Welcome to the May Edition of the Zanda Newsletter!

We’ve got a packed line-up of insights, updates, and opportunities from across the finance and investment world.

In our latest Venture Voices interview, we sat down with Jonathan Lerner from Smedvig Ventures to discuss everything from Smedvig’s hybrid approach when it comes to supporting their companies to sharing advice for founders of emerging businesses.

This month, we also launched our brand new Interim Finance Salary Survey - to further support the interim finance community and ensure accurate benchmarking across all levels. 

May also saw us successfully launch of our first-ever CFO Masterclasses. If you couldn’t attend, find out what you missed and why these sessions are set to become a key event in our calendar.

We are also bringing you highlights from a vibrant networking event in London, where Jane and Lorna connected with an inspiring group of entrepreneurs.

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^{Enjoy this month’s edition and if there is anything you would like to see included, get in touch with [email protected]}

What's included in this Edition?

• Venture Voices | Smedvig Ventures

• Interim Finance Salary Guide | Support our Survey

• Our first CFO Masterclass | What You Missed

• Networking is the word | The season is open

• May Fundraising Report | UK and New York

• Current Opportunities

Venture Voices | Smedvig Ventures

In May, we had the pleasure to talk to Jonathan Lerner, Partner at Smedvig Ventures, a long-term venture capital investor backing fast-growing tech companies across Europe.

In this episode, Jonathan shared how Smedvig’s model supports founders in the long-term. He also discussed SaaS trends, AI-first startups, CFO timing, and the importance of enjoying the entrepreneurial journey.

Jump into the full discussion to hear more about:

• Why cash discipline is more critical than ever, and why founders often underestimate finance.

• The subtle but vital transition from founder to CEO, and the red flags that signal trouble early.

• How AI is reshaping the investment landscape and which types of businesses are best positioned to ride the wave.

Read here the full article or watch the discussion on Youtube.

Interim Finance Salary Guide | Support our Survey

As part of our ongoing commitment to the interim finance community, we're developing an Interim Finance Leader Survey to sit alongside our permanent salary guide, helping ensure interim roles are accurately benchmarked at every level.
 
This survey will feature up-to-date insights on day rates and compensation, grounded in real-time market data across a range of roles and experience levels. Our aim is to create a transparent, data-driven tool that delivers real value to both contractors and companies.
 
So if you are a finance professional currently working in an interim or contract role, your input can make a real difference. The survey takes just a few minutes to complete, and your responses will remain completely anonymous.
 
Click here to complete our quick survey.

Our first CFO Masterclass | What You Missed

We were thrilled to launched our first ever CFO Masterclass series with an incredible turnout. 50+ CFOs and finance leaders packed the room for a high-energy morning, exploring “The Future of Finance Data & AI”.

For this session we brought Waleed Saleem to guide this conversation and help us learn, digest, and set action plans on the topics discussed.

The main take-away from this session? Whilst many of the AI products in the market currently are more of an automation tool, there is still huge benefits in the successful implementation of these technologies to streamline and improve efficiencies in FinOps, Reporting and FP&A.

If you want to be a part of our June masterclass with VantagePoint and learn how high-performing finance teams are closing their books in as little as 3–5 days, make sure to secure your spot below.

Our next CFO Masterclass: The Art of Fast Close.

18th June | The Hoxton, Holborn | CFO attendees

Sign up for the next CFO Masterclasses here.

Networking is the word | The season is open

Networking season is in full swing, bringing together founders, investors, and industry leaders for meaningful conversations and new connections.

Our colleagues Jane and Lorna had the opportunity to attend the evening event organised by Onstage (prev. Focal) for their S25 Demo Day after party in London.

The terrace was buzzing with energy at this vibrant gathering of Founders and VCs. The conversations were full of insight, positivity, and genuine connection, being a powerful reminder of the value that in-person events bring.

A recurring theme throughout the evening was the question of when to bring in a full-time finance hire. Founders were keen to understand the right timings and cost implications for various levels of support - from fractional finance professionals helping with a raise, to post-raise hires such as a Head of Finance, Finance Director, or CFO.

Interested in salary benchmarking? Download our Startup Salary Guide here.

Wondering when it’s the right time to hire a CFO? Get our CFO Hiring Playbook here.

If you are a VC, Founder, CEO or CFO and looking to hire a finance professional that can help you grow, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our team for a confidential discussion of your hiring needs.

Reach out to our team here.

May Fundraising Report | UK and New York

32 UK-based companies received investment from 138 investors, across Seed, Series A and Series B funding stages, with the total capital invested being just under £430M.

This month, the top 3 industries were SaaS, Fintech and AI & Machine Learning, mirroring the previous month of April. The capital invested in SaaS totalled £210M, Fintech receiving £180M and AI & Machine Learning capturing around £145M with the highest amount of deals completed.

Cryptocurrency/Blockchain and Cleantech registered impressive capital raises too, securing £120M and £80M respectively.

In New York, 48 companies successfully secured funding from 183 investors, with the invested capital totalling nearly £500M.

In May, deals were flying high for 3 industries in specific - SaaS, AI & Machine Learning and Fintech. SaaS was the most invested industry this month, having secured £220M in invested capital, with AI & Machine Learning and Fintech both obtaining similar amounts of funding, approximately £130M.

Companies in industries from Big Data, Wellness, E-Commerce and Manufacturing all received similar funding, around £60M, with the remaining capital being dispersed among the rest of the industries.

At the end of each month, we produce a more in-depth article highlighting the companies that have raised the most as well as the top players when it comes to investors, both across the UK and New York in the Seed - Series B tech space.

Make sure to check out our next month edition for insights covering June.

Current Opportunities

In this episode we have highlighted just a handful of our newest jobs, if you would like to apply for any of these roles please send an email to [email protected]

If you have a similar role you are currently recruiting for, register your vacancy here!