Brendan Murphy, CFA
Verified Expert in Finance
Finance Expert
London, United Kingdom
Toptal member since January 12, 2021
Brendan is a versatile finance specialist—having held both senior corporate finance and investment professional roles—with a deal portfolio exceeding £600 million. During his career, he has worked for the largest bank in Africa as well as private market investors and has accumulated experience in the technology, consumer, and real estate sectors. Brendan freelances to leverage his experience in financial modeling, due diligence, market research, financial analysis, and fundraising.
Career Highlights
Education Highlights
Certification Highlights
Case Studies
Industry Expertise
- Agriculture
- Business Services
- Accounting Services
- HR & Staffing
- Education
- Finance
- Banking
- Investment Banking
Software Expertise
- Excel 2016
Other Expertise
- Acquisitions
- Capital Raising
- Financial Analysis
- Financial Modeling
- Fundraising
- Pitch Deck Consultant
- Valuation
Work Experience
CFO
Prosper
- Handled financial reporting, KPI tracking and board reporting, FCA application and monthly submissions, fundraising, establishing the financial stack, and financial planning and modeling.
- Drove Prosper's private market offering spanning private equity, private credit, venture capital, and other alternative investment funds.
- Spearheaded M&A efforts to acquire complementary businesses and high-value customer books.
Consultant
Private
- Advised a European direct-to-consumer startup on their £5 million Series A financing.
- Conducted market research and developed financial models for an investor looking to enter the UK's early-years education sector.
- Coordinated and sourced investors for the $4.5 million growth equity round for a leading telehealth company based in Australasia.
- Produced the pitch deck and financial model for the seed fundraising of a sustainability-focused asset management platform leveraging tax technology.
- Developed a financial model for the vetting of solar PV projects by a renewable energy construction company interested in providing equity financing for its projects.
- Advised and produced investor documents for a sustainability consultant marketplace and expert network on their seed fundraising.
- Advised and produced investor documents for a car subscription startup on their Series A funding round.
- Built the financial model for a startup pension business in the UK.
- Developed an integrated financial model for a startup in the UK care sector and advised the founder on fundraising strategy and investor materials.
- Mentored founder of early-stage Hospitality Tech startup on fundraising and go-to-market strategy.
Fundraising Consultant
Pierre Costin
- Directed the design team in compiling the visual presentation to showcase the company to investors.
- Guided the founder in mapping out the company's most effective fundraising strategy and sequencing, leveraging my VC investor background.
- Utilized my financial modeling expertise to create the financial model that served as the foundation for the seed fundraise.
Financial Modeling and Market Research Expert
Rochelle Knowles
- Built the financial model to support the business' first round of funding.
- Advised the founder on the optimal fundraising strategy for the business.
- Crafted the fundraising pitch and oversaw the compilation of the pitch deck.
Cap Table Advisor
Spherene AG
- Rebuilt the company's financial model to prepare for its Series A fundraising.
- Advised the CEO on fundraising strategy and how best to clean up the cap table.
- Assisted another Toptal talent with the design of the pricing model.
Fundraising and Financial Modeling Expert
Minot Point Advisors LLC
- Built an integrated financial model for a UK-based community-driven banking startup.
- Developed an integrated model for a global payments platform.
- Advised the client on market sizing and fundraising strategy.
Senior Investment Analyst
AltaOne Capital
- Performed deep-dive market research; engaged with industry experts; screened public companies; and analyzed potential targets.
- Built detailed financial statement, operating, valuation, and LBO models; conducted management interviews; carried out competitor benchmarking; and verified major contracts and IP documents.
- Pitched leveraged buyout transactions to co-investors and banks and assisted with seller negotiations and closing process.
- Led the analysis of the acquisition of Silae, a French Payroll SaaS publisher, acquired with Silver Lake in July 2020.
- Monitored the investment in Cegid Group, a French cloud-based business management software provider originally acquired for £540 million in 2016.
Investor
Concentric
- Evaluated pitches, met with founders, and conducted due diligence on potential investments.
- Generated unique insights through research deep dives into various technology sectors and verticals.
- Involved in key transactions including Wheely (£12 million Series B), Airsorted (£1.3 million Series A), and DueDil (£1 million Series C).
- Supported portfolio companies with competitor analysis, GTM strategy development, and exit opportunity analysis.
Portfolio Manager
Standard Bank Group
- Managed 99 multi-asset portfolios consisting of individual stocks, equity and bond funds, and cash on a discretionary basis for family offices, high-net-worth individuals, and small pension funds.
- Generated new business growth of 27.2% from February 2017 to February 2018.
- Delivered equity alpha of 0.8% per annum as a member of the investment committee.
Research Analyst
Standard Bank Group
- Produced stock selection alpha for clients in the following sectors of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange: FMCG, +7.0% p.a.; Telecommunications, +12.3% p.a.; and Industrials, +5.9% p.a.
- Evaluated investment opportunities using proprietary industry and company analysis, information gathered from meetings with company management, industry experts, sell-side brokers, as well as my own valuations.
- Built detailed forecast, financial statement, and valuation models (price and value multiples, sum-of-the-parts, and DCF valuation) for the stocks in the above sectors.
Interim CFO
Standard Bank Group
- Prepared and presented monthly financials, developed and monitored budgets, and submitted tax returns.
- Drafted balance sheet substantiation policy documents and implemented foreign exchange accounting procedures, which released an $18 million negative reserve.
- Improved internal processes and conducted training on finance software and general finance topics.
Accountant
Standard Bank Group
- Controlled daily profit and loss reporting, prepared annual financial statements, and submitted tax returns.
- Managed the group financial reporting and budgeting processes for operations in DRC, Lesotho, Mauritius, Swaziland, and Zimbabwe.
- Evaluated prospective property finance deals based on company credit evaluations and cash flow serviceability models.
Education
Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Finance
London Business School - London, England
Master's Degree in Accounting
University of Cape Town - Cape Town, South Africa
Bachelor's Degree in Finance
University of Cape Town - Cape Town, South Africa
Certifications
CFA
CFA Institute
Chartered Accountant
South African Institute of Chartered Accountants
Skills
Finance
Private Equity, Leveraged Buyout Modeling, Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), Fundraising, Forecasting, Financial Benchmarking, Valuation, Financial Modeling, M&A (Buy-side), M&A Modeling, Revenue & Expense Projections, Capital Raising, Valuation Modeling, Finance Strategy, Profitability Analysis, CFO, Cash Flow, Cash Flow Forecasting, Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), Equity Research, Stock Trading, Stock Price Analysis, Profit & Loss (P&L), Internal Financial Reporting, Cash Flow Modeling, ROI, Due Diligence, Market Research, Startup Funding, Three-statement Modeling, Cross-border M&A, Project Finance, M&A Earn-out Agreements, Private Equity Secondaries, Growth Equity, Portfolio Analysis, Fund Management, Crowdfunding, Accounting, Management Accounting, Corporate Finance, Taxation, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Financial Advisory, Discounted Cash Flow (DCF), Business Advisory, Blockchain, Seed Fundraising, Series A, Series B, Wealth Management, DCF Valuation, Investment Summaries, Budgeting, Foreign Exchange (FX) Hedging, Business Intelligence (BI), Credit Evaluation, Angel/Seed Funding, Pricing, Cash Management, Financial Reporting
Output Software
Excel 2016
Data & Analysis Software
Bloomberg, FactSet, Tableau
Industry Expertise
Venture Capital, Asset Management, Public Companies, Technology, Consumer Products, Healthcare, Food & Beverage, High-tech Startups, Software, Early-stage Startups, Real Estate, Renewable Energy, For-profit Education, Insurance Technology (Insurtech), Startup Accelerators, Telecommunications, Industrials, Retail & Wholesale, Fashion, Agriculture, Restaurants & Dining
Geographic Expertise
United Kingdom, Latin America (LATAM), Switzerland
Other
Microsoft 365, Financial Analysis, Finance, Pitch Presentations, Competitor Analysis & Profiling, Stock Analysis, Pitch Decks, Financial Forecasting, Business Strategy, Acquisitions, Financing, Investments, Business Models, Investor Presentations, Due Diligence Consultant, Information Technology, TMT, Family Office, Trading, Investment Strategy, Deal Review, Fintech Consultant, DCF Modeling, Scenario Analysis, Investment Analysis, Stock Market, Equity Markets, Financial Writer, Investor Reporting, Investment Research, Investment Funds, Budget Modeling, Fractional CFO, Reuters Eikon, Cap Tables, Board Presentations, Go-to-market Plans, Transaction Advisory, Startups, SaaS, Fintech, Angel Investing, High Net Worth Individuals (HNWI), Investor Relations, Software as a Service (SaaS), Manufacturing, eCommerce, eCommerce Platforms, Product-market Fit, B2C, Business Plan Consulting, Market Sizing, Strategic Planning, Pitch Deck Consultant, Exit Strategy, Freelancing, Shareholders' Agreement (JVA), Term Sheet Advisory, Deal Structuring, Go-to-market Strategy, Travel, Tourism, Private Placements, Research, Consumer Banking, Neobanks, Fundraising Strategy, Foreign Exchange, Tax Technology, Early-stage Venture Capital, Financial Statement Preparation, Equity Investment, Portfolio Management, Auditing, Enterprise SaaS, Exit Planning, Operating Models, Early-stage Funding, Direct to Consumer (D2C), K-12 Education, Business Planning, Business Analysis, Alternative Investments, Fundraising Consultant, Accounting Software, Tax Software, Payroll & Benefits, SMB Software, Leveraged Buyout (LBO), Negotiation, Marketplaces, Consumer Marketplaces, Ride-hailing, New Business Development, Client Management, Company Research, FMCG, Primary Research, Tax Returns, Accounting Policy, Training, Financial Statements, Management Information, Presentations, Pitch Books, Business to Consumer (B2C), Platforms, Interim CFO, Digital Health, Training & Training Content Development, Clean Energy, On-demand Services, Online Payments, Growth, Investing, Portfolios, Decision Support, Structuring, Wellness, Finance Blog, P&L Management, Private Capital Markets, Public Markets, Strategy, Regulatory Reporting, Value at Risk, MVNO
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