Founder Financial Infrastructure Standard
The face of modern finance, for growth focused companies.
Seven Books. Three compliance levels. Free to use, cite, and distribute.
The early‑stage financial market has no shared definition of quality. A founder preparing for a fundraise cannot evaluate whether a financial model will survive investor scrutiny. An investor receiving a model cannot assume its reliability until they test it themselves. This vacuum creates friction at every stage of the capital formation process and causes entirely preventable company deaths.
The Founder Financial Infrastructure Standard fills that vacuum. It defines what financial systems, models, processes, and documentation a company must maintain at each stage of development, across seven domains, at three levels of compliance. It does not prescribe how that infrastructure is built, by whom, or using what tools. It defines what must exist, and at what level of completeness.
The Standard is open, citable, and published under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International. It applies to any company at any stage, regardless of jurisdiction, business model, or funding source. It is the reference framework for founders building serious companies, for investors funding them, and for advisors guiding them.
For Founders
Understand what financial infrastructure your company must maintain, at your stage and for your business model. Specific requirements and benchmarks for all seven company types.
Start here →For Investors
Reference the Standard in portfolio requirements, term sheets, and due diligence. The Investor Expectations Matrix defines what each category of investor should expect to see at each stage.
Read more →For Advisors & Partners
Deliver client engagements against a published, citable methodology. Any qualified advisory firm or institutional body may implement the Standard.
Read more →The Standard at a Glance
178 defined terms, three compliance levels, one maturity model. The Standard is organised into seven Books, each governing a distinct domain of financial infrastructure.
Book 0: Foundations and Definitions
The core principles, glossary, company stage and type taxonomies, compliance level definitions, and the Financial Infrastructure Maturity Model.
Book 1: Financial Architecture
The three‑statement model, cash management, financial reporting, and accounting integrity.
Book 2: Performance Modeling and Forecasting
Forecasting methodology, unit economics, scenario and sensitivity analysis, growth modeling, and cost structure.
Book 3: Capital Structure and Equity
The cap table, SAFEs and convertible instruments, equity compensation, capital allocation, and exit mechanics.
Book 4: Valuation
Valuation methodology, discounted cash flow, comparable company analysis, precedent transactions, and market sizing.
Book 5: Investor Readiness
The financial data room, financial narrative, investor expectations matrix, and financial due diligence preparation.
Book 6: Strategic Financial Planning
The annual operating plan, strategic decision modeling, departmental financial planning, and KPI frameworks.
Explore the complete Standard →
Download the complete Standard (PDF, Beta v0.5)
Latest Insight
9 May 2026 — At scale stage, a declining LTV to CAC ratio is not a fluctuation. It signals a structural shift in unit economics that demands a strategic response.
The FFI Standard is the first open framework defining financial infrastructure for growth focused companies, globally. It is maintained by The Oakworth Group and published under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International. It is free to use, cite, and distribute.