James Kennedy sits down with Elliott Gaspar, UK-based Fractional CFO and founder of a fast-growing finance practice, to unpack how the UK’s unique tax-advantaged investment schemes (SEIS/EIS) can accelerate early-stage growth – and how easily founders can lose their eligibility without realizing it.
Drawing on a career that started in Oxford University finance, scaled through private-equity-backed energy infrastructure, and evolved into advising high-growth, asset-heavy startups, Elliott explains why CFOs must be storytellers, how to build investor-ready financial models, and why UK entrepreneurs still underestimate the power of compliance-driven incentives.
They also explore:
- Why the UK remains one of the world’s best places to raise capital
- How founders accidentally invalidate SEIS/EIS (and how to avoid it)
- When asset-heavy roll-ups can unlock better financing
- The role of the Fractional CFO community in raising standards
About Elliott Gaspar:
Elliott Gaspar is a UK Fractional CFO, SEMA-qualified accountant, and founder of a finance practice supporting high-growth businesses preparing for investment, debt facilities, and scale.
Beginning his career in data-heavy financial analysis at Oxford University, Elliott moved into PE-backed energy infrastructure, where he built complex three-statement financial models and supported over £600M in fundraising.
Known for his calm, analytical approach and background in commercial finance, he now helps UK founders:
- Build investor-grade models
- Navigate SEIS/EIS compliance
- Raise capital strategically
- Scale multi-site and asset-intensive businesses
He is also the creator of the Fractional Finance Forum, a UK community for fractional CFOs, accountants, and finance professionals to collaborate and skill-share.
What You’ll Learn:
• The UK’s Entrepreneurial Advantage: SEIS & EIS Explained
How investors earn 30–50% income-tax relief, avoid capital-gains tax, and reduce downside risk – and why that makes the UK a magnet for early-stage capital.
• The Hidden Compliance Traps Founders Miss
The fastest ways founders accidentally lose their tax-relief status:
- Creating a US TopCo too early
- Making the UK entity a subsidiary
- Adding non-qualifying trades
- Poor structuring of shareholder ownership
Elliott shares the real-world examples he sees every month.
• Why Founders Need Financial Models – Not Just Spreadsheets
How a strong three-statement model guides rollout strategy, capital needs, and investor conversations – especially for asset-heavy businesses like vet clinics, energy, or logistics.
• Asset-Heavy Roll-Ups: Why They Work
Why owning assets can actually make fundraising easier, enabling startups to access secured debt, not just equity dilution – and how UK founders can use this to scale like private-equity operators.
• Storytelling for CFOs
Why data isn’t enough – and how a CFO must translate customers, marketing performance, churn, and operations into a narrative investors understand.
Episode Highlights:
- “A CFO is a storyteller – you start with the narrative, but it must tie back to double-entry bookkeeping.”
- “Most founders don’t realise they can lose SEIS/EIS eligibility just by incorporating a holding company.”
- “If you want to raise capital in the UK, SEIS/EIS is the most powerful incentive in Europe.”
- “Asset-heavy businesses can use debt strategically – equity isn’t your only lever.”
- “Definitions matter. If you can’t agree on what a customer is, you can’t forecast anything.”
More About Elliott’s Role:
Elliott partners with high-growth UK businesses scaling from £1M–£10M+ in revenue. His team builds:
- Investor-grade financial models
- SEIS/EIS applications and compliance management
- Fundraising strategy & storytelling decks
- Capital-allocation and rollout plans
- Data-integrated board reporting
His mission: help founders make clear, confident, data-driven decisions while avoiding the structural mistakes that derail funding rounds.
