As startups graduate into the mid-market, financial complexity grows—but hiring a full-time CFO too early can drain resources and slow agility. In today’s market, companies need strategic finance leadership without the permanent overhead.

That’s fueling the growth of fractional finance models, where leadership can be dialed up or down based on stage, goals, and capital constraints. Ledger & Lane, a fast-growing U.S.-based firm, is delivering CFO-as-a-service to growth-stage businesses who need more than accounting, but less than a full finance department.

Ledger & Lane places seasoned CFOs—many former executives from public companies—on embedded contracts to lead fundraising, optimize cash flow, and build board-ready reporting systems. Clients range from direct-to-consumer brands to logistics startups, and the firm claims it can reduce time-to-funding by up to 40%.

With capital markets tighter and margins under pressure, outsourced executive roles like this are quickly becoming the norm. For companies scaling fast and hiring cautiously, the modern CFO might not be on payroll—but in your Slack workspace.