Prepare your numbers, forecasts and finance story for investor scrutiny.
Investment readiness is not just about having a good pitch.
Investors need to trust the numbers behind the opportunity.
Leask Advisory Solutions helps growth businesses prepare the financial visibility, forecasts, reporting, controls and commercial story needed for funding conversations, due diligence and board-level scrutiny.
Led by Julia Leask FCMA, CGMA, Leask provides senior finance leadership when the business needs investor-ready numbers but does not yet need, or cannot yet justify, a full-time Finance Director.
A strong opportunity can still be weakened by unclear numbers.
Many growth businesses have the ambition, market opportunity and momentum to attract investor interest.
But when investors start asking detailed questions, the finance function is often where confidence is won or lost.
Forecasts need to be credible. Assumptions need to be explainable. Cashflow needs to be understood. Reporting needs to be timely. The leadership team needs to show that the business is not just exciting, but financially controlled.
Investment readiness helps you prepare before the pressure is on.
You may need investment readiness support if…
You are preparing for investment
Forecasts, assumptions, cashflow and reporting need to stand up to scrutiny.
Investors need confidence in the numbers behind the opportunity.
Your finance function has not kept pace with growth
Bookkeeping and compliance may be in place, but senior finance leadership is missing.
Growth needs structure before pressure builds.
You need clearer runway and cashflow visibility
Funding, hiring, development costs and expansion plans need careful planning.
Cashflow clarity protects decision-making.
Board reporting needs to improve
The leadership team needs better information for decisions and stakeholder updates.
Boards need insight, not just historic accounts.
You are expanding internationally
UK, US or group reporting may become more complex.
Cross-border growth needs joined-up finance.
You need CFO-level judgement before hiring permanently
The business needs senior finance input, but not yet a full-time FD.
Fractional support can bridge the gap at the right stage.
Investment readiness is not just a spreadsheet.
A forecast matters, but it is only part of the picture.
Investors also want to know whether the leadership team understands the business financially and whether the finance function can support the next stage of growth.
Runway and cashflow
What needs to be clear: How long cash lasts, what drives burn and where pressure may appear.
Helps leadership and investors understand timing and risk.
Forecasts and assumptions
What needs to be clear: Revenue, costs, funding needs, hiring plans and growth scenarios.
Shows whether the plan is commercially credible.
Board reporting
What needs to be clear: Clear, timely information for leadership and investors.
Supports better decisions and stronger accountability.
Finance systems and controls
What needs to be clear: Reliable processes behind the numbers.
Reduces risk during due diligence and scale-up.
International reporting
What needs to be clear: UK, US or group finance visibility where relevant.
Makes growth across borders easier to manage.
Finance function maturity
What needs to be clear: The right structure for the stage of the business.
Helps the business grow towards permanent finance leadership when ready.
Build the finance foundations behind the funding story.
Leask helps growth businesses strengthen the financial evidence, reporting and decision-making needed before investor scrutiny begins.
CFO-level support before a full-time FD is viable
Fractional CFO & Strategic Finance Partner
Preparing forecasts, reporting and due diligence evidence
Investment Readiness
Understanding runway, cashflow and working capital pressure
Cashflow & Profitability Improvement
Improving board packs and investor reporting
Governance, Reporting & Board Support
Building stronger finance processes and controls
Finance Systems, Reporting & Controls
Managing UK, US or group finance complexity
International Finance Support
Understanding value drivers before investment or exit
Business Value Review
Preparing the business for future transition or handover
Exit & Succession Readiness
Finance foundations that stand up to scrutiny.
Finance function needed to mature quickly
Leask support: Built and managed UK, US and group finance activity
Stronger financial visibility across the business
Series A and due diligence pressure
Leask support: Supported forecasts, reporting, cashflow planning and investor scrutiny
Helped support a successful £5.5m investment
International growth
Leask support: Supported cross-border reporting and practical finance coordination
Greater control through UK and US expansion
Future finance structure
Leask support: Built a finance function that could later be handed over
Permanent FD became viable at the right stage
Trusted when the numbers need to stand up to scrutiny.
“Julia was acting CFO for the company… she handled the reporting to the board and to the C-suite for the entire company.”
Rachel Fuller
Head of Diversified and International, Escalon Services
Advisers bring Julia in when clients need more than compliance.
Investment readiness often starts when an accountant, bookkeeper or outsourced finance provider recognises that the client needs more than clean records.
They need someone who can interpret the numbers, support reporting and help leadership understand what investors will expect.
“Julia was acting CFO for the company… she handled the reporting to the board and to the C-suite for the entire company.”
Rachel Fuller
Head of Diversified and International, Escalon Services
CFO-level support, board reporting and strategic finance leadership
“If they’re doing seed rounds and investment rounds, there’s a huge amount of reporting required, and they need to understand their numbers inside out. They need a Julia for that.”
Jane Capel
Managing Director, Think Smart Accounts
Investment reporting, management insight and funding readiness
Investment readiness works best when there is a real business behind the raise.
Leask is best suited to established or properly funded growth businesses that are ready to strengthen financial visibility before investor scrutiny increases.
Better fit
- Healthtech, life sciences or innovation-led business preparing for growth
- Business preparing for funding or investor reporting
- Finance function has not kept pace with ambition
- Board, investors or leadership need clearer numbers
- International expansion is creating finance complexity
- Business needs senior judgement before hiring a permanent FD
Not the right fit
- Very early idea with no live finance requirement
- Founder only wants help with a pitch deck
- Business only wants bookkeeping or compliance
- No appetite to improve reporting or controls
- No real need for strategic finance support
- Wants cheap finance admin, not challenge
Start by understanding whether your numbers are investor-ready.
Investment Readiness Assessment
Whether forecasts, reporting, controls and the finance story are ready for investor scrutiny.
Cashflow Clarity Assessment
Whether runway, working capital or timing issues could create pressure.
Governance & Reporting Assessment
Whether board reporting and management information are decision-ready.
Business Value Assessment
Whether value drivers, risks or finance foundations need attention before growth or exit.
Practical resources to help you prepare before investors start asking questions.
Healthtech & Innovation-Led Investment Readiness Guide
Prepare forecasts, reporting and finance evidence before investor scrutiny.
7 Steps to Raising Capital
Understand the financial preparation needed before funding conversations.
Investment Readiness Checklist
Review whether your finance function, forecasts and reporting are ready.
Cashflow Improvement Tool
Identify whether runway, timing or working capital could weaken confidence.
Board Reporting Checklist
Improve the financial information used by leadership, boards and investors.
Frequently asked questions
When should we start preparing for investment?
Before investor conversations become urgent. Strengthening forecasts, reporting, controls and cashflow visibility early makes it easier to answer investor questions with confidence.
Can Leask help with due diligence?
Yes. Leask can help prepare the financial information, forecasts, controls and supporting evidence likely to matter during due diligence.
Do we need a full-time Finance Director before raising investment?
Not always. Many growth businesses need senior finance leadership before they are ready to hire a full-time Finance Director. Leask can provide Fractional CFO and investment readiness support at that stage.
Can Leask work alongside our existing accountant or outsourced finance team?
Yes. Leask can work alongside accountants, bookkeepers, outsourced finance teams and advisers, adding the senior strategic finance layer above day-to-day finance delivery.
What if our forecasts already exist?
Existing forecasts are a useful start, but they may still need testing. Leask can help review assumptions, cashflow, reporting, risk and whether the numbers support the story leadership wants to tell.
Preparing for investment? Make sure the numbers are ready before the scrutiny starts.
If your business is approaching funding, due diligence, investor reporting or board-level scrutiny, Leask can help you build the financial clarity and confidence needed for the next stage.
You need more than a good story. You need numbers, forecasts and reporting that support it.