Cash, runway, clean books, sound unit economics and the UK tax basics, so you make decisions on real numbers and raise money only when it pays.
A tech startup can have happy customers, a good product and a profitable-looking P&L and still fail, because the bank balance reaches zero before the next invoice is paid. Finance is the function that stops that happening. It is not about becoming an accountant; it is about knowing, every week, how much cash you have, how long it lasts and which decisions change that answer.
This playbook takes tech founders through the essentials in a practical order:
Techcelerate’s stance runs through every guide: win customers and revenue first, de-risk the business, then raise only if it pays. Good financial control is what gives you that choice. If you do decide to raise, the funding guide and how investors think pick up where this playbook stops. Everything here is general information, not financial or tax advice; rules and thresholds change, so check GOV.UK and speak to your accountant before acting.
Profit tells you whether the model works; cash tells you whether you will still be here next quarter. A weekly 13-week forecast is the simplest control a tech startup can have.
Read the guide →2Runway is the number of months until the money runs out. Knowing it precisely, and knowing which decisions move it, is the foundation of every other financial choice.
Read the guide →3Clean, current books are what make every other number trustworthy. A simple monthly close produces management accounts you can run the business on.
Read the guide →4A budget is a decision about what you will spend; a forecast is your best current guess of what will happen. Use both, keep them light and review them monthly.
Read the guide →5Unit economics tell you whether each customer makes money once you count what it costs to win and serve them. Growth on bad unit economics only loses money faster.
Read the guide →6VAT, Corporation Tax, PAYE and R&D tax relief in plain English: what each one is, when it applies and how to stay on the right side of HMRC.
Read the guide →7Customer revenue is the best funding there is. When outside money helps, choose the type that fits your business, and raise from a position of strength.
Read the guide →8When the forecast shows trouble, speed matters more than perfection. Act early, protect what keeps customers and staff, and talk to creditors before they chase you.
Read the guide →SkilledUp Life volunteers include accountants and finance professionals who can support your bookkeeping, financial modelling and analysis. They help you build good habits and better numbers; they do not replace your accountant or regulated financial and tax advice.
A team of up to 6Decide what the volunteers will own, such as the weekly cash forecast, the monthly close checklist or a unit economics model, and what stays with your accountant.
Give read-only access to your accounting software and bank feeds where possible, and keep payment approval with the founding team.
Volunteers prepare the forecast update, variance notes and KPI pack, and the founding team reviews them in a fixed monthly session.
Every model and process is documented in shared folders so the next volunteer, hire or adviser can pick it up without starting again.
SkilledUp Life is exclusively for tech companies. Volunteers cannot be paid in any form, including stipends, gift vouchers or expenses. All volunteering is remote, and no promises of paid roles can be made.
How SkilledUp Life helps members →Reading is the start. Members tackle finance in a time-boxed Execution Sprint, alongside tech founders who have built, failed and exited, and leave with measurable results.
Join tech founders who put execution before investment.