Sarah Okonkwo

About

I've served as CFO or fractional CFO for 22 companies over 14 years. My background is in investment banking (Goldman Sachs, 5 years) followed by CFO roles at two private equity-backed software companies. I specialise in financial modelling, investor reporting, M&A preparation, and the operational finance systems (ERP, FP&A tooling) that make a clean audit possible. I currently work with four companies simultaneously at 8–12 hours per company per week.

Experience highlights

At Goldman Sachs I executed $4.2B in M&A transactions across healthcare, industrials, and software — including two take-private transactions. That experience shapes how I think about company valuation, clean-room data rooms, and the financial narratives that actually move investors.

As CFO at Aceable (PE-backed edtech, Vista Equity portfolio), I led the company's financial infrastructure rebuild, reduced DSO from 68 days to 31, and prepared the company for sale. The exit to Thoma Bravo in 2021 was executed at a 9.2x revenue multiple — the financial tidiness of the balance sheet was directly cited in the buyer's letter of intent.

In fractional engagements, my most common scenario is a $5M–$40M revenue company that has outgrown its bookkeeper + CPA setup and needs real financial leadership before an institutional raise or sale. I specialise in companies with messy revenue recognition (usage-based billing, milestone billing, professional services components) where GAAP-compliant ARR reporting is genuinely complex.

Expertise

Past companies

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