Private Capital Partnerships
Artemis Clarke works with growth investors, operating partners and portfolio companies to build finance leadership that supports scale, control and long-term value creation.
Strengthening finance leadership in growth backed businesses
Artemis Clarke works with growth investors, operating partners and portfolio companies to build finance leadership that supports scale, control and long-term value creation.
As businesses move through investment, growth and preparation for exit, the demands on the finance function increase quickly. Reporting becomes more important. Forecasting needs to be credible. Decisions rely on clearer insight.
At these points, the right Finance Director or CFO can make a significant difference to performance and confidence.
We support investors and their portfolio companies by helping them assess what is needed, strengthening the finance function, and introducing senior finance leaders who are used to operating in scaling environments.
Where we typically support investors
We are most often brought in at key transition points, when a business needs to move from founder led finance to something more structured and investment ready.
Common moments include:
Post investment professionalisation
The business has secured funding but the finance function has not kept pace. Reporting needs tightening. Forecasts need to be credible. Investors want visibility.
First senior finance hire
A portfolio company needs its first Finance Director or CFO to bring control, structure and strategic insight.
Scaling for the next raise
Growth is strong but the numbers need to stand up to scrutiny. Forecasting, KPIs and investor reporting need strengthening.
Buy and build environments
Acquisitions introduce complexity. Finance leadership becomes central to integration, controls and group reporting.
Pre exit preparation
Clarity, consistency and confidence in the numbers can materially influence outcome. The finance leader plays a key role in shaping that story.
Why investors choose to work with us
We are not a generalist recruiter who happens to place finance roles.
We are qualified accountants who built a specialist business around senior finance hiring and advisory. That background means we understand what good looks like inside a scaling finance function, not just on a CV.
We combine three things that matter in an investment context:
Credible diagnosis
We can quickly assess the current state of a finance function and identify what is missing. Structure, leadership, reporting, systems or capability.
Targeted hiring
We recruit Finance Directors, CFOs and senior finance leaders who have worked in scaling SMEs and investor backed environments.
Flexible cover
Where immediate support is needed, our Fractional Finance Directors or Interim FDs can step in while a permanent hire is made or during periods of change.
Finance as a value creation lever
In many portfolio businesses, finance starts out as a back-office function. After investment, it becomes a central part of the value creation plan.
The right finance leader helps to:
- Improve quality and consistency of reporting
- Build credible forecasting and cash visibility
- Support commercial decision making
- Strengthen controls and governance
- Create confidence with investors and lenders
- Prepare the business for future funding or exit
We focus on placing people who can operate at both levels. Comfortable in the detail, but able to think strategically about growth, risk and value.
How we work with investors and operating partners
Some investors come to us with a clear brief. Others sense something is not quite right but are not sure where the gap sits.
We support in both scenarios.
Typical starting points include:
- A portfolio company that has outgrown its current finance set up
- A new investment where the first senior finance hire is needed
- Interim or fractional cover during a transition
- A diagnostic conversation to sense-check the structure and leadership in place
From there, we can help design the right role, assess candidates rigorously, and ensure the person hired can deliver in a scale up environment.
A specialist focus, with room to grow
Our roots are firmly in finance leadership. That is where we add the most value and where we have the deepest insight.
Over time, some of the investors and founders we work with ask for support in adjacent leadership roles that influence performance and scalability.
Finance is often the starting point.
But it rarely sits in isolation.
Let’s start with a conversation
If you work with growth stage businesses and want a partner who understands finance from the inside, we would be very happy to connect.
Sometimes the right first step is a hire. Sometimes it is interim support. And sometimes it is simply a conversation to sense check what the business needs next.
What matters is getting the finance leadership right at the moments that count.
Contact Details
London: 020 8191 2124
Bristol: 0117 244 1891
Email: enquiries@artemisclarke.co.uk
