Model Audit · $2,500
Your model.
Audited before it's questioned.
A five-business-day, fixed-scope review of your existing model, read with the rigor it'll face when the next person who matters opens the file — whether that's an investor, a board member, an acquirer, or you, before you make a real decision. Diagnosis, not rebuild. No discovery call required.
Five business days. Fixed scope. $2,500. No discovery call required.
The Pattern
The model says yes — or no, or it depends.
A real decision is riding on this model — and you already suspect it won't hold up the way it needs to.
It usually shows up at one of three moments.
A real strategic decision is on the table.
You're hiring two more engineers, raising prices, or committing to a new lease. The model is the only artifact in the room that shows the cash and margin impact. If the model is wrong — or right for the wrong reasons — the decision goes with it. You don't want to find that out after you've already hired, raised, or signed.
Inbound came earlier than expected.
The raise was supposed to start in Q4. The cold email came last week. A real investor wants current financials and a three-year forecast. The model exists. But the version that runs the business may not be the version ready for outside eyes — and the question isn't whether to build something new in five days, it's whether what you have is ready to send, what to lead with, what to leave off, and where the soft spots actually are.
A board meeting where the model leads.
You built it with your team. You've used it for three quarters. It works. But you have a board member who reads models for a living, and the meeting is in two weeks. The questions are coming, and you need to know which ones the model is equipped to answer before you walk in.
The audit is your peace of mind: a model that's fine for daily internal use isn't always ready for outside eyes — and the audit tells you which.
A diagnosis, not a rebuild. The fix happens with your team, on your timeline.
What the Audit Covers
Six dimensions, read the way the next reader will.
The questions a sophisticated reader will ask about your model — answered before they're asked.
Model Structure
Institutional-grade build conventions, sheet organization, and flow — read against the standards expected by investment banks, sophisticated investors, and the M&A diligence process.
Forecast Logic
Driver-based vs. hard-coded forecasting, assumption traceability, and sensitivity behavior — does the forecast respond when the drivers change, or does it just hold the shape you put it in?
KPI Coverage
Whether the model surfaces what actually matters for your business at this stage — and whether the metrics you’d want to walk a board member through are the ones the model is built to produce.
Cash Flow Integrity
Three-statement linkage, working capital mechanics, and cash conversion — the part of the model most likely to embarrass you in front of the next person to see it, and the part most likely to drift over time.
Classification Flags
The accounting classifications underneath the line items — deferred revenue, working capital line items, related-party balances — where a single misclassification can materially change how your apparent solvency reads to an outside reader.
Investor Question Rehearsal
The five to seven questions an investor would ask of your model, surfaced proactively — so nothing comes up later that hasn’t already come up in the review.
The Deliverables
What you walk away with.
Three artifacts. One for the decision-maker, one for whoever's editing the model, and one you can hand to your co-founder, your finance lead, or a board member who wants to see the work without sitting through a meeting.
Diagnostic Memo
Executive summary up front. Findings organized by Financial Health Matrix dimension — Cash Health, Profitability, Operational Efficiency, Growth & Scalability. A severity-rated risk register that separates Critical from Material from Minor. The five to seven questions you'll actually get, laid out before they're asked. And prioritized recommendations — the top three to five things to act on, in order. Written for a decision-maker. Forwardable as a standalone artifact.
Standalone
$2,500
Annotated Model File (Excel, returned to you)
Your model back, with an “Audit Notes” tab inserted at the front of the workbook. The tab opens with a structural overview — what's working, what's structurally concerning, where the cross-cutting issues live. Then a tab-by-tab table with 2–4 findings per tab, severity-rated. Each major tab in the workbook gets a top-of-tab callout block summarizing what's flagged there. And on the most material issues, surgical cell-level comments at the exact cells that need attention. Not comprehensive cell-by-cell annotation — targeted to where it matters.
You'll receive your model back with an Audit Notes tab containing a structural overview and tab-by-tab findings, plus inline callouts on the most material issues. We mark what needs attention — we don't rebuild. (For the rebuild, see the Financial Operating System.)
Standalone
$2,000
Recorded Walkthrough (Loom, 20–30 minutes)
A walkthrough of the memo findings while live in the model — so the rationale behind each finding is on the record, not just the finding itself. Re-watchable. Shareable with a co-founder, a finance lead, or a board member who wants to see the work without scheduling a meeting.
Standalone
$1,000
Total standalone value
$5,500
Your investment:
$2,500
Less than half the standalone value. Three artifacts — the memo, the marked-up model, the Loom — that no hourly engagement comes with. A fraction of what a custom modeling firm charges to rebuild from scratch. And that's not what's needed here. Knowing where it stands is.
Five business days. Fixed scope. $2,500.
The Process
Three steps. Five business days.
Day 1
Pay & Submit
Secure checkout. Then you upload your model — Excel preferred, secure upload — and fill out a short context form: what the model is for, what decision is coming, who opens it next. That’s it. No discovery call. Fixed scope means we don’t need to scope on a call.
Days 2–4
We Audit
The model gets read the way a sophisticated outside reader would. The memo gets drafted. The model file gets marked up. The Loom gets recorded. The same standard from start to finish.
Day 5
You Receive Everything
The memo, the annotated file, and the Loom — delivered via email and a private web link. You read the memo, watch the Loom, and have a clear view of what the model says, what needs attention, and what doesn’t.
Why $2,500
Fixed price. Fixed scope.
Senior financial consultants run $400–$600 an hour at standard rates — and the audit comes packaged with deliverables (the memo, the marked-up model, the Loom) that no hourly engagement includes. A custom modeling firm hired to rebuild your model from scratch starts at $15,000 and goes up from there. The audit isn't a rebuild. It's a review of the model you've already built, against the standard it'll face — so you know whether the rebuild is what you actually need.
What if I want the fixes built?
The audit identifies what needs attention. The fix happens separately, on your timeline. If you want the model rebuilt for you, the Financial Operating System is a structured 30-day build. If you want ongoing senior advisory, the Quarterly Strategic Advisory engagement at The Lighthouse Group is the next shape. If your situation calls for something more custom — fundraising prep, M&A readiness, a specialized build — Strategic Packages start at $15,000. Whatever you need, the audit makes it clear which is the right fit.
A fixed $2,500 fee changes the incentive. There's no discovery call engineered to end in a retainer pitch, and nothing to upsell you into — the audit is the whole engagement, not the top of a funnel. You pay $2,500. You get a diagnosis against the standard your model will face, three deliverables, and a clear-eyed view of what needs attention. Whether you ever work with us again is a separate conversation.
Five business days. Fixed scope. $2,500.
Quick Fit Check
This is built for one specific buyer.
The Model Audit is a diagnosis of an existing model. It's not a rebuild, it's not ongoing advisory, and it's not a starting point if there's no model yet.
This is for you if:
- You already have a financial model that runs the business — or is supposed to
- You’re doing $1M–$25M in revenue and a real decision is on the horizon (raise, hire, price change, exit conversation, board meeting)
- You want the model measured against institutional standards before it’s in front of anyone who matters
- You’re tired of wondering whether the model holds up — and would rather know than guess
- You’re a finance lead who inherited the model and wants outside assurance on what’s actually under it
- You can decide on $2,500 without a discovery call
This isn't for you if:
- You don't have a model yet — start with the Financial Operating System, which builds one
- You want the model rebuilt for you — that’s the FOS or a Strategic Package, not the audit
- You want ongoing advisory — the Quarterly Strategic Advisory at The Lighthouse Group is the right shape
- The model is months out of date or barely held together — fix the foundation first
- You’re pre-revenue or shopping for free, and not yet making decisions a model would inform
The Guarantee
Here's the deal.
If the audit doesn't surface at least three findings you didn't already know about your model, we'll refund the $2,500. No form to fill out, no follow-up call to defend the work. The audit either earns its keep or it doesn't.
Ready to know before they ask?
Five business days from upload to delivery. Three deliverables. Fixed price. Fixed scope. If the audit doesn't earn its keep, you don't pay.
Five business days. Fixed scope. $2,500. No discovery call required.
Questions before you buy? Email info@founderfinance.ai
Not sure if the audit is the right step? Start with the free scorecard → or the $97 Financial Health Assessment →
FAQ