Raising money changes who reads your books. Before the round, the founders were the only audience. After it, investors expect regular updates, and the numbers in those updates have to agree with the bank and with your filings.
What investors usually expect
- Monthly or quarterly reporting. A profit and loss, balance sheet and cash position, often with burn and runway.
- Compliance on time. GST and TDS filed and paid by their due dates, so there are no surprises in diligence for the next round.
- Clean records. Every rupee of the round traceable, with expenses properly classified.
- Consistency. The same report format every month, so trends are visible.
What needs to change in the books
- A monthly close. Books closed every month, not reconstructed at year end.
- Reconciled accounts. Bank accounts, cards and payment gateways reconciled monthly.
- Proper classification. A chart of accounts that separates product, marketing, salaries and overheads the way you will report them.
- Budget vs actual. A budget for the year, and monthly variance against it.
- Documented payroll. Salary entries posted correctly, with deductions accounted for.
What can wait
Early-stage startups rarely need a full in-house finance team. What they need is the routine done properly every month. A small team with a part-time or outsourced accounting partner can usually cover it until transaction volume or complexity grows.
A simple first 30 days
- Bring any backlog up to date, so the books are current from the round date.
- Set a monthly close calendar and decide who sends which documents, by when.
- Agree a one-page monthly report format with your lead investor.
- Put GST and TDS on a fixed monthly routine.
How FigureWise helps startups
FigureWise runs bookkeeping, GST and TDS compliance and a monthly MIS pack for startups on one prepaid retainer that scales with transaction volume. The scope is narrow on purpose: books, compliance and reporting, done every month.
