Co-founder

Alastair Barlow FCCA

Alastair Barlow FCCA

I’m an accountant, speaker, judge and adviser to industry forums and co-founder of flinder, a pioneer of smart finance functions® to accelerate the growth of tech, SaaS and e-commerce businesses.

Industry disruptor and thought leader

I’m a passionate advocate of technology and a data-led approach to finance, and I speak, advise and contribute to many industry forums. I write a regular column for AccountingWeb and sit on the ACCA Practitioner’s Panel Network, Global Technology Forum, and Advisory Boards for Digital Accountancy Show, AccountingWEB Live and Early Adopters Hub. I was recognised for my work driving the profession to a better place and acting as a catalyst for change by winning ACCA UK Advocate of the Year 2019.

Bringing best practice to fast-growth companies

I spent 16 years at PwC in various roles across consulting, assurance and in my last role I led PwC’s MyFinancepartner in London & South East, working with fast-growth businesses.

I bring my background of working with large multinationals in finance function transformation to benefit fast-growth businesses.

Strategic direction and vision for the business

We see a convergence of accountancy services and data and technology that’s disrupting the industry. This is our core foundation and we see flinder at the heart of it. In my former role as CEO of flinder, I set the strategic direction and vision for the business and work alongside my co-founder Luke Streeter to help make this a reality. In my current role, I’m a consultant to Ascendant and support the group with growth through acquisition.

Outside of work I enjoy spending time with my daughter, fitness, cycling, snowboarding, skiing, reading, self-development, business, motorsports, rugby, international travel and the arts.

Articles by Alastair

Metrics that matter: Founder insights from early-stage to scale-up

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How to improve your business credit score: Expert insights from Capitalise CEO Paul Surtees

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7 Key lessons from Laura Beales on optimising CAC for tech start-ups

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The importance of budgeting for e-commerce businesses

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When and how to use the North Star framework for your start-up

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Mastering inventory reporting: The key to e-commerce success

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The importance of cash monitoring and reporting for start-ups

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Unleashing growth with sector-specific reporting

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Building budgets and forecasts: A look into top-performing finance teams in start-ups

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Breathing new life into e-commerce: Embracing the second-hand market

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Finance in the strategy room: How finance supports strategy in start-ups

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Decoding SaaS: Your guide to essential tech & SaaS terms

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Understanding the language of e-commerce: Key terms explained

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Connecting the dots: Aligning financial reporting to business operations

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Building a distinctive e-commerce brand in a saturated market

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Unravelling SaaS pricing strategies in 2023

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10 key e-commerce trends: Navigating the road to fast-growth in 2023

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Unlocking VC funding in 2023: Top three investor priorities every SaaS founder should know

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Making finance the heart of your board meetings

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A seat at the table: The role of finance in strategic decision-making

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Building in public – Episode 4

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What is revenue churn?

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The evolution of management reporting: What fast-growth companies and investors expect

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How to supercharge your tech & SaaS business with an outsourced CFO

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Building in public – episode 3

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Building in public – episode 2

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What is the Rule of 40?

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What are OKRs?

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Common mistakes to avoid when setting up an EMI scheme

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Building in public – episode 1

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What is a down round?

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How you should prepare for meeting with VCs

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How to value your start-up

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How the R&D tax relief changes will impact tech and SaaS start-ups

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Monthly recurring revenue (MRR) expansion explained

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Average revenue per account (ARPA)

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Revenue-based financing v equity funding for SaaS businesses

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Checkout abandonment rate explained

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Trial to paid conversion rate explained

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Monthly recurring revenue (MRR) explained

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What is customer acquisition cost (CAC) and how to calculate it

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How smart is your finance function?

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What is a fractional CFO and when should you get one?

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Why you need to be using the Rule of 40 to support your business growth

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Could Enterprise Management Incentive (EMI) share options be right for you?

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Real-time insight for tech, SaaS and e-commerce – it’s about time

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The metrics you need to know to create a compelling investor story

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Lifetime value/customer acquisition cost ratio explained

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Zero cash date explained

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flinder - accelerating growth

At flinder, we build and run smart finance functions® for fast-growth and complex businesses. We’re a technology and data-led finance partner that works with fast-growth businesses to improve performance, prepare for investment and scale operations. We harness complex data and deliver relevant insight to enable better decision-making to accelerate growth.

See how we can help you accelerate growth