When Robertson Stephens Wealth Management relaunched under the sponsorship of Long Arc Capital, the firm had an accomplished new management team and ambitious growth plans—but no in-house finance function. With only a single temporary employee handling finance, the firm lacked the people, infrastructure, and processes needed to support rapid expansion.
Long Arc Capital chose Consero’s Finance as a Service (FaaS) solution to stand up a complete, turnkey back-office operation—even before hiring a CFO. When David Westbrook, formerly CFO for Rockefeller & Co. (an $18 billion investment advisory firm), joined as Robertson Stephens’ new CFO, the finance function was already established and running.
“I didn’t have to investigate what GL to use or what payroll system was best for our needs. I certainly didn’t need to source all the talent we needed for the finance function, so we got a top-notch team with all the relevant skills and experience without the time-consuming task of recruiting, training and retaining a team.” — David Westbrook, CFO, Robertson Stephens
Company Profile
- Industry: Wealth Management / Financial Services
- Consero Solution: Finance as a Service (FaaS)
- Sponsor: Long Arc Capital
- Company Size: Started with fewer than a dozen employees; scaled rapidly through acquisitions
Partnership Highlights
- Accelerated M&A Onboarding: Successfully integrated new acquisitions—including 5–10 employees and new payroll systems—within just one to two weeks.
- Executive Empowerment: Freed the CFO to devote 50% of his time to new business development and organic growth.
- Zero Recruitment Friction: Gained a top-tier finance team with all relevant skills without the time-consuming tasks of recruiting, training, or retaining staff.
- Resource Elasticity: Utilized a model where Consero scales resources up during heavy acquisition periods and shrinks the footprint once integration is complete.
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The Consero Solution: A Turnkey Finance Department
Consero provided Robertson Stephens with a fully managed back-office solution that acted as a trusted partner rather than a mere vendor. The engagement delivered:
- Immediate Infrastructure: A pre-established General Ledger (GL), payroll system, and standardized processes that eliminated months of setup time.
- Strategic Referrals: Guidance beyond core finance, including sourcing legal, tax, and HR providers like TriNet for PEO services.
- Operational Reliability: Brief, efficient check-ins that ensured core functions were handled seamlessly, allowing leadership to focus on client interests and alpha-generating investments.
- Expert Integration: Professional management of “non-organic” growth complexities, such as new office locations and multi-state payroll.
“Our non-organic growth has been very aggressive. We’ll acquire a business… and Consero will be able to apply the staff and expertise to get them onboarded in a week or two.” — David Westbrook, CFO, Robertson Stephens
Get a Finance Foundation That Scales
Robertson Stephens transformed from a startup-stage relaunch into a rapidly growing wealth management firm—without the distraction of building and managing an internal finance team. Consero’s FaaS solution gave them the infrastructure, expertise, and flexibility to grow on their own terms.
If your organization is entering a new chapter—PE-backed transformation, rapid growth, acquisitions, or simply outgrowing a lean finance setup—Consero can help you build a reliable finance and accounting function without slowing your momentum.
Don’t let the lack of an internal finance team slow your momentum. Contact Consero today to request a consultation.
