An Airwallex Program

Took Bare From No Finance Function to EBITDA Positive While Doubling Revenue

Bare is a venture-backed Australian platform that modernises death care, offering affordable cremation, digital wills, probate support, and grief care services at scale. When Amjad joined more than five years ago, no finance function existed; he built FP&A, AP, AR, HR, payroll, and financial data infrastructure from the ground up, all with offshore teams.

The work helped drive the company to EBITDA and operating cash flow positive, doubling revenue with a similar team and cutting month-end close to three working days.

Amjad now leads a Finance AI team embedded within the broader function, delivering more than 500 person-hours of monthly automations across pricing, data entry, vendor invoice assurance, revenue assurance, collections, and order-to-cash cycles, built by adopting AI early and applying it systematically across the finance operation.

View the full list

Kashif Amjad

Bare

What Startup Finance 30 is

Finance is one of the most under-leveraged growth levers a startup has.

The best finance leaders don't just keep the books. They extend runway, structure capital that changes what a company can do next, and build the systems that let it scale across borders.

Startup Finance 30 is the first list built to recognise that work. Beginning in 2026 and continuing annually, we name 30 finance leaders at venture-backed, globally ambitious startups. The operators shaping how the next generation of companies grow.

Who's doing the most consequential finance work in the startup world right now?

This list is the answer.

FAQ

More information on how SF30 works.

Who's behind Startup Finance 30?

Startup Finance 30 is published by Airwallex. We built it because we work with globally ambitious companies every day, and the finance leaders driving that growth deserve more recognition than they get. Selection sits with the committee.

Who selects the final 30?

A committee of operating CFOs and finance leaders. They score every candidate against a five-part merit rubric and ratify the final list. See the full selection methodology.

Is there a fee? Can I pay to be included?

No. It's free to enter, and recognition is earned on merit.