About

A CFO for three companies at a time.

I’m Mara Quill, a CPA and former Series B CFO. I work with founders in New York and remotely across the US.

Mara Quill walking down a tree-lined New York street with a leather folder.

Story

Why I went fractional.

I started in audit in 2012, checking the books of venture-backed companies in New York. The pattern was the same every year. Good companies, a gap where a finance lead should be, and founders making big calls on numbers they didn’t fully trust.

In 2016 I joined Stowline, a warehouse software company, as its controller. I cut the month-end close from 21 days to 6, became CFO in 2019 and raised a $34m Series B the year after. Then I was CFO of Verabel Health, a hearing-care company, through two years of rising costs and a tight funding market.

In 2023 I went independent. Most companies between Seed and Series B need a CFO’s judgment a few days a month, not a $320,000 salary. So I work with three at a time, on fixed days, and I keep the number small on purpose. It’s how I stay close enough to each business to be useful.

I’m based in Manhattan. I work on site in New York and remotely with teams across the US.

Career

Fourteen years, five roles.

2012

Audit associate to manager

Big Four firm, New York

Audited venture-backed software and consumer companies. Licensed as a CPA in 2014.

2012

Audit associate to manager

Big Four firm, New York

Audited venture-backed software and consumer companies. Licensed as a CPA in 2014.

2016

Controller

Stowline · warehouse software

Built the first real month-end close and took it from 21 days to 6.

2016

Controller

Stowline · warehouse software

Built the first real month-end close and took it from 21 days to 6.

2019

CFO

Stowline · Series B

Raised a $34m Series B in 2020 and grew finance from 2 people to 7.

2019

CFO

Stowline · Series B

Raised a $34m Series B in 2020 and grew finance from 2 people to 7.

2021

CFO

Verabel Health · Series B

Took gross margin from 48% to 61% and kept 20 months of runway through 2022.

2021

CFO

Verabel Health · Series B

Took gross margin from 48% to 61% and kept 20 months of runway through 2022.

2023

Fractional CFO

Independent · New York

11 companies so far, three retainers at a time.

2023

Fractional CFO

Independent · New York

11 companies so far, three retainers at a time.

Credentials

On paper.

CPA

Certified Public Accountant, New York State, 2014

CPA

Certified Public Accountant, New York State, 2014

CFO

Two Series B companies, 2019–2023

CFO

Two Series B companies, 2019–2023

Raised

$49m in equity and debt, 2020–2026

Raised

$49m in equity and debt, 2020–2026

Boards

60+ board meetings as CFO

Boards

60+ board meetings as CFO

Degree

BS, Accounting and Economics, 2012

Degree

BS, Accounting and Economics, 2012

Principles

How I work.

01

Numbers before opinions

Every recommendation comes with the figure behind it and the document that figure came from.

01

Numbers before opinions

Every recommendation comes with the figure behind it and the document that figure came from.

02

One version of the truth

One model, one set of definitions. If the deck and the books disagree, we fix it before an investor sees it.

02

One version of the truth

One model, one set of definitions. If the deck and the books disagree, we fix it before an investor sees it.

03

Plain English

Board packs a non-finance founder can read in ten minutes. If a term needs a glossary, I rewrite the sentence.

03

Plain English

Board packs a non-finance founder can read in ten minutes. If a term needs a glossary, I rewrite the sentence.

04

Built to hand over

Everything lives in your drive and is written down. The goal is a finance function that runs without me.

04

Built to hand over

Everything lives in your drive and is written down. The goal is a finance function that runs without me.

Mara Quill reviewing printed reports with three members of a client’s leadership team.

A monthly review with a client’s leadership team. Most of the work happens at tables like this one.

Availability

One retainer opens in November.

I take three retainers at a time, and two are filled. If November works for you, book a 30-minute intro and we’ll see if it’s a fit.

2 of 3 retainers filled · next opening November

Create a free website with Framer, the website builder loved by startups, designers and agencies.