take the load and the meetings.

Scope categories

1. Virtual CFO retainer

Ongoing senior finance partnership — typically 5 to 20 hours per week, retainer-based. Scope:

• Monthly MIS review with the founder / leadership team — anchored on the MIS pack (sourced from MIS & Cash Flow Reporting or your in-house finance)
• Cash flow management — 13-week rolling cash flow projection, working capital optimisation, debtor management discipline
• Annual budget + quarterly re-forecast — top-down + bottom-up budget build, monthly variance tracking, quarterly re-forecast
• Board pack preparation — quarterly board / investor reporting in board-pack format with peer benchmarking
• Banker relations — ongoing CMA data preparation, banker review meetings, covenant tracking, sanction renewal
• Strategic finance support — pricing decisions, gross margin analysis, customer profitability, segment profitability, capex evaluation
• Compliance overview — ensuring statutory finance compliance (audit, ROC, GST, TDS, ITR) is on track; coordination with respective specialists
• Ad-hoc strategic projects — unit economics deep dive, product profitability, new market entry, etc.

2. Fundraising preparation (project)

For companies preparing for angel, seed, Series A, debt, or strategic round:

• Financial model — investor-grade 5-year projection model with assumption sheet, P&L / Balance Sheet / Cash Flow projections, sensitivity scenarios, unit economics build-up
• Pitch deck financials — slides covering financial summary, projection summary, use of funds, key metrics, cohort analysis
• Due diligence pack preparation — financial section: 3-year audited financials, monthly P&L for last 24 months, customer concentration analysis, related-party disclosure, debt summary, contingent liability disclosure
• Investor finance Q&A — structured response to investor questions during diligence; partner is the finance point of contact for the investor team
• Term sheet financial review — review of valuation methodology, liquidation preference impact, anti-dilution clauses, ESOP pool sizing
• Closing readiness — financial conditions precedent for closing, escrow arrangement support

Typical fundraising prep engagement: ₹75,000 to ₹3,00,000 fixed-fee depending on round complexity.

3. Annual budget exercise (project)

For companies wanting structured annual planning:

• Top-down revenue model based on market sizing + growth assumptions
• Bottom-up departmental cost build-up — sales, marketing, R&D, G&A, operations
• Capex plan with ROI-justified prioritisation
• Working capital projection — debtor / inventory / creditor cycle assumptions
• Monthly phasing of annual numbers
• 3 sensitivity scenarios (base, downside, upside)
• Founder + leadership team alignment workshop

Typical annual budget engagement: ₹50,000 to ₹2,00,000 fixed-fee depending on company size.

4. Audit transition support (project)

For companies undergoing first statutory audit, Ind AS adoption, or audit qualification remediation:

• Pre-audit readiness review (gap analysis vs audit standard expectations)
• Ind AS first-time adoption (where applicable) — accounting policy choices, transition adjustments, comparative restatement
• Audit working paper preparation support
• Audit query response support
• Post-audit remediation planning where qualifications arise

Typical engagement: ₹50,000 to ₹2,50,000 fixed-fee depending on complexity.

5. Banker / lender support (project)

• CMA data preparation — Credit Monitoring Arrangement data for working capital sanction (4-form set + projections + ratios)
• Term loan proposal — DPR financial section, repayment capability analysis
• Banker review meeting support — annual review presentation
• OTS / restructuring negotiation support — for companies in stress

6. Strategic projects (custom)

• New market / new product business case
• Customer / segment profitability analysis
• Pricing strategy review
• M&A buy-side / sell-side support
• Family business succession planning (finance angle)
• ESOP scheme design
• Inter-company restructuring / hive-off / merger

How the engagement works

1. Sign up + select service. Sign in; pick "Finance & Business Advisory".
2. Pay ₹9,999 discovery fee. Razorpay; covers structured 4–6 hour discovery + advisory memo.
3. Initial questionnaire. 15-minute online questionnaire covering business model, current finance setup, pain points, near-term plans (fundraising, expansion, audit transition, etc.).
4. Partner assignment. Vetted partner (CA with CFO experience / virtual CFO / senior finance professional) is assigned and contact details surface in your dashboard. Partner brief includes your questionnaire response.
5. Document review (Days 1–2). You upload last 12 months\' financials, last available MIS / management report, and 2–3 specific finance documents (banker correspondence, investor pitch, etc.). Partner reviews offline.
6. Discovery interviews (Days 2–4). 60-minute structured interview with founder + 30-minute interview with finance / operations leader (where applicable). Conducted via Zoom / Meet. Recorded for partner reference (recordings deleted post-engagement).
7. Advisory memo (Days 4–6). Partner delivers a one-page memo covering: current state assessment, prioritised action list (3–5 items with quantified opportunity), engagement recommendation (virtual CFO retainer / specific project / no further engagement), scoping document with quote for recommended next step.
8. Memo review call. 45-minute call to walk through the memo, address questions, finalise next-step decision.
9. Continuation (optional). If you proceed with the recommended engagement, the discovery fee (₹9,999) is credited against the first month\'s retainer or project fee. If you choose not to continue, no further obligation.

Pricing

Engagement	Price (₹)	Coverage
Discovery engagement	9,999	4–6 hour structured discovery + advisory memo + scoping document
Virtual CFO retainer — emerging tier	25,000–45,000/month	5–10 hours / week; monthly MIS review + quarterly board pack + ad-hoc support
Virtual CFO retainer — growth tier	50,000–85,000/month	10–15 hours / week; emerging tier scope + annual budget + banker / investor support
Virtual CFO retainer — pre-IPO / scale tier	1,00,000–1,50,000/month	15–20 hours / week; growth tier scope + strategic projects + audit committee support
Fundraising preparation (fixed-fee project)	75,000–3,00,000	Depends on round complexity (angel / seed / Series A / Series B / debt)
Annual budget exercise (fixed-fee project)	50,000–2,00,000	Top-down + bottom-up budget build; depends on company size and complexity
Audit transition support (fixed-fee project)	50,000–2,50,000	First-time audit / Ind AS transition / qualification remediation
CMA data preparation (working capital sanction)	From 25,000	4-form CMA + projections; quoted by sanction limit
Strategic projects (custom scope)	Custom quote	Quoted after discovery scoping

All prices GST-exclusive. The ₹9,999 discovery fee is credited against the first month / first project fee if you proceed within 30 days. Retainer engagements have a minimum 3-month commitment; project engagements are fixed-fee with milestone payment schedules.

What you get

From discovery (₹9,999):

• One-page advisory memo with current state assessment
• Prioritised action list with quantified opportunities
• Engagement recommendation (specific scope + quote)
• 45-minute walk-through call
• Recording of discovery interviews (your reference; deleted from partner system after engagement closure)

From ongoing virtual CFO retainer:

• Monthly review meeting with structured agenda
• Monthly MIS commentary + action list
• Quarterly board / investor pack
• 13-week rolling cash flow projection
• Annual budget + quarterly re-forecast
• Banker / investor / lender meeting attendance
• Direct line for ad-hoc finance questions during business hours
• Coordination with other Batchwise services (bookkeeping, GST, TDS, ROC) for compliance integration

From project engagements:

• Specific project deliverables per scoping document
• Project working paper file
• Closing presentation / handover

The marketplace model

Batchwise is a coordination platform, not a finance advisory firm. Every advisory engagement is delivered by a vetted partner — a Chartered Accountant in practice with CFO experience, an independent virtual CFO, or a senior finance professional — under their own credentials. The partner takes professional responsibility for the advice and deliverables.

What Batchwise does: dashboard, secure document workspace, partner assignment, payment processing (discovery), engagement structuring guidance, methodology consistency.

What the partner does: discovery delivery, advisory memo, ongoing retainer or project execution, owns the client relationship for the duration of the engagement.

For ongoing retainers and large projects, the engagement structure is typically lead handoff — you contract with the partner directly post-discovery; Batchwise refers and coordinates the matching. This keeps fee structures clean and gives you a direct relationship with the senior finance professional.

Honest scope notes

What this service does NOT include:

• Statutory finance work — audit, ROC filing, GST returns, TDS returns, ITR filing — these are separate services on Batchwise. The advisory partner coordinates with these specialists; doesn\'t replace them.
• Investment management / wealth management — this is finance advisory for the company, not personal wealth advice for the founder.
• Legal advice — corporate law, employment law, contract law are out of scope. Partner coordinates with a Company Secretary / lawyer where needed.
• Tax planning at individual level — corporate tax planning is in scope; founder personal tax planning is not.
• Operational finance work — daily transaction processing, monthly book closure, monthly GST filing, monthly payroll — covered by other Batchwise services. The advisory layer sits on top of these operational services.

Related reading

• MIS & Cash Flow Reporting — operational MIS that feeds the strategic advisory layer
• Bookkeeping & Book Finalisation — clean books are a precondition for credible advisory
• Book Finalisation (year-end) — for one-time pre-engagement cleanup
• ROC compliance — corporate compliance coordinated alongside advisory
• ITR filing — for individual founder ITR (separate from corporate engagement)

Engagement standards

• Confidentiality. All advisory engagements are under a signed NDA. Partner-side data handling per the Batchwise data policy + the partner\'s own professional confidentiality obligations.
• Independence. The advisory partner does not have contingent compensation tied to specific business outcomes (e.g., no success-fee on fundraising amounts). Compensation is retainer / fixed-fee — preserves objectivity.
• Specialisation match. Different partners specialise in different scopes — fundraising, audit transition, banker relations, family business, etc. The discovery process surfaces the right fit; partner is matched accordingly for the ongoing engagement.
• Walk-away right. Either side may end the retainer at month-end with 30 days\' notice. No long lock-ins; honest fit matters more than retention.

How to start

1. Sign up via Google or magic-link email.
2. From the dashboard service catalog, select Finance & Business Advisory.
3. Pay ₹9,999 discovery fee via Razorpay.
4. Complete the 15-minute initial questionnaire.
5. Partner runs the structured discovery within 6 working days; advisory memo + scoping document delivered with a 45-minute walk-through call.
6. If you proceed with a recommended engagement within 30 days, ₹9,999 is credited against the first month / project fee.

Or book a free 15-minute initial call if you want to discuss whether the discovery is the right next step before committing.