Thomas Ruland
Verified Expert in Management Consulting
Management Consulting Expert
Bad Münstereifel, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Toptal member since January 6, 2021
Thomas has nearly two decades of experience in finance, specializing in M&A, finance operations, and strategic leadership in startup settings. His expertise includes executing M&A transactions, leading capital-raising efforts, and serving as interim CFO/COO. Proficient in both advisory and operational roles, Thomas integrates analytical depth with a pragmatic, hands-on leadership style, making him a versatile and effective finance professional.
Career Highlights
Education Highlights
Case Studies
Comparable Companies and Transactions Valuation
Fully-fledged Financial Model with Dynamic Statements (P&L, BS, CF)
M&A and Fundraising Process and Project Management
Software Expertise
- Office 365
Other Expertise
- CFO
- COO
- Due Diligence
- Finance
- Fundraising
- Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A)
- Startups
Work Experience
CFO
Decentriq
- Managed all operational finance tasks, including weekly, monthly, and annual requirements. Built up the HR and Legal departments.
- Raised a $15 million Series A round and owned corporate finance activities. Raised a $5 million venture debt round.
- Led the investor and stakeholder management, including business angels, VCs, venture debt providers, and banks.
- Honorably mentioned by the team multiple times as one of the go-to guys for problem-solving.
Interim CFO/COO/Head of Finance | Startups | Fundraising Manager | Finance Consultant
Freelance
- Built a seed funding deck and actively managed the seed fund round for a pre-seed startup. Advised them on operational goals to kick-off process.
- Assumed interim CFO/COO role with full responsibility on finance tasks. Got financial department up-to-speed within one month.
- Advised on M&A topics, prepared M&A roadmap, documents, and long-/short-list.
- Assisted client to form industry expert board with a combined financing round.
- Consulted on topics in corporate finance, business and finance operations (e.g. budgeting, financial planning & analysis (FP&A), controlling), and investor relations,.
- Oversaw project management, due diligence, executive briefings, board document preparation, market screening, and financial modeling.
Vice President/Director
Ludwig & Co. (Award-winning Corporate Finance Boutique)
- Led multiple M&A transactions across industries (technology, IT, automotive, agri-tec).
- Raised funding rounds for early stage and growth startups.
- Managed carve-outs, financial restructuring, and distressed M&A projects.
- Built and presented Information memorandums, company presentations, and financial models.
- Led and executed due diligence processes on both the buy and sell side.
- Recruited one of the best junior M&A teams in the industry.
CFO/COO
cloudControl (PaaS |Coud Technology Startup)
- Raised multi-million EUR amounts in three funding rounds from business angels and VCs (Seed-Series B).
- Managed all group financials: German GmbH & US Inc., including financial planning, monthly and annual report preparation, treasury, and investor relations.
- Executed M&A projects: dotCloud acquisition from Docker, Inc., sale of cloudControl to Exoscale.
- Set-up internal controlling systems and core KPIs for acquisition funnel, sign-up conversions, cohorts, and marketing effectiveness.
- Oversaw all legal and data security topics.
- Coordinated HR, recruitment processes, and employee evaluation.
- Founded a US-based subsidiary as part of the international expansion strategy.
Analyst
UBS Investment Bank
- Executed M&A transactions in the technology, real estate, and transportation sectors with EVs in the range of €50-500 million each.
- Prepared the multi-billion EUR IPO of one of Europe's largest railway operators.
- Built extensive integrated financial models for both M&A and IPO cases.
- Executed due diligence projects in digital and physical data rooms.
- Prepared and presented key transaction documents such as a prospectus, pitches, and company presentations.
Education
Bachelor's Degree in International Business Economics
Chengchi University Taipei - Taipei, Taiwan
Bachelor's Degree in International Business
Maastricht University - Maastricht, The Netherlands
Skills
Finance
Corporate Finance, Accounting, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Seed Fundraising, Financial Management, Fundraising, Equity Financing, CFO, Financial Modeling, Due Diligence, Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), M&A (Sell-side), Financial Reporting, Budgeting, Debt Raises, Cross-border M&A, Controller, Taxation, Operational Finance, P&L Forecasting
Output Software
Office 365, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, Google Docs
Industry Expertise
Technology, Early-stage Startups, Venture Capital, High-tech Startups
Other
Microsoft, Microsoft 365, Financial Controlling, Startups, Finance, Controlling, Financing, Interim CFO, Virtual CFO, COO, Chief Operations Officer (COO), Reporting, Budget Modeling, Pitch Decks, SaaS, Google Workspace, Cloud, Fundraising Consultant, OneDrive, Project Management, Zoom, Teams, CEO, Microsoft OneDrive, Initial Public Offerings, Cybersecurity, Treasury, Procurement, Legal, Human Resources (HR), Investor Relations, P&L Management
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