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Join leading VCs and CFOs in Anrok’s webinar as they reveal exactly what investors scrutinize in financial statements and which red flags can derail your fundraising efforts. Learn how you can build investor-ready finance systems that demonstrate financial discipline, from implementing key metrics like the Rule of 40 and burn ratios to preparing clean data rooms and GAAP-compliant financials that withstand due diligence. Anrok’s session will equip you with actionable strategies that can help de-risk your business, avoid common pitfalls in revenue recognition and forecasting, and position your company for successful capital raises at higher valuations.

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Join leading VCs and CFOs to learn what investors look for in financial statements and which red flags can derail fundraising. Discover how to build investor-ready finance systems, strengthen compliance, and position your company for higher valuations.

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Investor-Ready Financials: What VCs Look for in Scaling Companies

Jesse Klein

The percentage of women in the CFO role dropped globally last year, after several years of slow but steady growth, according to a recent 

 on women in board roles and beyond. Last year’s dip was the first decline noted since 2020.

According to a report from MSCI, an investment research company, in 2023, 19.8% of US CFOs in 

 were women, but that number dropped to 19% as of October 2024. For companies in MSCI’s 

, the decline in female CFOs was more notable, decreasing from 21.3% in 2023 to 19.4% in 2024.

“The past several years had seen significant numbers of women appointed to the role of CFO at EM [emerging markets] companies, outstripping an increase among DM [developing markets] peers” the report said. But in 2024, that trend reversed, “though it remains to be seen whether this was an anomaly or the start of a deeper shift.”

Beyond just being underrepresented overall, female CFOs are also churning at a much higher rate than their male counterparts. According to research from 

, the average female CFO only stays in the role for two years, whereas male CFOs stay for four and a half years.

MSCI isn’t the first company to discover this stagnation among female CFOs. A 

 from Crist Kolder Associates, an executive search firm, found that 17.5% of CFO roles at Fortune 500 and S&P 500 companies were held by women by the end of July 2025—a decrease from 18.5% in 2023.

The healthcare industry had the fewest female CFOs in 2025, according to the Crist Kolder report: only 11 among the Fortune and S&P 500. For the past decade, those numbers have hovered around five to nine. The financial, technology, and consumer sectors had the highest numbers: 20 each this year, according to the report.

Many high-profile tech and AI companies have recently appointed female CFOs, including Meta, Zoom, OpenAI, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Alphabet. 

 has shown that companies with female CFOs outperform industry averages.

Female CFO numbers are slipping

After female CFO numbers slowly increased for 4 years, last year showed a decline.

News built for finance pros

News built for finance pros