DIAGNOSTIC · SELF-SCORED
The SaaS Finance Scorecards
Eight categories. One score out of forty.
A directional read on the eight categories investors and lenders score when they evaluate your back office. Score yourself honestly. The number is useful. The gaps are more useful.
HOW TO USE THIS
Eight categories. Score each 1–5.
01
For each of the eight categories below, read the five score descriptions and pick the one that most honestly reflects where you are today. Don’t aspire — describe.
02
If you’re between two scores, pick the lower one. Investors will read the gap, not the aspiration.
03
When you finish, the running total updates live. Your total falls between 8 and 40.
04
The interpretation at the end translates that total into what it means and where to look first. Categories you scored lowest are usually the highest-leverage places to spend the next 30 days.
The interpretation at the end translates that total into what it means and where to look first. Categories you scored lowest are usually the highest-leverage places to spend the next 30 days.
CATEGORY
01
Legal
Entity structure, option plan adoption, employee and advisor agreements, 83(b) elections, FINCEN BOI, IP assignment.
1
MAJOR GAPS
2
PATCHY
3
FUNCTIONAL
4
INVESTOR-READABLE
5
DILIGENCE-READY
CATEGORY
02
Legal
Accuracy of current ownership, ability to model forward, option pool sufficiency, treatment of convertible instruments. Score for Cap Table
1
MAJOR GAPS
2
PATCHY
3
FUNCTIONAL
4
INVESTOR-READABLE
5
DILIGENCE-READY
CATEGORY
03
Legal
Coverage across the 15 finance and back-office functions: bookkeeping, controller, payroll, AR/AP, forecasting, investor relations, treasury, CPA, legal, benefits, billing. Score for Team
1
MAJOR GAPS
2
PATCHY
3
FUNCTIONAL
4
INVESTOR-READABLE
5
DILIGENCE-READY
CATEGORY
04
Legal
Stack across 11 categories: accounting, expenses, payroll, benefits, banking, HRIS, FP&A, cap table, billing, AP, CRM.
1
MAJOR GAPS
2
PATCHY
3
FUNCTIONAL
4
INVESTOR-READABLE
5
DILIGENCE-READY
CATEGORY
05
Treasury & Banking
Yield on cash, 2FA on accounts, dual approval on wires, ACH whitelist, credit card program.
1
MAJOR GAPS
2
PATCHY
3
FUNCTIONAL
4
INVESTOR-READABLE
5
DILIGENCE-READY
“Without numerical fluency, in the part of life most of us inhabit, you are like a one-legged man in an ass-kicking contest.”
CHARLIE MUNGER (BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY)
Series A Diligence Readiness
Series A Diligence Readiness
monster energy
HOW TO USE THIS
Eight categories. Score each 1–5.
For each of the eight categories below, read the five score descriptions and pick the one that most honestly reflects where you are today. Don’t aspire — describe.
If you’re between two scores, pick the lower one. Investors will read the gap, not the aspiration.
When you finish, the running total updates live. Your total falls between 8 and 40.
The interpretation at the end translates that total into what it means and where to look first. Categories you scored lowest are usually the highest-leverage places to spend the next 30 days.
This is the surface of a 100-question diagnostic we run with every Centripetal client. The categories and scoring scale here mirror the diagnostic’s Scorecard — the punchline artifact we walk through on the first call.
THE EIGHT CATEGORIES
Score each category 1–5.
Eight categories. Five points each. Forty points total. The number is not the point by itself. The pattern underneath the number is the point.
1. Legal
Are the core corporate documents, employee agreements, option plan materials, IP assignments, compliance items, and entity records in order?
2. Cap Table
Is the cap table accurate, current, and usable for dilution modeling? Can the company model new financing, option pool needs, and employee equity questions without rebuilding from scratch?
3. Team
Who owns bookkeeping, close, payroll, AR/AP, forecasting, board reporting, CPA coordination, legal coordination, and investor materials? Are these responsibilities clear, or does everything still run through the founder?
4. Systems
Does the tool stack support the operating cadence? Accounting, payroll, benefits, billing, expenses, cap table, FP&A, CRM, and AP tools do not need to be fancy. They need to connect cleanly enough to support decisions.
5. Treasury and Banking
Is the company earning yield on cash? Are bank accounts protected with 2FA? Are wires dual-approved? Are ACH vendors reviewed? Is the card program controlled?
6. Accounting
Are the books accrual-based where they need to be? Are revenue recognition, prepaids, commissions, stock comp, department tagging, reconciliations, and close cadence handled consistently?
7. Finance
Does the company have a usable budget, forecast, KPI cadence, investor data package, peer-benchmark context, capital plan, and burn/runway view?
8. Investor FAQ
Can the company answer the questions investors actually ask after the deck: ARR, CARR, growth, customers, ARPA, gross margin, GRR, NRR, churn, burn, TAM, headcount, concentration, CAC payback, sales efficiency, pipeline, roadmap, and use of proceeds?
NEXT STEP
What to Do with the Result
Do not over-focus on the total score. Look for the weak category that could create the most immediate risk.
A 30/40 company with a weak cap table may have a financing problem. A 30/40 company with weak treasury controls may have an operating-risk problem. A 30/40 company with weak Investor FAQ readiness may have a diligence problem.
The score tells you where to start the conversation. The category pattern tells you what to fix first.
Q: Who is this scorecard for?
A: Founder-led B2B SaaS companies, especially seed to Series A companies where finance has outgrown basic bookkeeping but may not yet justify hiring a VP Finance in-house.
Q: Is a high score required before fundraising?
A: No. The goal is not perfection. The goal is knowing which finance gaps will create the most friction during investor, lender, or board conversations.
Q: What score means we need help?
A: The total score matters less than the category pattern. A company can score well overall and still have a high-risk gap in cap table, treasury, accounting, or Investor FAQ readiness.
Q: Does this replace a full diagnostic?
A: No. This is a self-score. A full diagnostic goes deeper into the supporting documents, systems, owners, and operating cadence behind each category.
Q: What is the next step after scoring?
A: Pick the weakest high-risk category and compare your self-score with how an embedded finance leader would score it. That gap is usually where the useful conversation starts.