Chief Financial Officer

THE ROLE

Own the financial strategy that takes Equanimo.ai from first close to exit.

Equanimo.ai addresses one of the defining unsolved problems in enterprise technology today — the gap between AI adoption and provable AI governance in regulated industries. We are pre-IPO, well-capitalised, and operating in a market where regulatory pressure has already arrived. The opportunity is real, the timing is right, and we are moving.

We are hiring a high-impact CFO to serve as a strategic partner to the CEO as we raise our institutional seed round and scale our AI Company.

We're at an inflection point. The product is live, and what we need now is a seasoned financial operator who has done this before — someone who has navigated a technology company from early funding rounds through a liquidity event, and who can build the financial infrastructure, investor narrative, and capital strategy that gets us there.

This is not a bookkeeping role. It's a strategic seat at the table.

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THE NON-NEGOTIABLE

You have been here before.

• ★ You have navigated a technology startup through a full capital cycle — from early-stage fundraising through Series A/B, and into an IPO or strategic exit (M&A, PE acquisition, or secondary).
• ★ You understand how new AI ecosystem financials work: ARPU, ASP ,ARR, NRR, CAC/LTV, gross margin on software versus professional services, and how to model a path to profitability that a growth-stage investor will believe.
• ★ You have built investor-grade financial models and contributed to pitch decks that closed rounds — not as a support role, but as a co-author of the financial story.
• ★ You know the difference between a company that is ready to raise and one that needs six more months of preparation — and you can get us ready.

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WHAT YOU'LL OWN

Core responsibilities.

Capital Strategy & Fundraising (Primary Focus)

• Lead the financial narrative for Series A and subsequent rounds alongside the CEO— including investor materials, data room preparation, and diligence management
• Build and maintain a fundraising pipeline in coordination with the founding team and legal counsel
• Define and own the capital allocation strategy post-close
• Develop and manage relationships with VC, growth equity, and strategic investor communities in the enterprise SaaS and AI governance space
• Structure and negotiate term sheets, SAFEs, convertible notes, and equity arrangements

Financial Strategy & Planning

• Build the company's 3–5-year financial model: revenue projections by product module, cost structure, headcount plan, and cash runway
• Own the annual budget and quarterly forecast processes — and hold the business accountable to them
• Develop scenario models for key strategic decisions (pricing changes, market expansion, product investment)
• Build and own a board-ready financial dashboard and a monthly reporting cadence
• Own cash flow forecasting, burn management, and runway planning
• Implement financial discipline across hiring and operational spend
• Build visibility into AI infrastructure costs and gross margin dynamics

Pitch Decks & Investor Communication

• Co-author pitch decks with a focus on the financial story, market sizing, unit economics, and growth trajectory
• Translate product milestones and go-to-market progress into investor-grade financial language
• Prepare investor updates, board packages, and financial sections of board presentations
• Build the financial outlook — including base, upside, and stress scenarios — that anchors every investor conversation

Exit Planning & Value Creation

• Define and execute an exit strategy — whether IPO, strategic acquisition, or PE-backed growth — with clear milestones and value-creation levers
• Build the financial infrastructure and governance required for institutional due diligence (Series B readiness, IPO-readiness audit, or M&A data room)
• Identify and engage potential acquirers or strategic partners in the enterprise software, cybersecurity, and AI governance markets
• Manage cap table structure, option pool, and secondary liquidity planning

Financial Operations & Governance

• Establish and own financial controls, reporting infrastructure, and compliance requirements appropriate to a growth-stage SaaS company
• Manage relationships with external accountants, auditors, tax advisors, and legal counsel
• Oversee R&D tax credits, QSBS eligibility, and other tax-efficient structures for investors and employees
• Build scalable financial operations ahead of each major company milestone

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WHAT YOU BRING

Experience & background.

Required

• 10+ years in financial leadership roles
• Demonstrable experience navigating a tech startup from seed/Series A through IPO or M&A exit
• Deep expertise in enterprise SaaS financial models — ARR, NRR, CAC/LTV, gross margin analysis
• Track record of co-authoring pitch decks and investor materials that closed rounds
• Experience building 3–5 year financial models and board-ready reporting
• Comfort operating as a fractional leader across multiple workstreams simultaneously
• Strong relationships in the venture capital and enterprise software investor community

Strongly Preferred

• Background in enterprise software, cybersecurity, compliance technology, or AI/ML platforms
• Experience with governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) software markets
• Familiarity with regulated enterprise sales cycles — financial services, healthcare, government
• Prior work with companies targeting CISO, CCO, or CRO buyer personas
• Experience in structuring strategic partnerships or licensing arrangements
• Existing relationships with investors active in AI infrastructure and enterprise security

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ENGAGEMENT MODEL

How do we work together?

Structure: Fractional engagement — typically 2–3 days per week, scaling to full-time around major milestones (fundraising close, board meetings, due diligence periods).

Compensation: meaningful equity participation structured around liquidity milestones.

Equity: Equity tied to the exit/IPO value-creation events you help drive — we want your incentives fully aligned with the outcome.

Location: Remote-first, with periodic travel to Cambridge, MA for board meetings and key investor engagements.

Reporting: Direct line to the CEO and Founder. Board-level visibility from day one.

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WHY EQUANIMO

A once-in-a-cycle market window.

The EU AI Act is in force. NIST AI RMF is the new baseline. GDPR fines for AI misuse are accelerating. Every regulated enterprise on earth is scrambling to prove it governs AI — and almost none of them can. Equanimo is purpose-built for this moment.

The CFO who joins us now will help write the financial story of one of the timeliest enterprise software opportunities in the post-LLM landscape. We are building something that matters — and we intend to build it into an institution.

Strong Preference For Candidates With

• MBA or equivalent from a top-tier institution
• Prior Head of Finance, Strategic Finance, or CFO experience at a VC-backed startup. 
• Background in venture capital, investment banking, or startup finance with institutional credibility. 
• Experience progressing a company from Seed to Series A preparation. 
• Track record of building finance processes from scratch.

What Success Looks Like (First 6–12 Months)

• Seed round executed efficiently with strong institutional investor participation. 
• Clean diligence process and investor-grade financial foundation established. 
• AI infrastructure is actively managed to improve margin visibility. 
• Strong investor communication rhythm and Series A readiness in place.

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Why This Role

This is a high-impact opportunity to own fundraising and financial strategy at a company building AI Governance Palatiform.

You will work directly with the CEO and play a critical role in shaping the company's next stage of growth.

Investor Caliber Summary Line

We are looking for a finance leader who has closed institutional seed rounds before and can leverage strong Silicon Valley and strategic investor relationships to accelerate fundraising, while building the financial backbone for long-term scale.

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How to Apply

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