Fractional CFO for data centers companies
Data centers run on contracted megawatts, not headline revenue. Long-dated colocation and hyperscale leases generate backlog and deferred revenue that must reconcile to delivered MW; ground leases, PPAs and equipment financing pull ASC 842 and IFRS 16 onto the balance sheet alongside heavy capex, with power, cooling and bandwidth pass-throughs sitting inside gross margin.
The CFO work splits in two. Development-stage capacity is reported separately from operating capacity, with capex per MW, lease-adjusted EBITDA and revenue per contracted MW tied back to the build-out schedule. The cash side runs in parallel: GC milestone payments, customer ramp deposits, straight-line versus cash rent, and the working capital cycle between them.
Flow provides financial modelling, FP&A and fractional CFO advisory to data center companies across hyperscale and wholesale colocation, retail and edge colocation, interconnection and carrier-neutral facilities and build-to-suit operators.
KPIs to track for "data centers" startups
We're very 'KPI-driven' fractional CFOs, and we make sure to monitor the right metrics for your startup.
MW capacity (operating)
MW contracted
MW under construction
Utilisation
Revenue per MW
PUE
Contracted backlog
WALT (weighted avg lease term)
Lease-adjusted EBITDA
Capex per MW delivered
Customer concentration
Interconnection revenue
Financial modelling for "data centers" startups
As fractional CFOs, we build KPI-driven financial models that are insightful and easy to maintain.
Financial modelling is both art and science - models must be robust, but also understandable, and useful for both internal planning and VC fundraising purposes. Hire a fractional CFO who knows how to handle both sides of the equation.
MW capacity and utilisation build
Operating, contracted, leased and under-construction megawatts modelled facility-by-facility against the build schedule and customer ramp. Reconciles the engineering view of capacity with the commercial view of contracted load.
Capex per MW and development pipeline
Land, shell, M&E, cooling and IT capex phased per facility with capex per delivered MW benchmarked against the development pipeline. Shows lenders and investors where build cost is tracking against pro forma.
Lease-adjusted EBITDA bridge
Cash rent, straight-line rent, ASC 842 and IFRS 16 right-of-use treatment reconciled into a lease-adjusted EBITDA the rating agencies and infra lenders actually use. Removes the accounting noise that hides underlying operating performance.
Contracted backlog and WALT
Backlog by customer, lease term and ramp profile rolled into delivered revenue with weighted average lease term tracked alongside concentration. Distinguishes durable hyperscale contracts from short retail terms that need refilling.
Power and pass-through economics
Energy, PUE and PPA assumptions modelled into power gross margin with metered versus fixed customer pass-throughs separated. Surfaces where rising power prices hit the P&L versus where they pass through to customers.
Revenue per MW and customer concentration
Revenue per contracted and operating MW broken down by customer, deal vintage and product mix including interconnection. Tells the board which deals lift the portfolio yield and which dilute it.
Founders and investors we've worked with
We've supported winning builders across data centers and beyond.
Dataprana
We acted as fractional CFO to Dataprana, a Miami-based data center developer and operator focused on crypto mining and AI / GPU compute workloads, building its bottom-up model and supporting an institutional growth round.
See more
Radtonics
We acted as fractional CFO and fundraising advisor to Radtonics, a Stockholm-based private LTE & 5G networks and edge cloud compute provider, preparing investor materials for an institutional growth round.
See more
TBô
We acted as fractional CFO to TBô, a Zurich-based tech-enabled DTC male underwear brand, building a bottom-up financial / operating model with cohort-level KPIs and positioning the company for its next venture round.
See more
Onlogist
We acted as fractional CFO to Onlogist, a Hamburg-based online marketplace for last-mile vehicle transfer, providing confidential valuation guidance and operating model support.
See more
Marcura
We acted as fractional CFO to Dubai-based Marcura, owner of maritime payroll and B2B payments platform MarTrust, advising on the strategic e-Wallet vendor selection and supporting product/finance integration.
See moreRecent fractional CFO track record
See our fractional CFO and financial modelling experience across data centers and beyond.
Simple pricing
No hidden costs, no complicated long-term contracts. We understand how important flexibility is for data centers startups.
Per month
- Accounting / FP&A tech stack implementation
- Monthly financial statements and reporting pack
- Quarterly board pack with detailed financial analysis (with variance analysis vs. budget, relevant KPI observations etc.)
- Investor-friendly output
Per month
- Everything in Core, plus
- Operating model (via an online platform like Runway or Excel-based)
- Ongoing model maintenance, refining projections, burn/runway management
- Customer cohorts modelling, churn and retention analysis
- LTV / CAC, unit economics analysis
- Cap table management
Per month
- Everything in Grow, plus
- M&A / fundraising support; review of business plan
- Pitch deck preparation
- Investor approach strategy / list building
- Due diligence support and deal negotiation
- Valuation as required and free access to Multiples Pro
Packages shown are illustrative, final pricing is tailored to client requirements.
Explore our fractional CFO offering for similar verticals
We're a specialized fractional CFO to digital infrastructure companies.
Our fractional CFO experience spans across all digital infrastructure verticals.
Explore other sectors
We know tech inside & out.
We provide fractional CFO services to companies operating across the entire tech.
More services
We help you scale by providing fractional CFO advice, through fundraising and a successful M&A exit.
VC fundraising for data centers companies
We help you prepare materials, reach out to investors in our extensive network, negotiate fair term sheets and structure the VC round.
Learn moreM&A for data centers companies
We advise winning tech companies on M&A exits, and over the years successfully executed numerous transactions with both financial and strategic buyers.
Learn moreTalk to us
Schedule a call to get a health check on your business and see how we could help.
Fractional CFO
- Fractional CFO for Software
- Fractional CFO for AI & ML
- Fractional CFO for Fintech
- Fractional CFO for Consumer internet
- Fractional CFO for Digital media
- Fractional CFO for E-commerce & marketplaces
- Fractional CFO for Consumer products
- Fractional CFO for Mobility
- Fractional CFO for Digital health
- Fractional CFO for Industrial technology
- Fractional CFO for Digital infrastructure
- Fractional CFO for IT services
Stages
Countries
- UK Fractional CFO
- Ireland Fractional CFO
- France Fractional CFO
- Germany Fractional CFO
- Spain Fractional CFO
- Portugal Fractional CFO
- Italy Fractional CFO
- Netherlands Fractional CFO
- Belgium Fractional CFO
- Switzerland Fractional CFO
- Austria Fractional CFO
- Denmark Fractional CFO
- Sweden Fractional CFO
- Norway Fractional CFO
- Finland Fractional CFO
- Poland Fractional CFO
- Estonia Fractional CFO
- US Fractional CFO
- Canada Fractional CFO
- Mexico Fractional CFO
- Brazil Fractional CFO
- UAE Fractional CFO
- Australia Fractional CFO
Cities
- London Fractional CFO
- Dublin Fractional CFO
- Paris Fractional CFO
- Berlin Fractional CFO
- Madrid Fractional CFO
- Lisbon Fractional CFO
- Milan Fractional CFO
- Amsterdam Fractional CFO
- Brussels Fractional CFO
- Zurich Fractional CFO
- Vienna Fractional CFO
- Copenhagen Fractional CFO
- Stockholm Fractional CFO
- Oslo Fractional CFO
- Helsinki Fractional CFO
- Warsaw Fractional CFO
- Tallinn Fractional CFO
- New York Fractional CFO
- Toronto Fractional CFO
- Mexico City Fractional CFO
- São Paulo Fractional CFO
- Dubai Fractional CFO
- Sydney Fractional CFO