Financial Modelling & Fundraising Insights

Scenario planning isn't pessimism. It's preparation — and it's one of the clearest signals of Founder and CFO maturity. Most Founders build one financial model. The optimistic one. The one that gets investors nodding, the one that tells the story you want to tell. The one, if we're honest, that plays to your 'exited founder' side. There's nothing wrong with ambition baked into a model. But in my experience, the companies that last — the ones that pivot well, survive the hard

How to forecast a drug discovery business

These are the main benefits of a financial model

AI in financial modelling

Why £3m? I get asked a lot about how to value a pre-revenue business. It can help to think about how much Angel investors are looking to make from their initial investment. Realistically, it’s a 7 year time frame to exit. So assuming a 30-40% pa return (IRR) for the high equity risk, compounding for 7 years, that equates to about 10x their money. Yes we’d all love a 100 bagger. But let’s assume 10x. So, what is a “realistic” exit value you can achieve? £30-40m? So working bac

Whether you’re raising your first round or preparing for a growth-stage fundraise, investors will ultimately make decisions based on a combination of your story and  your numbers. While every business is unique, there is a consistent set of metrics that investors rely on to assess performance, scalability, and long‑term value. Below is a breakdown of the core metrics that matter most — and why they’re so important. 1. Percentage of Recurring Revenue Recurring revenue is one o

At GRAY Financial Modelling, we follow a rigorous, industry‑aligned formatting standard to ensure every model we build is intuitive, transparent, and easy to navigate. Consistency isn’t just a preference — it’s a core part of best‑practice financial modelling, helping teams collaborate smoothly and enabling investors, executives, and stakeholders to understand your numbers at a glance. To achieve this, we apply a universally recognised colour‑coding structure throughout all o

Looking for a quick way to spot trends, errors, or anomalies in your dataset — without building charts manually?There’s a simple Excel shortcut that can save you time and give you instant visual clarity. Have You Tried the F11 Key? Just select any range of data in Excel and hit F11 . In seconds, Excel will generate a brand‑new tab containing a fully formatted chart based on your selection — typically a bar or line chart. No menus, no setup, no formulas. Just instant visualisa

You’ve built the financial model — but is it 'Investor-ready'? When you're heading into a fundraise, your financial model becomes more than just an internal planning tool. It’s your first impression and the first things investors will ask for, before they even meet you. As a financial modelling consultant and former VC investor, I’ve seen so many operating models fall short in fundraising because they weren’t built with investors in mind. Ask yourself: ✅ Do you have a clean,