Audit-ready portfolios raise faster
Welcome
VC-backed companies scale fast – often faster than their finance function can keep up.
When a raise or due diligence hits, unprepared teams scramble for audited numbers. What should take weeks drags into months.
We work with venture funds and their portfolio companies from first cheque to exit, ensuring financial reporting and audits support you at every stage of the journey – be it capital raising and growth through to strategic transactions and liquidity events.
No pitch. The playbook is below – it works with or without us.
About us
Moore Australia at a glance
- Four member firms
- 600+ professionals
- 13 offices across Australia
- 37,000+ experts in 116 countries through the Moore Global Network
- Audit, tax, corporate finance and advisory for VC-backed and high-growth companies
Audits and Venture Capital
Audited financials: when do portfolio companies need them?
For growth-stage companies, audits are event-driven, not calendar-driven. Six triggers account for almost every first audit we see:
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Capital raises
New funding rounds with institutional or offshore investors.
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Investor thresholds
Existing and new investors requesting audited financials once their equity holding crosses a set percentage.
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Preference share issuances
Introducing more sophisticated capital structures, including liquidation preferences and other non-ordinary rights.
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Liquidity events
Preparing for a sale, IPO, merger or other strategic transaction.
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Revenue milestones
Reaching a scale where customers, investors and other stakeholders expect greater financial rigour and accounting standard compliance.
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Governance upgrades
The internal “it’s time to grow up” moments.
First audits rarely stall because something is broken. They stall because there was no playbook. Six growing pains continue to show up:
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Cap table chaos
Outdated ownership spreadsheets, missing grant documentation and unclear equity allocations can quickly become problematic when investors, auditors and advisers start asking questions.
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Preference share complexity
New funding rounds often introduce liquidation preferences and other non-ordinary rights. While the legal structure may be clear, the accounting implications are often revisited much later than they should be.
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ESOP confusion
Employee share option plans frequently evolve faster than the supporting documentation and calculations. Graded vesting conditions, stale valuations and unclear exit logic are common challenges.
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Revenue recognition gaps
Rapid growth can leave accounting policies behind. Undocumented revenue positions, inconsistent treatment and limited alignment with accounting standards often surface during audit preparation.
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Month-end close discipline
Inconsistent close cadence, incomplete audit trails and weak cut-off processes can undermine confidence in reported results and extend audit timelines.
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The solo finance lead
One person managing everything, now facing an audit alone.
First-time audits: why do they stall?
What to ask portcos
5 questions worth asking your portcos
Founders take their cues from the investors and advisers they trust. Five questions that quickly reveal financial readiness.
An early, open conversation can uncover issues months before they become obstacles during capital raises, due diligence or first-time or recurrent audits.
- Have the financial statements ever been reviewed or audited?
- Could the company comfortably support fast investor due diligence today?
- Who owns finance, and how dependent is the business on one individual?
- Is the cap table and equity documentation complete and up to date?
- Are there significant accounting judgements management has made (think revenue recognition, software capitalisation, share-based payments and R&D incentives.)?
Supporting your full ecosystem
How Moore Australia works with the venture ecosystem
Moore Australia supports venture funds and their portfolio companies through every stage of growth – from first institutional capital to exit. Backed by 600+ professionals across Australia and 37,000+ experts globally, we provide the audit, advisory and tax support needed as businesses scale, raise capital and mature.
Great investors don’t just fuel growth – they help de-risk it. Our job is to make that easier, at every stage from first cheque to exit.
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FAQ
Common Questions
Venture-backed companies face accounting, reporting and governance issues that don’t typically arise in traditional businesses. Working with auditors who understand these challenges can reduce disruption, accelerate timelines and help management focus on growth through a lived through and repeatable approach.
A first audit is important, but so is finding a partner who understands the challenges that come next. Venture-backed companies face evolving reporting and investor expectations as they grow. We work alongside founders and finance teams through each stage of that journey – from an initial audit through to future funding rounds, expansion and eventual exit.
Yes. We regularly work with venture funds and their portfolio companies, helping align reporting expectations and prepare businesses for future capital raising and transaction activity.
Most venture-backed companies’ first audits are triggered by a business milestone rather than a calendar date. Common catalysts include a capital raise with new institutional or offshore investors, preference share issuances, a future planned liquidity event, rapid growth or a governance uplift as the business matures or regulatory triggers, making it worthwhile to assess audit obligations early.
Yes. Many of our most valuable conversations happen well before an audit trigger arises. Early preparation often reduces cost, disruption and execution risk when the time comes
Venture-backed companies face a broad range of financial and tax challenges as they grow. Beyond audit – our tax, R&D and corporate finance teams help founders navigate the complexities that come with scale, all whilst gaining the efficiencies of having this under the same roof.
A practical conversation about where the company is today, what milestones may lie ahead and whether any reporting, governance or audit-related challenges are likely to emerge as the business grows. Whether you’re preparing for a first audit or looking to make recurring audits more efficient and less disruptive, we can help. No pitch, no obligation. Just practical insight based on what we see across the venture ecosystem.
Start with a conversation, not an engagement letter
We offer complimentary intro sessions with your portfolio companies: where audits go off track, and how to get ahead of them. If nothing else, your portcos leave with a checklist.
Tell us a little about the portfolio. You’ll hear from the right person. It’s how we help your portfolio thrive in a changing market.
- Contact Us
- Request for Proposal