clive@connexive.uk Client Login

Finance functions ready for
scale, funding, acquisition or exit

Connexive is a CFO-led finance partner for growth-focused UK SMEs. We rebuild the finance function, build the models funders trust and lead the business through the scrutiny that defines its value: before, during and after the event.

Scale
Funding
Acquisition
Exit
See if Connexive fits
Client Type Founder-led, family-owned & PE-backed SMEs
Growth or Value Stage Before, during or after growth, funding, acquisition, refinance or exit
Typical Size Revenue £2m to £35m · EBITDA to £5m
The Gap We Close

Most growing SMEs are not finance-ready when scrutiny arrives

The business is growing. The finance function has not kept pace. The team is working hard, but the information still does not give the CEO, board, lender or investor enough confidence.

That gap matters most under scrutiny: funding, acquisition, refinance, exit or post-deal integration. It is rarely the headline reason a deal stalls. It is often the real one.

Connexive closes that gap. We fix what produces the numbers, then build the models and reporting that management, funders and buyers can rely on. The result: sharper decisions, credible funding conversations and a more valuable business.

The signs are consistent
Management accounts run late
Forecasts don't link to cash
KPIs unclear or untracked
Systems don't talk to each other
Month-end takes weeks, not days
Diligence questions go unanswered
Who We Help

For SMEs where finance has become a constraint

Growth events
Rapid scalingNew sites, divisions or service linesFinance team restructureSystem implementationCash flow & working capital pressureBoard reporting upgradeKPI & management reporting improvement
Value events
Debt raiseEquity fundingAcquisitionBuy and buildRefinanceMBO or MBIExit preparation & post-deal integration
The Connexive Difference

Boardroom to bookkeeping

Many fractional CFOs advise at board level, but have limited reach into the finance operations producing the numbers.

Connexive is different. We work from the boardroom through to the bookkeeping, systems, controls and month-end discipline underneath. Where the foundation isn't fit for purpose, we don't just flag it. We have the capability to fix it.

That matters because strategic finance advice is only as good as the information it relies on.

The CFO leads. FinOps secures the financial foundation beneath.
01
Funder's perspective

Real SME debt and mezzanine funding experience. We know what a lender or investor needs to see before they commit, because we have sat on that side of the table.

02
Transaction experience at SME scale

M&A, LBO, AIM preparation and a sale to an NYSE-listed buyer, applied to businesses of £2m to £35m revenue. Deal-grade discipline, sized for the SME.

03
Bespoke modelling, not templates

Every model is built around the specific business, the decision and the audience, whether that is a lender, an investor or a buyer. Not a reused spreadsheet.

Our View

AI doesn’t fix bad data. It scales it.

Most of the conversation about AI in finance is about outputs: commentary written faster, questions answered instantly. That conversation skips the constraint.

An AI layer sitting on an unreliable ledger, disconnected systems and a manual month-end solves nothing. It industrialises the error, producing answers that are faster, more fluent, and harder to challenge because they look finished.

The work that makes AI worth having in an SME finance function is the work underneath it. Once source data is reliable, AI compresses the distance between an event and a decision. On unreliable data it does the same thing in the wrong direction, at speed.

The value of the output is set by the quality of the input. No tool has changed that.
01
Automation

Remove the manual handling that introduces error and consumes the finance team’s month. Every re-key is a place a number can go wrong and a reason the close runs late.

02
System integration

Make the systems agree. Where operations, revenue and the ledger hold different versions of the same event, no analysis downstream will reconcile them.

03
Process discipline

Define how a transaction is captured, coded, reviewed and reconciled, so the output is repeatable rather than dependent on who was on holiday.

What We Do

What we own and deliver

Connexive works at two levels. The CFO layer sets direction, builds the models and leads the transaction. The FinOps layer secures the data, systems and month-end discipline those outputs depend on. Most mandates need both.

CFO Layer Direction, modelling and transaction leadership
01
CFO Leadership

Experienced CFO leadership alongside the CEO, owner and board, as a project deliverable, fractional or interim role, or ongoing mandate: board reporting, pricing and cost structure strategy, cash, funding and transaction leadership.

02
Financial Modelling

Bespoke integrated P&L, balance sheet and cash flow models built to withstand PE, lender and FDD scrutiny: funding, acquisition, exit, debt capacity, scenarios and rolling forecasts.

03
Finance Function Professionalisation

Integrated systems, automation and diligence-ready controls, with month-end, accruals, deferred revenue and WIP brought to a standard that holds up. We fix the engine, not just the outputs.

04
Transaction & Post-Deal Support

Transaction leadership through FDD, the data room, lender and investor queries, covenant reporting and post-deal integration.

FinOps Layer The finance operations that make those outputs reliable
01
Accruals-based bookkeeping & month-end

A disciplined close on a fixed timetable, with revenue and cost in the right period.

02
Finance system & process optimisation

Transactions captured once, at source, reaching the ledger without re-keying.

03
Working capital management

Debtors, creditors and stock managed as a live cash position, not a balance.

04
Cash flow forecasting

Receipts and payments modelled to the detail a lender or a board will test.

05
Finance function automation

Manual steps taken out of the close, so the team reviews rather than keys.

Systems Expertise
Xero
QuickBooks
Arthur Online
Cin7
Advanced Excel
The CFO and FinOps Connection

Connexive FinOps is the delivery arm: data, Excel and accounting system experts led by Rahul, a Chartered Accountant (ICAI, ex-E&Y), working under Clive’s direction. This is not bookkeeping in isolation. It is the operational foundation that lets the numbers reaching the board be ones you can stand behind.

The two layers run in both directions. Some mandates start with the CEO and reach down: Lawfront began as a fractional CFO mandate, evolved into FinOps data transformation and is now on a third mandate. Others start in the ledger and build up: EveryCloud began with a FinOps rebuild of two years of accounting history, which then drove the forecast model. Whichever layer the business needs first is the layer we lead with.

More information Connexive FinOps →
How we engage

A defined deliverable, scoped to the outcome: assess and rebuild the finance function, build the model or lead the business through a transaction.

How We Work

How we get the finance function ready

Start
SME Finance Gap
1
Find the gap
Identify where finance is holding the business back: data, reporting, systems, forecasting, KPIs, team or transaction readiness
2
Fix the foundation
Put the engine right so the numbers are accurate, complete and timely. This is where Connexive FinOps supports the CFO work
3
Build the model & reporting rhythm
The forecast, KPIs, reporting cadence and commercial interpretation needed to run the business and support the next event
4
Stand up to scrutiny
Support the business when lenders, investors, buyers, boards or advisers start asking detailed questions
5
Run the reporting rhythm
For ongoing mandates: month-end close, management accounts, reconciliations and controls, managed as the business grows
Outcome
A more valuable business, with finance that holds up
Scrutiny-ready
Investor-grade reporting
Scalable finance function
CFO-led confidence
Partner With Connexive

The complete finance solution,
CFO-led, FinOps-delivered.

Most Connexive mandates come through FDD teams, corporate finance advisers, private equity, lenders, accountancy firms and specialist financial recruiters. When you refer us in, the relationship stays yours. We take charge of the client-side execution so your process runs to plan, and deliver a more robust finance function that raises the client's reporting, controls and cash visibility.

Choose your relationship to Connexive

Numbers that survive diligence.

We take charge of the client's numbers before your team arrives: building the model, the databook and the reconciled trading narrative your diligence will test. Every query is answered first-hand by the CFO who built the file. No friction, no surprises, no late-stage rework.

  • FDD-ready databook & trading analysis
  • Quick resolution of scope queries
  • Single CFO point of contact through close
Our Partner Promise

We strengthen your client relationship. We don't replace it.

  • Clear scope. Defined lanes, documented at mandate start.
  • No poaching. Your adjacent services remain yours. Always.
  • Finder's recognition. Transparent, agreed commercials.
Meet the CFO
Clive Angel, Founder of Connexive
Clive Angel
CA(SA)  ·  30+ years across SME, PE-backed and listed businesses  ·  Founder & CFO Lead, Connexive
Specialism
Pre and post-transaction CFO leadership for UK SME growth, PE-backed and listed businesses
Sector coverage
Sector agnostic. Every mandate addresses the growth and data challenges SMEs share as they scale
Mandate size
£2m to £35m revenue, EBITDA to £5m
Deal experience
M&A, LBO, AIM prep, NYSE-listed buyer transactions
Typical engagement
Project deliverable, fractional or interim CFO role, ongoing mandate, FinOps restructure
Finance function
Fit for purpose and built for scale

Clive works with SME CEOs, PE investors, lenders and corporate finance teams, leading from the boardroom to the ledger wherever the mandate needs it. Every engagement is built around one thing: measurable outcomes tied to EBITDA, cash and transaction readiness. The common thread across every Connexive mandate: an SME growth business, and a finance function that needs to professionalise, optimise and stand up to what comes next, whether that is a transaction or the demands of scale. The work is sector agnostic, because these are challenges all growing SMEs share.

Client Mandates

Where we add value

The same pattern throughout: CFO-led work built on cleaner data and better models. Mandates introduced by TC Group, K3 Advantage, K3 Deal Advisory and specialist financial recruiters.

Allied healthcare buy and build
Introduced by TC Group: 35-practice roll-up and AIM listing preparation
2025 to present
35 practices · AIM-bound
35-practice roll-up c.£3m equity raise & debt facility Reporting accountant-ready group forecast
  • Rebuilt four founding entities from cash to accruals, including balance sheets, working capital and month-end from scratch.
  • Built the dynamic acquisition model overlaying 35 practices with timing, cost and performance assumptions to underpin FDD and investor presentations.
  • Delivered the consolidated group forecast behind the reporting accountants’ report, the AIM process and a c.£3m equity raise.
WASP Power and Filtration
Clean-tech manufacturing: entity consolidation, capital restructure and US exit
2023 to 2025
NYSE-listed acquirer
60%+ overhead cut Close: 15 to 8 days NYSE exit
  • Consolidated three entities into one, cutting overheads across the business by over 60%.
  • Integrated Cin7 stock management with Xero, eliminating manual errors, and accelerated month-end close from 15 to 8 days.
  • Built the integrated forecast behind the UK capital restructure.
  • Led pre and post-closing diligence on the sale of the US subsidiary to an NYSE-listed acquirer.
K3 Advantage
PE and debt transaction modelling for multi-sector SMEs
2025 to present
Revenue up to £50m
Transaction-ready forecast models Post-deal funder reporting & CEO support
  • Ongoing mandate delivering investor-ready models with clear funding capacity and debt serviceability analysis across multiple sectors.
  • Embedded commercial drivers and scenario analysis to withstand funder and FDD scrutiny.
  • Harris Evolution, commercial refurbishment, revenue £25m+: five-year revenue and WIP model supporting a PE equity transaction at an enterprise value above £15m, with management led through FDD and buy-side diligence.
Managed IT Commercial property Property lettings Hospitality & travel
EveryCloud AI & Data Security
Cyber security managed services: deferred revenue rebuild and transaction-ready forecast
2026 to present
ARR £5.5m+
FinOps first, CFO second Two-year cash to accruals rebuild Deferred revenue methodology Five-year transaction-ready forecast model
  • FinOps rebuilt two years of transaction history from cash to accruals, with a deferred revenue schedule and the balance sheet liability behind it.
  • That accrual base then drove the dynamic five-year forecast model, built to support the executive team’s strategy and a future transaction event.
Lawfront
PE-backed legal buy and build: finance professionalisation, FinOps data transformation and a third mandate
2023 to present
Group revenue c.£150m
CFO first, FinOps second PE-standard reporting WIP valuation methodology Group data transformation
  • Engaged as fractional CFO to professionalise finance for the group’s first acquisition: PE-standard reporting, WIP valuation methodology and historical VAT resolved.
  • Re-engaged 18 months later on FinOps data transformation, cleansing and mapping data across six entities.
  • Now retained by the group for a third mandate.
Gilbert’s Kosher Foods
Meat processing: manual stock and a broken ledger rebuilt as an integrated Cin7 and Xero finance function
2025
Revenue c. £8.5m
As-is to to-be finance function Cin7 to Xero data integration Stock accuracy to gross margin Reporting lag from 6 months
  • Management accounts and KPIs were trailing by more than six months. Stock ran on manual Excel, disconnected from a Sage ledger that had stopped doing its job. In food processing, if the stock position is an estimate, so are yield, wastage and margin by product line.
  • Connexive analysed the as-is finance function and designed a fit-for-purpose, integrated to-be on Cin7 and Xero. Our team rebuilt the financial data in Xero from the supporting documentation and mapped the Cin7 integration, then briefed a Cin7 specialist to oversee the stock implementation.
  • Stock and accounting fully automated and synced: manual re-keying removed, with stock movements captured at source and flowing into the financial accounts.
Horsham Smiles Dental Group
Debt-funded buy and build: multisite dental group
2021 to 2022
1 to 10 practices
£2m term debt raised Fee income £40k to £650k a month 50+ clinicians
  • Built the five-year cash flow model that secured £2m term bank debt.
  • Designed the scalable group finance function and covenant reporting framework that took the group from 1 to 10 practices and fee income from £40k to £650k a month.
  • Built a benchmarking tool tracking net contribution per practice and dentist across 50-plus clinicians.

Further mandates include Effective Media (balance sheet restructure, interim funding and a revenue model restructure to B2B monetisation), a flooring supply and fitting business (strategic pricing and cost structure review) and Treetop Biopak (13-week cash flow and an 8-day month-end).

Client & Adviser Endorsements

What clients and advisers say

“

I recently had the pleasure of working with Clive when in his role as interim CFO at WASP. He produced some fantastic financial models, some of which were very complex. He was incredibly professional in dealing with queries and has a superb communication style that enabled him to provide a large amount of detail and understanding for the users of the models. I have no hesitation in recommending Clive.

George Clayson
Director, Business Advisory & Corporate Finance Group, TC Knill James
“

Can not recommend Clive highly enough. His communication skills and attention to detail have been superb and his understanding of the numbers and the business really give me visibility of historic and forecasted trading. His support through the process of building the forecast model to support our PE transaction was impeccable and he has a real hunger to ensure everything is perfect.

Dean Houghton
Managing Director, Harris Evolution
“

Clive has been an excellent finance leader supporting our business group across the UK and USA. He diligently executed a UK restructuring and led the due diligence process in selling our USA subsidiary to an NYSE-listed buyer. We highly recommend his services.

Henry O'Lone
Business Leader, critical power-focused business, UK, USA & EU
“

Clive grasped working in a new sector very quickly and was able to deal with multiple issues for us in parallel. He helped us successfully resolve a historic VAT issue with HMRC and get to grips with some complicated WIP valuation workings. A self-starter and great hands-on problem solver.

Nigel Osborne
Chief Financial Officer, Lawfront Group
“

I recently had the pleasure of working with Clive when in his role as interim CFO at WASP. He produced some fantastic financial models, some of which were very complex. He was incredibly professional in dealing with queries and has a superb communication style that enabled him to provide a large amount of detail and understanding for the users of the models. I have no hesitation in recommending Clive.

George Clayson
Director, Business Advisory & Corporate Finance Group, TC Knill James
“

Can not recommend Clive highly enough. His communication skills and attention to detail have been superb and his understanding of the numbers and the business really give me visibility of historic and forecasted trading. His support through the process of building the forecast model to support our PE transaction was impeccable and he has a real hunger to ensure everything is perfect.

Dean Houghton
Managing Director, Harris Evolution
“

Clive has been an excellent finance leader supporting our business group across the UK and USA. He diligently executed a UK restructuring and led the due diligence process in selling our USA subsidiary to an NYSE-listed buyer. We highly recommend his services.

Henry O'Lone
Business Leader, critical power-focused business, UK, USA & EU
“

Clive grasped working in a new sector very quickly and was able to deal with multiple issues for us in parallel. He helped us successfully resolve a historic VAT issue with HMRC and get to grips with some complicated WIP valuation workings. A self-starter and great hands-on problem solver.

Nigel Osborne
Chief Financial Officer, Lawfront Group
Our Clients
TC Group
K3 Advantage
Lawfront
Wasp IPU
Horsham Smiles Dental
Gilbert's Kosher Foods
Harris Evolution
Regent Property
Iglu Tech Group
Prime Cut UK
Aleph Commodities
EveryCloud
Effective Media
Treetop Biopak
Rosenthal Consulting
Get in Touch

Make the finance function ready for serious scrutiny

Pre-transaction, post-deal or simply overdue. Whether you are a CEO, founder, adviser, lender, investor or recruiter, we'd welcome a practical conversation.

LinkedInClive Angel
Emailclive@connexive.uk
CFOwww.connexive.uk
FinOpswww.connexivefinops.uk