Freelancer profile translated to English.
Back to original languageAbout David
I work as a Fractional CFO/COO and strategic sparring partner with startups in the transition phase between product-market fit and a scalable organization.
Typically, the product is established, and initial revenues are present. At the same time, complexity, decision density, and operational dependency on the founder team increase.
In this phase, the focus is not primarily on further growth, but on structural scalability:
A resilient foundation of Finance, People, Operations, and Leadership that enables growth in the first place.
I know this phase from my own responsibility.
As a co-founder and CFO/COO, I led a VC-funded FinTech from its inception through product-market fit to the scaling phase, raised several million in venture capital, built a team from 0 to 30 employees, and sold the company in 2024.
Today, I bring this experience to where entrepreneurial dynamics must meet structure, enabling scaling without loss of control.
German
Native or bilingual
English
Fluent
Can work on-site
München (up to 50km), Berlin (up to 50km), Frankfurt am Main (up to 50km), Stuttgart (up to 50km), Köln (up to 50km)
Experience
- SelbstständigFractional CFO/COO and Sparring Partner for Startup FoundersOctober 2023 - Today (2 years and 10 months)Typical areas of engagement at the leadership level:
- Strategic sparring on core financial, operational, and personnel decisions
- Fundraising logic and capital planning, including investor readiness and scenario modeling
- Forecasting and liquidity management as a decision-making tool
- Financial control and KPI logic
- Translating strategy into an organization with clear responsibilities and processes
- Structural and personnel decisions at the interface of Finance, Operations, and Leadership
Depending on the phase, I work in a sparring capacity, on a project basis, or operatively involved as a Fractional CFO/COO.Selected mandates include:- mitte – Boutique Padel (Sports, Brick and Mortar) -> Investment and expansion strategy with a focus on location valuation and investment structure
- HOLZRICHTER Berlin (E-Commerce) -> Fractional CFO/COO responsible for Finance, People, and Operations
- PATOffice (B2B SaaS) -> CEO sparring and preparation and structuring of the financing round
Typical situations where I get involved:- After product-market fit, when scaling needs to be organizationally prepared
- Before or during a funding round
- When forecasts and KPIs do not function as a real basis for decisions
- When roles, responsibilities, and priorities need to be reorganized
- When founders need a structural counterweight at eye level
- OWWN (Partnered with N26)Co-Founder & CFO/COOBANKING AND INSURANCEJanuary 2021 - May 2022 (1 year and 4 months)Berlin, GermanyTogether with my co-founder Bastian, I developed the idea of creating a banking app for users of deineStudienfinanzierung, focusing on Generation Z.We created a completely new brand and raised 5 million Euros from top-tier venture capital funds such as EQT Ventures and 468 Capital, as well as OMR, to develop this new product.Unfortunately, the product never really gained enough traction, which is why we later sold the assets to the digital bank N26.
- deineStudienfinanzierung (Exit an Getsafe)Co-Founder & CFO/COOBANKING AND INSURANCEMay 2017 - May 2022 (5 years)Berlin, GermanyMy two co-founders and I built deineStudienfinanzierung.de into the leading student financing platform in Germany. I stepped down from operational management as CEO in 2022, and we sold the company to the digital insurer Getsafe in early 2024.On our journey together, we:
- Built a six-figure user base that loved our product (5.0 Google and 4.8 TrustPilot ratings from several hundred reviews)
- Achieved seven-figure annual revenue and were profitable from the 4th year of operations onwards
- Built a team of approximately 25 people with a great culture and working environment (4.4 Kununu rating from 37 reviews)
- Integrated several providers of student financing products onto our platform
- Became the first startup to establish an official sales partnership with the state-owned KfW Bank
- Raised several million in venture capital from top-tier business angels, venture capital funds, and the leading FinTech company builder
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Education
- EntrepreneurshipUniversity of LiechtensteinEntrepreneurship
- Bachelor of ArtsBerlin School of Technology and EconomicsBachelor of Arts (B.A.), Busines Admnistration