techfinance
+1 647 549 9345 Book a free callFree call

Your finance team, without the hires.

Fractional CFO, bookkeeping, SR&ED claims and fundraising support for Canadian startups, from pre-seed to Series A.Bookkeeping, a part-time CFO, financing help and SR&ED claims for Canadian small businesses. Our team uses modern software and AI, a CPA checks every number, and prices start at $400 a month.

Book a free call See services and prices
Founding offerFirst month free on bookkeeping or CFO Lite Monir AhmedFounder and fractional CFO · CPA, FCCA, MBA
Illustrative examples

Four services, one team

More runway.
Less dilution.Clean books. Taxes filed.
Ready for the bank.

Clean books, a CFO when you need one, SR&ED cash back and help getting ready to raise. Use one service or all four.Books and taxes done right every month, a part-time CFO to plan cash and growth, help getting financed, and SR&ED if you develop new products or processes. Use one service or all four.

Bookkeeping & close

Investor-ready books, GST/HST and your year-end tax returnMonthly books, sales tax and your year-end tax return, done right

from $400 a monthSee prices

Fractional CFO

Runway, budgets, investor updates and board packsA part-time CFO for cash flow, budgets, pricing and growth decisions

from $1,500 a monthSee prices

FundraisingLoans & financing

Get raise-ready: model, data room and investor Q&ABank, BDC and government-backed loans: the right option and a lender-ready package

Funding check FreeSee prices

SR&ED claims

Cash back for your R&D. Fixed fee, nothing upfrontCash back when you develop new products or processes. Fixed fee, nothing upfront

from $3,500 per claimSee prices
Monir Ahmed, CPA, founder of Techfinance
  • CPA
  • FCCA
  • MBA
  • 15 years in finance

Meet the founder

Hi, I'm Monir.

Techfinance is new. My experience isn't.

I've spent about 15 years in accounting and finance in the UK and Canada, with startups, owner-led businesses and large companies. I've been Director of Finance at a fast-growing SaaS company, acting CFO to early-stage startups through VC fundraising and acquisition due diligence, and part of the finance team behind a multi-million-dollar SR&ED claim.

I've also run finance for owner-led businesses: the books, cash flow, CRA and the banks, including a multi-million-dollar bridge loan. In the UK, I built and led a team of accountants serving small business clients.

I come from a family of entrepreneurs. My parents ran their own businesses, and I've worked alongside founders and owners all my life. Helping them succeed is what I love most. I started Techfinance to give them the finance team I'd want in their shoes: honest numbers, a clear view of cash, the right funding, and a CFO they can call.

Our promise to you

  • A CPA checks every number before it reaches you.
  • You see the price before any work starts.
  • No long contracts and no success fees. Cancel any month.
  • Your data stays private: NDA first, and AI tools that don't train on it.
  • You own your books and data, always.
  • If CRA reviews your SR&ED claim, we're with you through the review.
Book a free call with Monir Verify my CPA membershipConnect on LinkedIn

Monir Ahmed · Founder, Techfinance · Volunteer board director at Community Door, a Peel Region nonprofit

Prices

Every price, on one page.

Use one service or all four. No hidden fees, no success fees and no long contracts.

Pick your stage to see the plan we'd suggest.Pick your yearly revenue to see the plan we'd suggest.

Not a startup? See small business plansBuilding a startup? See startup plans

Growth bookkeeping

Books done right every month, with a monthly cash flow report.

Planning a loan or growth? Add CFO Lite and save 10% on both: $2,070 a month.

$800a month
Book a free call
Founding offer

For our first 10 clients: your first month free on bookkeeping or CFO Lite, a free catch-up if your books are up to 3 months behind, and prices locked for two years.

Ask for a founding spot
Start here

Bookkeeping & close

Monthly books, with your year-end tax return included

  • StarterUp to 100 transactions a month
    $400/mo
  • GrowthUp to 400, plus a burn and runway reportUp to 400, plus a monthly cash flow report
    $800/mo
  • ScaleUp to 1,000, plus SaaS metrics and a board packUp to 1,000, plus KPIs and a lender or board pack
    $1,400/mo

Every plan: a month-end close on a schedule we agree with you, checked by a CPA, plus GST/HST and provincial sales tax filings and your corporate tax return (T2). A T2 alone often costs $1,200 or more. Payroll, T4 and T5 slips and personal tax returns are quoted on the call. Over your limit two months running? We'll suggest the next plan. Cancel any month. Behind? Catch-up from $1,000.

Book a free call

Fractional CFO

A CFO when you need one, not a salary

  • CFO LiteAbout a day a month: runway, investor update, KPIsAbout a day a month: cash flow, KPIs and a monthly check-in
    $1,500/mo
  • CFOAbout 2 days a month: budget, cash, board, fundraisingAbout 2 days a month: budget, cash, pricing and lenders
    $3,000/mo

Monthly, cancel any month. Add bookkeeping and save 10% on both. A full-time CFO in Toronto typically earns $17,000 to $27,000 a month (Robert Half, 2027).

Book a free call

Fundraising & financingLoans & financing

Get ready to raise, with no success feesThe right funding, and a clear package for your lender

  • Funding checkYour options compared: bank and BDC loans, government programs, grants and SR&ED
    Free
  • Loan-ready packageA 24-month forecast, 13-week cash flow and the lender package, plus help answering the lender's questions
    $2,500 once
  • Fundraise sprint4 to 6 weeks: model, data room and answers to investor questions4 to 6 weeks: a financial model, the documents investors ask for, and help with their questions
    $5,000 once

Fixed fees. No success fees and no lender commissions, so our advice stays on your side. We get you and your numbers ready; lenders and investors make their own decisions. During a live raise, ongoing investor questions are covered by a CFO plan.

Book a free call
Start here

SR&ED claims

Get part of your R&D costs back in cash. Fixed fee, nothing upfront.

  • ClaimFixed fee set by your yearly R&D spend
    from$3,500
  • Second lookLast year's claim, checked for anything missed
    Free
  • Pre-claim approvalAsk CRA to approve up to 3 planned projects before the work starts
    $1,500
Claim fee by R&D spend
R&D spend up to $100K$3,500
Up to $250K$6,500
Up to $600K$11,000
Up to $1.5M$17,500
Over $1.5MQuoted

Includes the project write-ups, CRA forms, filing and CRA review support. Due when your refund arrives or 180 days after filing, whichever comes first. The fee stays fixed even if CRA trims the claim, so we flag weak projects on the free call. Objections and appeals are quoted separately. Clients on a monthly bookkeeping or CFO plan save 20%.

Estimate my refund Book a free call

All prices in Canadian dollars, plus GST/HST.

What a fixed fee saves you

If you paid a 20% fee$24,924
Techfinance fixed fee$6,500
You keep$18,424 more

On a $124,620 refund: $400K of tech salaries, half on R&D, in Ontario. Many SR&ED firms charge 10% to 30% of the refund.

How it works

Three steps. You keep building.Three steps. Back to your business.

Setup takes a few short calls. After that, it runs every month.

  1. 1

    Free 30-minute call

    Tell us about your business. You'll get a plan and a price in writing, plus your SR&ED estimate if you do R&D.

    Free
  2. 2

    We set everything up

    We connect your bank, cards, payroll and invoicing. Software and AI handle the routine work, and a CPA checks the books.

    A few short calls for you
  3. 3

    Finance, handled

    A faster close as we automate and fix bottlenecks, reports you can act on, and CFO help when you need it.

    Every month
See an exampleHow your team's notes become an SR&ED claim

From your team's notes to CRA's language

The writing is the part most teams put off, so we do it for you. AI drafts from your team's notes, a CPA checks every line, and your tech leadlead engineer approves it before anything is filed. An illustrative example, not a real client.

PERF-412 · Doc parser too slow on CPUPROJ-07 · Lighter bracket cracks under load
  • Goalp95 latency is 900 ms. Target: under 200 ms on CPU, losing less than 1 point of accuracy.
  • Try 18-bit quantization: 310 ms, but accuracy down 6 points. Not good enough.
  • Try 2Standard distillation: 190 ms, but down 3 points on multi-column pages.
  • ResultKept layout signals during distillation: 180 ms, down 0.8 points.
  • GoalMake the bracket 20% lighter and still pass a 5,000-cycle load test.
  • Try 1Thinner steel: cracked at 3,100 cycles. Not good enough.
  • Try 2Aluminum: the weld cracked at 4,200 cycles.
  • ResultNew rib shape and weld order: 21% lighter, passed 5,000 cycles.
SR&ED claim · project description
Uncertainty
It was not known whether a document parser could run under 200 ms on CPU-only servers while losing less than one point of accuracy. The known methods, quantization and standard distillation, lost too much accuracy on multi-column pages, and published results did not show how to avoid that.
Work done
The team tested 8-bit quantization and standard distillation against a fixed test set. Both missed the target on multi-column pages. It then built and tested a distillation method that keeps layout signals for each page region.
Advancement
The team learned that keeping layout signals during distillation preserves accuracy on multi-column pages: 0.8 points lost at 180 ms, a result the known methods could not reach.
Uncertainty
It was not known whether the bracket could be made 20% lighter and still pass a 5,000-cycle load test. The standard options, thinner steel and a switch to aluminum, both failed, and published data did not show how to stop the weld from cracking.
Work done
The team tested thinner steel and aluminum against the load test. Both failed early. It then designed and tested a new rib shape and a new weld order.
Advancement
The team learned that the rib shape and weld order control where cracks start: the new design was 21% lighter and passed 5,000 cycles, which the standard options could not reach.

Free SR&ED check

How much could SR&ED give you back?

Three quick checks: your refund, whether your work qualifies, and your deadline. Claims are due 18 months after your fiscal year-end, and late claims are denied.

Move the sliders to see what SR&ED could put back in your bank. It takes 30 seconds.

  • 35% back in cash on eligible R&D, on up to $6 million a year, even if you're not profitable yet
  • Ontario adds 8% through its refundable innovation credit
  • A fixed fee, not a cut of your refund. Nothing upfront: it's due when your refund arrives or 180 days after filing

Estimate your SR&ED refund

30 seconds
Add Canadian contractors
Estimated cash back
$124,620

About 31% of your technical payroll, back in cash.

Federal $99,820Ontario $24,800
Fixed fee$6,500A 20% fee would be: $24,924
You keep$118,120

Fixed fee for up to $250,000 of yearly R&D spend. Nothing upfront.

Check this with Monir

Estimate for a Canadian-controlled private corporation, using CRA's proxy method. US investors are usually fine; a US parent company means no cash refund. Your actual credit depends on eligible work, records and CRA review. Not tax advice.

How the estimate works

It takes R&D salaries (salaries times time on R&D), adds CRA's 55% overhead allowance (capped at your real overhead costs), and adds 80% of Canadian contractor costs. Ontario's 8% credit applies first. The federal 35% refundable credit applies to the rest, on up to $6 million a year. In Ontario, each dollar of R&D salary can return up to about 62 cents. Owners' salaries have extra limits, and the credits shrink for larger or more profitable companies, so we confirm your numbers on the call. The fee is fixed by your yearly R&D spend (R&D salaries plus contractors), not by the refund.

FAQ

Questions founders ask.Questions owners ask.

Who do you work with?
Canadian startups from pre-seed to Series A, and owner-led small businesses, usually incorporated, in most industries. We're based in Toronto and work with companies anywhere in Canada.
Which service should we start with?
Many startups start with an SR&ED claim, because it often pays for itself. If you're raising soon or investors want monthly updates, start with CFO Lite. Moving your books to us makes next year's claim easier. Use one service or all four; there is no package you have to buy.
Which service should we start with?
Most small businesses start with bookkeeping, so the numbers are right every month. Add CFO Lite when you want help planning cash flow, pricing and growth. Need a loan? Start with the free funding check on your first call. Use one service or all four.
Why a fractional CFO instead of a full-time hire?
A full-time CFO in Toronto typically earns $204,000 to $323,000 a year, before benefits, bonuses or equity (Robert Half's 2027 salary guide). Most startups and small businesses need a few days of CFO work a month. CFO Lite gives you about a day a month for $1,500, and you can scale up as you grow.
Can you help us get a bank or BDC loan?
Yes. We compare your options, such as a bank loan, a BDC loan, a government-backed loan through your bank (the Canada Small Business Financing Program) or equipment financing. Then we build a lender-ready forecast and financial package and help you answer the lender's questions. We don't negotiate loans for you or arrange mortgages. The lender makes the decision, so no one can guarantee approval, and we never take a fee from a lender.
Do you find investors or take a cut of what we raise?
No. We get you ready to raise: the financial model, the data room, the numbers in your deck and answers to investor questions. We don't sell shares or act as a broker, and we don't charge success fees, so our advice stays on your side.
What is SR&ED?
The Scientific Research and Experimental Development program is Canada's biggest support for business R&D. Canadian-controlled private corporations get a 35% refundable federal credit on up to $6 million of eligible R&D spending a year, paid in cash even with no profit. Ontario companies add an 8% refundable credit.
What kind of work qualifies for SR&ED?
Work qualifies when your team faced a technical uncertainty, tested ideas methodically and learned something new. That can be software, and it can also be new products, materials, processes or manufacturing methods. Routine work with known methods does not. The free SR&ED check gives you a first read, and the free call tells you which projects count.
If CRA cuts my claim, do I still pay?
Yes. The fee is fixed by the work, not by your refund, so it stays the same even if CRA trims the claim. That's why we flag weak projects on the free call and only file work we can defend. The fee is disclosed to CRA on your claim, as the rules require.
When does the SR&ED money arrive?
CRA aims to process claims it accepts as filed within 60 days. If it reviews a refundable claim, its target is 180 days, and we handle the review with you. In CRA's 2025-26 year, 90% of claims were accepted as filed.
We raised from US investors. Can we still get the 35%?
Usually, yes. The 35% refundable credit is for Canadian-controlled private corporations. A US investor with a minority stake doesn't change that on its own. If a US company owns yours (often called a flip), or non-residents together hold most of the votes, the credit is no longer paid in cash. We check your cap table and board on the free call.
Who does the work, people or AI?
People, with modern software and AI. Software and AI handle the routine work, like sorting transactions and first drafts, which keeps prices fair. A CPA checks every number before it reaches you or CRA.
We already have an accountant. Can you still help?
Yes. We can do your SR&ED claim or your financing package alongside your accountant, or take over the books when you're ready. You can also start with a free second look at last year's SR&ED claim.
Do you prepare audited or reviewed financial statements?
No. Audits and review engagements need a licensed public accountant. We prepare your books and your lender package. If a lender or investor needs reviewed or audited statements, we work alongside your licensed public accountant, which usually makes their work faster.
We're not in Ontario. Can you help?
Yes. We work with companies anywhere in Canada. For SR&ED, the federal 35% credit applies everywhere; turn off the Ontario switch in the estimator to see it, and we'll check your province's own credit on the call.
Is our data safe?
We sign your NDA before we see anything, keep files in access-controlled storage, and only use AI tools set up not to train on your data.

Free 30-minute call

Talk to Monir, free.

Thirty minutes, no obligation. Afterwards we send you a short written summary: the plan and price we'd suggest, your funding options if you need financing, and your SR&ED estimate if you do R&D.

You'll talk to Monir directly, not a sales team.

Book a free call with Monir

Opens Monir's calendar. Pick any time that suits you.

  • Founding offer: your first month free on bookkeeping or CFO Lite, for our first 10 clients
  • A written summary after the call, yours to keep
  • Use one service or all four. Happy with your bookkeeper? Keep them.
  • No obligation and no hard sell
+1 647 549 9345Call Monir WhatsAppMessage any time hello@techfinance.ioEmail

Prefer to write first?

Send a message and we'll reply by email within one business day.

Your details are only used to reply. No mailing lists. Privacy notice

Thanks. Your message is in.

We'll reply by email within one business day.

From Monir's writing

What is AI, and how will it change our lives?AI, explained · 16 October 2026
Call Book a free call