Corey Gross, CEO of Sensibill, sat down with Consero to reflect on nine years of scaling a data and AI platform for banks and why he chose Consero’s outsourced Finance as a Service (FaaS) model long before his Series A.
Gross shares advice for founders on early-stage pain points, due-diligence prep, and how the Consero partnership has created value for his company on the road to profitability.
Sensibill’s Origins and Early Funding Journey
Sensibill’s platform bridges bank transaction data and detailed purchase data. When selling to large financial institutions or attracting additional investment, tight internal financial rigor matters.
“Sensibill really sees itself as the bridge between your banking transactions and your buying data,” says Gross.
Pre-Series A: Why an Outsourced Finance Function Made Sense
Ahead of Series A, institutional clients and investors demanded enterprise-grade controls that Nichols couldn’t staff in-house.
Unable to afford a full-time CFO and finance team, Consero provided Sensibill a cost-effective solution to become enterprise-ready and navigate the due diligence process with institutional investors.
- Compliance pressure: audited statements, complex insurance and SOC requirements.
- A seasoned in-house CFO would run $250k–$300k plus AP/AR and controller salaries.
- Consero provided a fractional CFO and back-office team without a full-time payroll burden.
“We couldn’t afford to spend $250-300,000 on a seasoned CFO… Consero let us look enterprise-ready and investor-ready.”
“We were very fortunate that we had someone that could…act as a partner to the business, not just in helping make our organization enterprise ready and partnering with scaling financial institutions, but also allow(ing) us to to meet the increased rigor of a due diligence process from institutional investors.”
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Schedule ConsultationStrategic vs. Tactical Value of FaaS
Consero helped Sensible with day-to-day tactical tasks (AR, AP, closing the books) while providing high-level strategic guidance (fundraisimeng, budgeting, forecasting).
This allowed Corey to focus on product development, marketing, and overall business growth.
“At a certain point you don’t want me doing payroll—you want me in front of customers and sitting in product meetings forecasting what the future roadmap is,” said Gross.
Consero’s Bartley O’Dwyer added:
“A very typical scenario we face when we come in to work with new clients: the investors say ‘We’ve got a great founder, a great business, but we’ve got to get them out of the weeds. We can’t have them doing payroll, AP and AR.
We’ve got to let them flex up. We’ve just invested 10 million, 15-20 million dollars in their business. That’s not the value we’re looking for them to provide.”
Fundraising Advice: Lessons from Seed to Series B
For founders considering fundraising, Corey emphasizes transparency and thorough preparation.
He recommends creating one source of truth that credibly tells the company’s story, including:
“Any founder or business that’s preparing for diligence in a fundraising round, it’s a great exercise to put yourself out of the operating chair and get a handle on what your business is and how the market perceives your business.
I set off to build really comprehensive materials talking about our corporate story, then our product and technology story, and then our financial story in three separate packages.”
“We wanted to prepare comprehensive packages so anyone could get a read on the business without digging.”
Day-to-Day Operating Model With Consero
A cadence of weekly and monthly touch-points keeps finance embedded, yet distributed, with operations:
- Weekly one-on-ones and finance cadence; CFO joins bi-weekly sales calls.
- Monthly functional budget reviews; CFO presents in Friday executive meetings.
- Remote setup feels seamless: “My VP of Product is as close to me as the CFO.”
“They become part of your family… weekly finance cadence, executive meetings—just like any internal leader.”
When Outsourcing Works
When institutional money is involved, oversight is crucial. FaaS can provide the sophistication of an internal finance function without the high cost.
“For anyone in Seed, Series A stage, wanting the sophistication of an internal finance function, but who doesn’t want to allocate the amount of cost that it would require to build, this is a viable and strong solution.”
Choosing the Right Fit
Nichols and Consero agree FaaS isn’t universal.
- Sweet spot: Businesses with revenue $5M–$200M that need Fortune-500 rigor.
- Sector alignment matters: Sensibill valued a fractional CFO who’d led Business Analytics at IBM.
- Phased outsourcing: Pairing an Internal controller + Consero hybrid can ease transition before full outsourcing.
“If you are the type of organization whose business lines up well with the experience of a Consero, there’s a lot of value to be had there.”
Due Diligence Preparation
Gross and O’Dwyer shared practical advice on how to prepare for potential investment, starting with the importance of accurate data.
- Having a single source of truth for financial data is crucial for strategic decision-making.
- Consero provided Sensibill with reliable data for fundraising, budgeting, and overall business management.
Practical Playbook
Gross and Consero’s structured approach turned diligence into a storytelling advantage.
“Our investors weren’t discovering new things in the data room—the decks already oriented them.”
Common Fund-Raising Pitfalls
Nichols warns founders against “hype-driven” raises:
Don’t focus solely on raising money; remember to solve a problem and achieve product-market fit.
Raising too early or too much can create valuation pressure and premature burn.
Ensure your business is truly ready before seeking capital.
“Founders get wrapped up in the raising and forget they’re trying to solve a problem and use capital to scale.”
Looking Ahead: Marching Toward Profitability
Sensibill’s next objective underscores disciplined finance: reach profitability.
- They have secured significant clients and strong partnerships.
- They are continuing to build on their platform offering.
“We’re at the stage of company and stage of business where we’re fortunate to have some really big clients that have been halos for us in the industry. We have really strong partners that have been able to accelerate the adoption of our service.”
Ready to Close Your Next Round?
Senisbill’s journey makes clear that handing your finance function to a specialist like Consero is not just a cost-saver, it’s a funding accelerator. When investors open the data room and see Fortune-500-grade statements and airtight models, confidence skyrockets and diligence speeds up.
If you’re gearing up for Seed, Series A, or beyond, Consero’s flexible models give you time to focus on driving value, while we handle the tactical rigor VCs demand.
Don’t let accounting bottlenecks delay your raise; get in touch with Consero to turn finance from a hurdle into your competitive edge.
