Berlin · Est. 2026 · Operator-Grade Finance

Institutional
finance.
No bullshit.

Senior CFO advisory and independent assurance for VC-backed founders and growth-stage companies. From first financial model to pre-IPO IFRS conversion. From equity round to venture debt. From spreadsheet chaos to AI-enabled finance organisation.

If you're raising, scaling, or preparing for an exit — this is where we step in.

Book a 45-min diagnostic — no prep needed See services
nobs
50+
Portfolio companies
supported
€4bn
DAX IPO
Frankfurt 2017
30+
Countries
operated in
20+
Years institutional
finance
Where we get involved

Typical situations

"

The best founders don't need more dashboards. They need someone who's built the whole thing before — the finance org, the AI-native reporting stack, the fundraising process, the IPO readiness programme. Someone who has fixed the model at 2am and knows which shortcuts cost you the round. That person is now available to you.

nobs is built on 20+ years of actually running things — Global CFO of foodpanda across 30+ countries, CFO at Delivery Hero through the €4bn Frankfurt IPO, CFO & Operating Partner at FoodLabs, a leading European VC platform. Not an advisor who observed operators from the outside. An operator who now advises and independently verifies. WHU / Lancaster. Wirtschaftsprüfer (cand.).

Selected outcomes
01 / 02
Advisory
For VC-backed founders & growth-stage companies

Sparring partner.
Operator depth.
When the numbers actually matter.

Senior CFO capability — fractional, embedded, or project-based — for founders who need someone who's actually built this before. Not a generalist consultant. An operator who's run finance across 30+ countries, closed a DAX IPO, and built AI-native finance organisations from scratch.


From the first financial model to pre-IPO IFRS conversion. From equity round structuring to venture debt. From a chaotic spreadsheet setup to a scalable, AI-enabled finance function. Primarily working with VC-backed and growth-stage companies — selectively also advising mid-cap and private equity situations.

01
Interim & Fractional CFO
The CFO seat — board prep, investor reporting, finance team leadership, the hard conversations — without the full-time hire you're not ready for. Senior from day one. In the room when it matters.
02
Financial Modelling & KPI Cockpit
Models built to think with and defend in a room. Cohort analysis, unit economics, contribution margins, scenario planning — the numbers that tell your actual story and survive a smart investor's 30 minutes.
03
Equity & Debt Fundraising
Full capital stack — equity rounds, venture debt, KfW/EIB instruments, non-dilutive financing. Most VC-CFOs can only do equity. Debt advisory is a separate skill set. This covers both — from narrative to close.
04
AI-Enabled Finance Organisation
Automated board reporting, real-time KPI dashboards, and finance workflows that scale beyond Excel — built and implemented, not just recommended.
05
Finance Function Build-Out
From first finance hire to a functioning team. Org design, tool stack (ERP, DATEV, reporting layer), chart of accounts, reporting cadence — the infrastructure that stops breaking every time you grow.
06
Exit & Pre-IPO Readiness
IFRS conversion, data room architecture, normalised financials, governance uplift, KPI narrative — everything that acquirers and underwriters will test. Built from the experience of having done it, not advised on it.
Focused engagements

Clear entry points for immediate impact — designed around the situations founders actually face.

2–3 weeks
Fundraising Readiness Sprint
We stress-test your financial model, clean up your KPIs, and align your numbers with your investor narrative.
You walk into fundraising with numbers you can defend — and a story that holds up under pressure.
~10 days
Board Pack Reset
We rebuild your reporting into a clear, structured board pack — with the right KPIs, narrative, and operating clarity.
You move from reactive updates to confident, structured board communication.
2–4 weeks
Debt Strategy Setup
We design your debt strategy, structure the instruments, and prepare you for lender conversations.
You unlock non-dilutive capital — without taking unnecessary risk.
02 / 02
Assurance
Independent review & verification

Numbers that
hold up.

Independent financial review from someone who has built and run the finance infrastructure being assessed. Not a checklist exercise — a senior operator who knows which assumptions break under scrutiny, and helps you fix them before investors or acquirers find them first.


Investor-grade rigour without Big 4 overhead. For the moments when the numbers need to hold up in a room you can't control.

01
Pre-Round Financial Review
Financial statements and model review before a financing round — identifying what sophisticated investors will find, so you control the narrative rather than react to it.
02
Data Room Readiness
Independent review of your financial data room for M&A, secondary transactions, or investor due diligence — surface and remediate the gaps before an acquirer uses them against your valuation.
03
Financial Due Diligence Support
Vendor-side or buy-side financial due diligence — quality of earnings, working capital analysis, normalised EBITDA, red-flag identification. From a CFO who has run both sides of the table.
04
Annual Accounts Review
Independent HGB review of annual financial statements for VC-backed GmbHs — a second senior pair of eyes before filing. Especially valuable ahead of institutional investor or bank conversations.
05
IFRS Conversion Review
Technical review of HGB-to-IFRS conversion ahead of IPO or international M&A — catching the restatement issues early that derail processes late. From someone who has completed this in a live IPO context.
06
Reporting Infrastructure Assessment
Independent review of KPI definitions, accounting policies, and management reporting quality — so what you show investors quarterly reflects operational reality and survives downstream audit.
WP
Independent reviews are conducted with Wirtschaftsprüfer (German CPA) qualification — providing the formal standing to sign off where required, combined with the operator background to understand what the numbers actually mean.
Bastian Stöhr
The Principal

Bastian
Stöhr

Founder & MD · WP (cand.) · Berlin

20+ years at the intersection of global scale-ups, institutional venture capital, and public markets. Former Global CFO of foodpanda (Rocket Internet, 30+ countries), CFO at Delivery Hero during the €4bn Frankfurt IPO, and CFO & Operating Partner at FoodLabs, a leading European VC platform.

Co-author of the EIF Impact Reporting Handbook (InvestEU Advisory Hub). Wirtschaftsprüfer (cand.). WHU Otto Beisheim School of Management, Lancaster University.

2021–26
FoodLabs / Atlantic Internet Group
CFO & Operating Partner
2018–20
CHRONEXT AG
Group CFO & Managing Director
2017–18
Delivery Hero AG
Global CFO, foodpanda & foodora · €4bn IPO
2014–16
foodpanda (Rocket Internet)
Global CFO · 30+ countries
2001–12
Ernst & Young / Arthur Andersen
Senior Manager, Transaction Advisory
By the numbers
€4bn
DAX IPO
Frankfurt 2017
50+
Portfolio companies
supported
30+
Countries
operated in
20+
Years institutional
finance
Seed–
DAX
Full company
lifecycle
WP
Wirtschaftsprüfer
(cand.)
How we work

Fast to value.
No retainer theatre.

We start with a diagnostic, agree on scope, and move. Project-based, retainer, or interim — the format follows the mandate, not the other way around. No juniors learning on your clock. You always work with the person whose name is on the door.

01
Discovery Call
45 minutes. We understand your situation, your goals, and the gaps. No charge, no commitment.
02
Diagnostic & Scoping
We identify where the gaps actually are — in your model, your reporting, your fund structure — not where a standard advisory pitch says they should be.
03
Engagement Design
Project mandate or ongoing retainer. Transparent pricing, clear deliverables, no surprises on invoice. Scope built around your next milestone, not our utilisation rate.
04
Execution
Senior involvement from first call to final deliverable. You get the CFO who's been in the room — not a team that's learning from your situation.
Research & Publications

Writing that
moves the field.

Published with Europe's leading institutions on fund governance, impact accountability, and startup finance infrastructure.

EIF / European Investment Fund · 2024

Impact Accountability in Venture Capital

Co-authored practitioner handbook on impact-linked carried interest and the Gamma Model. The reference document for impact accountability in European VC — funded by EU/EIB and InvestEU Advisory Hub.

SFDR Impact Carry Gamma Model
Download PDF →
Controlling & Management Review · WHU · 2025

Controlling-Instrumente für den Startup-Erfolg

Practitioner article on scalable finance and controlling infrastructure in high-growth startups — from pre-revenue KPIs to full BI integration at scale. Published in Springer CMR journal.

Startup Finance KPIs ERP
CMR Journal →
Deutsche Startups · 2024

So können VCs den Impact von Startups messen

Practical commentary on impact measurement methodology for VC portfolios — from the Coalition for Impact in Venture, of which Bastian was a founding member.

Impact SFDR VC
Read Article →

Raising, scaling,
or preparing for an exit?

Book a 45-min diagnostic — no prep needed
Get in touch

Let's talk.

Preparing a round, fixing your reporting, or exploring debt — reach out directly. A 45-minute diagnostic call is the fastest way to see if and how we can work together. No prep needed — just bring your situation.

Email
bastian@nobsadvisory.com
LinkedIn
linkedin.com/in/bastian-f-stöhr
Location
Berlin, Germany · Remote-capable
Entity
nobs Advisory GmbH · AG Charlottenburg

Direct access.
Senior from day one.

You're not submitting a form to a BD team. This reaches Bastian directly. Expect a response within 24 hours. Engagements currently open.

Advisory · Assurance
Engagements: Open
Response: < 24h