Christine Donnelly, Finance Expert in New York, NY, United States
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Christine Donnelly

Verified Expert  in Finance

Finance Expert

Location
New York, NY, United States
Toptal Member Since
May 17, 2017

Christine is a Stanford MBA with 12+ years of experience who previously led a tech startup's capital raising and investor-relations function. She has experience in finance, private equity, venture capital investment banking, and business strategy at companies such as Uber, Crestview Partners, and Deutsche Bank.

Financial ForecastingPitch Deck ConsultantInvestor Relations ConsultantPrivate Equity ConsultantStartup Funding ConsultantStartup ConsultingInvestment BankingFinancial ModelingPrivate EquityFinancial Planning & Analysis (FP&A)FundraisingPerformance ImprovementFundraising ConsultantInterim CFORevenue & Expense ProjectionsClient Presentations

Career Highlights

Head of Investor Relations and People Strategy
Minu
Head of Corporate Strategy
Uber
Investment Associate
Crestview Partners

Education Highlights

Master of Business Administration (MBA)
Stanford University
Bachelor's Degree
Dartmouth College

Case Studies

Work Experience

Interim Director of Finance

2023 - PRESENT
ChargeLab
  • Ran the finance department of a Series A startup on an interim basis following the departure of their only internal finance person.
  • Managed day-to-day financial operations, including closing the books each month, billing, collections, reporting, finalizing the FY 2022 audit, sending 1099s and T4As, and paying quarterly sales tax in applicable states and provinces.
  • Managed an external accounting firm, an external financial advisory firm, external tax lawyers, and integrated internal tools, including Brex, Float, Plooto, QuickBooks, Sequoia, Wagepoint, Avalara, and HubSpot.
Focus areas: Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), Interim Controller, Series A, Canada, QuickBooks Online, Fractional CFO, Interim CFO

Pitch Deck Specialist

2023 - 2023
Fintech Lender in the Automotive Space
  • Created a pitch deck for a fintech lender looking to raise funding to fund loans.
  • Worked on the 26-slide pitch deck that included an auto refinancing market overview, company value prop, historical underwriting model performance, portfolio snapshot, company history, volume potential analysis, management team, and investment opportunity terms.
  • Performed the analysis of a historical lender loan original volume relative to Treasury yields to demonstrate volume potential even in an elevated rate environment.
Focus areas: Credit Underwriting, Loans, Fundraising, Refinancing, Debt Raises, Loans & Lending, Business to Business to Consumer (B2B2C)

Business Plan Consultant

2023 - 2023
Gov Tech Startup
  • Advised the CEO on the business model, pitch deck, financial model, cap table, and fundraising for a business-to-government (B2G) startup in the federal appropriations space.
  • Worked with the CEO to define and iterate on the pitch deck narrative and built out the pitch deck slides in Figma. Advised on which areas of the business model the focus of the pitch deck should be.
  • Reviewed, audited, and rebuilt the financial model in Excel. Created a revenue buildup tab, adjusted cost detail for a correct categorization of expenses between COGS and SG&A, and worked with the co-founders to revise the hiring plan for actual business needs.
Focus areas: Venture Capital, Business Plan Consulting, Go-to-market Strategy, Startups, Marketplace Platforms, Financial Modeling, B2B, Business to Government (B2G), Pitch Decks, Fundraising, Business Models, Enterprise SaaS, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Early-stage Venture Capital, Business Consulting, Startup Consulting

Financial Modeling Expert

2023 - 2023
Augmented Reality Sports Startup
  • Created Seed Round pitch deck from scratch. Started by working together with the founders to define the narrative and the storyline and build out the full deck contents.
  • Figured out how to put together a target investor list, startup investors' priorities, and data room contents.
  • Advised client on the overall fundraising process, including what should be in the pitch deck and how much money to raise in the first funding round.
  • Performed strategic analysis on several areas of the business, including TAM estimation, pricing analysis, and budget required to launch.
Focus areas: Financial Modeling, Market Research, Pitch Decks, Startups, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Startup Consulting, Business to Consumer (B2C)

Pitch Deck Expert

2023 - 2023
Gig Work Benefits Space Startup
  • Created storyline of company narrative and prepared 25 slide pitch deck for $5-$10mm equity fundraising.
  • Helped the client explain his business model more clearly and express his ideas in a more visual slide-friendly format.
  • Reviewed and edited qualitative materials requested by the valuation provider, defining growth levers and completing a SWOT analysis.
Focus areas: Fundraising, Pitch Deck Consultant, Pitch Decks, Insurance Technology (Insurtech), Healthtech, Startups, Startup Consulting, Business to Business to Consumer (B2B2C)

Fundraising/Modeling Consultant

2023 - 2023
Psychedelic Therapy Startup
  • Built out a detailed three-statement model to help the CEO determine the right structure for the business and how large of a seed round to raise.
  • Created detailed revenue and cost projections for multiple business units, including rental of licensed space to therapists, dispensing medicine to patients, and subscription service for administrative services offered to therapists.
  • Built out a dynamic structure for different approaches to real estate, including leasing, creating a separate real estate entity, and partnering with a REIT.
Focus areas: Forecasting, Financial Modeling, Fundraising, Business Models, Venture Capital, Startups, Early-stage Startups, Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT), Healthtech, Startup Consulting, Business to Consumer (B2C)

Investor Multi-industry Relations Expert

2023 - 2023
Multi-industry
  • Reviewed various company fundraising pitch decks, including a roll-up pharmacy company in Canada and a fintech social network startup in APAC.
  • Provided feedback on overall impressions from an investor perspective, investment merits, pitch deck structure, storytelling, and adjusting the content to the audience.
  • Created a long-term relationship with a client who has returned to get support on additional projects.
Focus areas: Investor Relations, Investor Relations Consultant, Pitch Decks, Apps, Startups, Technology, Storytelling, Presentation Design

Fundraising Consultant

2023 - 2023
Toptal Client - Media & Data Archiving
  • Created a three-statement model for a pre-revenue startup with full revenue buildup, deferred revenue waterfall, and functionality for multiple scenarios.
  • Allowed the client to see potential revenue and cash flow scenarios with a user-friendly format that made it easy to change assumptions before their first fundraiser.
  • Built out a detailed deferred revenue waterfall to reflect revenue recognition for upfront payment over the period that services will be provided.
Focus areas: Fundraising, Venture Capital, Startups, Seed Fundraising, Startup Funding, Financial Modeling, Cash Flow Modeling, Cash Flow Analysis, Technology, Startup Consulting

Fundraising Mentor

2022 - 2023
Toptal Client - Restaurant Tech
  • Advised CEO on overall fundraising processes and strategy, revising investor pitch deck, how much and when to raise funds, thinking about investor targeting, and approaching the competitive environment.
  • Mentored CEO on adjusting startup pitch, resulting in him closing at $25k Angel Investor within the first few weeks of our engagement.
  • Coached the CEO on his brand, leadership style, and approach to marketing himself to investors.
Focus areas: Startups, Fundraising, Restaurants & Dining, Software, Valuation, Startup Funding, Early-stage Startups, Restaurant Operations, Foodtech, Pitch Decks, Seed Fundraising, Venture Capital, Business to Business (B2B), Business Models, Startup Growth Strategy Development, Food Delivery Services, Apps, Cash Flow Modeling, Cash Flow Analysis, Go-to-market Strategy, Technology, Storytelling, Term Sheet Advisory, Food & Beverage, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Early-stage Venture Capital, Startup Consulting

Pitch Deck Expert

2022 - 2023
Toptal Client - Battery Metals Startup
  • Revamped content and formatting of a fundraising pitch deck to create a clear storyline with well-articulated investment merits.
  • Refined overly-detailed text-heavy deck into a streamlined 17-slide deck with a clear narrative, visually appealing slides, leveraging graphs and diagrams, and unified formatting that aligned with the brand.
  • Advised client on which content to highlight to investors and which content was unnecessary and diluted the overall storyline to focus the materials on the key information investors look for.
Focus areas: Pitch Decks, Fundraising, Pitch Deck Consultant, Venture Capital, Mining, Startups, Storytelling, Presentation Design, Project Finance

Fundraising Expert

2022 - 2022
Reliafy
  • Created the seed-round investor pitch deck from scratch.
  • Helped the founder articulate the narrative, including problem statement, solution, product, value proposition, positioning relative to competitors, GTM plan, current business traction, and team expertise.
  • Advised this first-time founder on the overall fundraising process.
  • Generated impact on the client's business, who received verbal commitments from several investors after sharing the pitch deck.
Focus areas: Fundraising, Financial Modeling, Pitch Decks, Seed Fundraising, Pitch Deck Consultant, SaaS, Software as a Service (SaaS), Investment Presentations, Financing, Business to Business (B2B), Startup Growth Strategy Development, Startups, Technology, Storytelling, Presentation Design, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Startup Consulting

Head of Investor Relations and People Strategy

2021 - 2022
Minu
  • Served as head of IR. Led monthly investor reporting, developed content for quarterly board meetings, and worked on a Series B fundraising process. Owned the financial model, pitch deck, and due diligence data room for $20mm Series B.
  • Grew the company from 70 to 110 people in eight months as head of talent acquisition. Designed and implemented the recruiting process, including sourcing, interviewing, compensation and offer, and onboarding.
  • Created people strategy from scratch, designing and executing talent and culture strategy.
Focus areas: Hiring, Hiring Process Development, Talent Strategy, Investor Relations, Fundraising, Organization Building, Strategy, Latin America (LATAM), Investor Reporting, Fintech, Investor Presentations, Board Presentations, Startups, Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, Capital Raising, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), Pitch Decks, Private Capital Markets, Series B, Revenue & Expense Projections, Human Resources (HR), Recruiting, Pitch Deck Consultant, Startup Funding, Fundraising Strategy, Startup Funding Consultant, Investor Relations Consultant, Venture Capital, Dashboards, Microsoft Word, Google Slides, Venture Funding, Financial Reporting, Due Diligence, Board Decks, Series A, Funding Strategy, Software, Revenue Projections, Total Addressable Market (TAM), Market Research, Business Planning, Fintech Consultant, Fundraising Consultant, Cash Flow, Storytelling, Investment Presentations, Financing, Financial Forecasting, Technology, Business to Business (B2B), Data Rooms, Startup Growth Strategy Development, Apps, Presentation Design, Emerging Markets, Incentive Plan Design, Performance Improvement, Startup Consulting, Business to Business to Consumer (B2B2C)

Head of Corporate Strategy

2018 - 2021
Uber
  • Led business strategy, corporate strategy, growth strategy, competition strategy, and annual planning for Uber's LatAm Rides business.
  • Developed content for and led Latin American leadership offsites on planning, long-term strategy, and people topics. Developed people strategy for 2020 and 2021.
  • Included special projects like business cases and building the payments team in Latin America, Mexico's fintech license application, and conducted development, implementation, and refinement of CRM workflows.
Focus areas: Planning, Strategy, Organizational Design, Chief of Staff, Latin America (LATAM), Hiring Process Development, Talent Strategy, Organization Building, Startups, Microsoft Excel, Business Strategy, Google Sheets, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), Program Management, Project Management Office (PMO), Recruiting, Marketplaces, Marketplace Platforms, Platforms, Financial Reporting Dashboards, Dashboards, Microsoft Word, Google Slides, Statistics, SQL, Software, Mobility, Total Addressable Market (TAM), Market Research, Business Planning, Competition Research, Market Research & Analysis, Consumer Products, Automotive, Technology, Rideshare Services, Pricing, Startup Growth Strategy Development, Food Delivery Services, Apps, Go-to-market Strategy, Storytelling, Emerging Markets, Performance Improvement, Business Consulting, Business to Consumer (B2C), B2C

Venture Capital Associate | MBA Intern

2015 - 2016
Unitus Impact (now called Patamar Capital)
  • Reviewed company pitches of potential investments, mostly series A, and made investment recommendations to partners.
  • Assisted with ongoing investor relations strategy and investor communications.
  • Helped with the portfolio company strategy and review.
Focus areas: Investments, Investor Relations, Startup Funding Consultant, Investor Relations Consultant, Investing, Venture Capital, Microsoft Word, Venture Funding, Early-stage Venture Capital, United States, Due Diligence, Investment Memoranda, Series A, Pitch Deck Consultant, Total Addressable Market (TAM), Market Research, Technology, Emerging Markets

Interim CFO | Development Finance Fellow

2014 - 2015
Instiglio
  • Oversaw the internal financial management, financial controls, compensation, strategies for growth, pricing, and sustainability.
  • Built and maintained a detailed monthly financial model for internal projections and cash burn analysis.
  • Made recommendations on the organization's ability to hire or add resources based on financial projections.
  • Analyzed the pricing of the organization's services relative to costs and competitors. Recommended and implemented a new pricing structure. Declined the offer to join the team full-time as CFO to pursue an MBA.
Focus areas: Cash Flow Forecasting, Price Analysis, Board Decks, CFO, Budgeting, Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), Latin America (LATAM), Startups, Microsoft Excel, Private Capital Markets, Revenue & Expense Projections, Interim CFO, Financial Modeling, Financial Reporting Dashboards, Dashboards, Microsoft Word, Financial Reporting, Revenue Projections, Forecasting, Budget Modeling, Cash Flow, Financial Forecasting, Scenario Analysis, Pricing, Cash Flow Modeling, Cash Flow Analysis

Investor Relations and Marketing

2013 - 2014
Crestview Partners
  • Selected as part of a three-member team and exceeded the goal of raising a $3 billion private equity fund.
  • Managed relationships with more than 75 family and endowment investors.
  • Led due diligence effort for public pensions, sovereign wealth funds, and private investors, including drafting 15 to 50-page written diligence documents for a client review.
  • Prepared marketing materials, responded to diligence questionnaires and data requests, maintained data room of diligence information, and analyzed the portfolio company and returns data.
  • Drafted quarterly letters to investors, wrote updates to private placement memoranda, drafted updates to the website, and assisted with preparing annual meeting materials.
Focus areas: Private Equity, Investor Reporting, Investor Relations, Private Placement Memoranda, Investor Presentations, Fundraising, Microsoft Excel, United States, Capital Raising, Pitch Decks, Private Capital Markets, Pitch Deck Consultant, Fundraising Strategy, Private Equity Consultant, Investor Relations Consultant, Investing, Microsoft Word, Funding Strategy, Investment Presentations, Financing, Data Rooms

Investment Associate

2011 - 2013
Crestview Partners
  • Conducted investment recommendations, integrating qualitative analysis with detailed cash flow models of over 30 potential investments in the healthcare, industrials, and financial services industries.
  • Reviewed company materials, prepared due diligence question lists, interviewed management teams, and performed in-depth, on-site, and analytical due diligence for potential equity investments of up to $200 million.
  • Wrote 20-page investment memos describing transaction structure and financing, business and industry overview, valuation, model projections, returns, and investment risks and merits for five potential investments.
  • Assisted with financial analysis and sell-side transaction execution of three portfolio companies (Insight Communications - sold to Time Warner; OneLink Communications - sold to Liberty Global; and ValueOptions - sold to Beacon Health).
  • Executed the sale of OneLink, a Puerto Rican cable company, to Liberty Global for $585 million as the only investment professional below partner level. Created a working capital adjustment mechanism generating favorable around $8 million adjustments.
Focus areas: Investment Memoranda, Financial Statements, Valuation, Due Diligence, Financial Modeling, Three-statement Modeling, Microsoft Excel, United States, Revenue & Expense Projections, Business Validation, Private Equity Consultant, Investing, Capital IQ, Investment Modeling, DCF Modeling, Precedent Transaction Analysis, Microsoft Word, Capital Structure Analysis, Financial Reporting, Bloomberg, Healthcare, Stock Analysis, Industrials, Revenue Projections, Market Research, Forecasting, Factset, Market Research & Analysis, Deal Structuring, Automotive, Cash Flow, Investment Presentations, Financing, Financial Forecasting, Data Rooms, RiskMetrics, Scenario Analysis, Cash Flow Modeling, Cash Flow Analysis, Health IT, Healthcare IT

Investment Banking Analyst

2009 - 2011
Deutsche Bank
  • Performed company valuations, created client presentations analyzing strategic and capital markets options, participated in client meetings and worked with management teams to develop securities offering materials.
  • Advised General Motors on the $500 million sale of the Nexteer steering business, which included building a full operating model, determining the valuation range, and drafting confidential information memorandum.
  • Built a financial model, prepared investor materials, and participated in the investor roadshow for International Automotive Components (IAC) of $300 million senior secured notes (closed May 2011).
  • Collaborated with an equity-linked team on a $240 million bond offering for DryShips Inc., working directly with CFO and COO of DryShips during the launch and pricing of the offering.
Focus areas: Industry Analysis, Client Presentations, Capital Markets, Valuation Analysis, Financial Modeling, Automotive, Industrials, Three-statement Modeling, Microsoft Excel, United States, Pitch Decks, Revenue & Expense Projections, Business Validation, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Capital IQ, DCF Modeling, Precedent Transaction Analysis, Microsoft Word, Capital Structure Analysis, Bloomberg, Stock Analysis, Pitch Deck Consultant, Revenue Projections, Market Research, Investment Banking, Forecasting, Factset, Market Research & Analysis, Deal Structuring, Cash Flow, Investment Presentations, Financing, Financial Forecasting, Data Rooms, RiskMetrics, Scenario Analysis, Cash Flow Modeling, Cash Flow Analysis
2015 - 2017

Master of Business Administration (MBA) in General Management

Stanford University - Palo Alto, CA, USA

2005 - 2009

Bachelor's Degree in Economics

Dartmouth College - Hanover, NH, USA

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