A New Chapter Begins: Goodbye Startupmetrics, Hello Scalemetrics
Quick Answer
We’ve rebranded. Startupmetrics is now Scalemetrics – learn what prompted the change and how the team continues supporting Swiss SMEs with strategic finance and CFO-as-a-Service.
Five years ago, the Scalemetrics team was juggling two things at once. One was building a business. The other was a newborn.
The company started life as Startupmetrics – born in 2020 out of a gap that kept appearing with the same predictable shape: founders with genuinely strong ideas, pitching investors while their financial story fell flat. The numbers were there. The vision was there. But the two didn't connect. Investors couldn't trace a coherent line from business model to balance sheet, and founders weren't always confident in the figures they were presenting either.
That's the problem Startupmetrics was built to solve. A CFO-as-a-Service firm with one mandate: give founders the financial clarity, reporting structure, and strategic confidence they need to scale and raise.
From Helping Swiss SMEs Scale to Scaling Ourselves
Here's something that becomes obvious after a few years of doing this work: when you help clients grow, you grow too.
The client base widened. Gradually, then fast. More Swiss SMEs – businesses with real revenue, loyal customers, and established products – started coming through the door. They didn't need investment readiness in the startup sense. They needed financial structure that could carry serious decisions: hiring, market expansion, acquisition readiness, tighter reporting for a board or a bank.
The team grew with them. Scope expanded. Experience compounded. And at a certain point, it became clear that the name no longer matched the reality of the work. The team had outgrown Startupmetrics.
Why We Rebranded to Scalemetrics
The rebrand to Scalemetrics is the honest version of what the team was already doing. This isn't just about helping companies get investment-ready – it's about helping ambitious businesses grow responsibly, with the financial discipline and strategic clarity that makes growth sustainable.
The name changed. The fundamentals didn't.
What's staying the same:
- Our approach: practical, hands-on, built around the people running the business
- Our mission: strategic finance that produces clarity and fuels decisions, not just reports
- Our clients: founders, CEOs, and operators building companies worth building
What's new? A bit more scale.
The team is grateful to every client, partner, and collaborator who has been part of this journey. None of this happens without the trust placed in the work along the way.
A Throwback (and a New Baby!)
The early days of Startupmetrics ran on pitch decks and limited sleep – the team was building a company while one of its founders was simultaneously raising a first daughter. Full circle, the same energy applies now.
Two new arrivals mark this chapter:
- A second daughter, born recently
- Kubera Equity, a freshly launched M&A advisory firm co-founded with longtime business partner Fernando Ammann
Kubera brings the same founder-first philosophy to a different challenge: helping entrepreneurs exit with clarity, structure, and peace of mind – ideally without conducting due diligence while a toddler demands attention.
What's Next for Swiss SMEs with Scalemetrics?
The team continues supporting ambitious founders and CEOs across Switzerland and beyond. The service suite covers everything a growing Swiss SME needs from a senior finance function:
- CFO-as-a-Service
- Strategic finance for scaling SMEs
- Capital raise preparation
- M&A readiness and execution
For Swiss SMEs in Zürich, Basel, and Zug, access to that level of financial leadership – without a full-time CFO hire – is exactly what the outsourced model provides. The cost is a fraction of an in-house appointment. The expertise is available from day one.
Whether a company is tightening up its numbers ahead of a financing round, or an SME is preparing for acquisition, the conversation starts the same way: with a clear picture of where the business stands financially.
Here's to building – and scaling – what matters.
Managing Director, Scalemetrics
Related Resources
Scalemetrics helps Swiss SMEs act on decisions like this before market conditions shift. Our financial due diligence services and outsourced CFO team give finance directors the senior expertise to move first.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why We Rebranded to Scalemetrics?
The Scalemetrics team rebranded from Startupmetrics because the scope of the work had expanded well beyond early-stage company support. As the client base grew to include established Swiss SMEs – companies with real revenue, reporting obligations, and strategic finance needs – the original name no longer matched the reality. Scalemetrics reflects the full range of CFO-as-a-Service, capital raise preparation, and M&A advisory work the team now delivers.
What should Swiss SMEs know about a Throwback (and a New Baby!)?
The rebrand coincides with a milestone moment: the team is marking both a new company name and two personal milestones – a second child and the launch of Kubera Equity, an M&A advisory firm co-founded with Fernando Ammann. The same founder-first discipline that defined Startupmetrics now shapes Kubera's approach to helping entrepreneurs exit with financial clarity and structure.
What's Next for Swiss SMEs with Scalemetrics?
As Scalemetrics, the team continues supporting founders and CEOs across Switzerland with CFO-as-a-Service, strategic finance for scaling SMEs, capital raise preparation, and M&A readiness. Swiss SMEs from seed stage through to exit can access senior financial leadership without the cost of a full-time CFO hire.
What financial services does Scalemetrics provide for Swiss SMEs?
Scalemetrics provides Swiss SME owners and CFOs with practical financial expertise: from accounting and tax compliance to financial planning, KPI monitoring, and on-demand CFO services – giving growing businesses access to senior financial leadership without a full-time hire.
When does a Swiss SME need a fractional CFO?
A fractional CFO becomes valuable from around CHF 1-2M in annual revenue, or ahead of specific events: bank financing applications, investor rounds, M&A, or rapid growth phases. The cost is a fraction of a full-time CFO salary, with expertise available immediately.
What financial infrastructure do Swiss SMEs need to operate compliantly?
Swiss SMEs need: OR-compliant accrual-basis bookkeeping, quarterly MWST filings with the ESTV, monthly AHV/IV/EO payroll contributions to the cantonal SVA, BVG occupational pension administration, UVG accident insurance, annual corporate tax returns, and management reporting. A fractional CFO covers this entire compliance stack.
How much does outsourced CFO services cost in Switzerland?
Outsourced CFO services in Switzerland cost CHF 3,000-12,000 per month depending on scope and company complexity. This covers the full finance function: bookkeeping, payroll, MWST, budgeting, financial modelling, and reporting. Compared to a full-time CFO at CHF 216,000-350,000 annually including social costs, the outsourced model saves CHF 100,000-200,000+ per year.
Sources & References
From Startupmetrics to Scalemetrics: What the Rebrand Reflects
The transition from Startupmetrics to Scalemetrics was not a cosmetic change — it was a strategic realignment that reflects a more precise understanding of the clients we serve and the challenges we help them overcome. The word "startup" carries a specific set of connotations: early stage, pre-revenue or early revenue, investor-dependent, operating in survival mode. The Swiss businesses that benefit most from what we do are past that stage. They are established SMEs — typically CHF 1–20 million in revenue — that have proven their model and are now navigating the specific financial challenges of scaling: growing without breaking, investing without losing control, and building the financial infrastructure that makes sustainable growth possible.
Swiss SMEs are the backbone of the Swiss economy. The Federal Statistical Office records approximately 590,000 SMEs in Switzerland, employing roughly two-thirds of the private-sector workforce. These businesses are not startups — they are established enterprises operating within the Swiss legal and regulatory framework: OR-compliant accounting, AHV employer contributions at 5.3% of gross salary, BVG occupational pension obligations, MWST filings at 8.1% standard rate, cantonal tax returns, and the full weight of Swiss employment law. The CFO challenges they face are fundamentally different from those of a pre-seed startup, and they deserve a CFO partner that understands and is built for their context.
Scalemetrics is built specifically for this market. Our work is grounded in Swiss regulatory reality, Swiss banking relationships, and the specific operational dynamics of Swiss SMEs operating in a high-cost, high-quality environment where margin management and capital efficiency are not optional but existential. The rebrand signals this focus precisely — we are the CFO partner for businesses that are scaling, not just starting.
What Scaling Finance Looks Like in Practice
Scaling a Swiss SME's finance function is not simply a matter of adding headcount or switching software. It requires a deliberate transition from the informal, founder-led financial management that characterises early-stage businesses to a structured, process-driven model that can support larger teams, more complex operations, and higher stakeholder expectations.
This transition has three phases. The first is stabilisation: getting the accounting clean, the chart of accounts correctly structured for MWST and management reporting, the payroll and social charge processes running accurately, and the cash flow visibility in place. Without this foundation, everything built on top is unreliable. The second phase is infrastructure: building the reporting cadence, the KPI framework, the budgeting and forecasting process, and the financial controls that convert the accounting system into a decision-support tool. The third phase is strategic integration: connecting the financial model to the operational strategy, so that every major decision — pricing, hiring, investment, market entry — is informed by a rigorous financial analysis before commitment.
Scalemetrics Service Model vs. Traditional Fiduciary: Key Differences
| Dimension | Traditional Fiduciary | Scalemetrics CFO Partner |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Focus | Compliance and tax filing | Strategic financial management |
| Reporting Output | Annual statutory accounts | Monthly management accounts + KPI dashboard |
| Cash Flow Visibility | Retrospective only | 12-month rolling forecast |
| Decision Support | Limited — retrospective data | Active — scenario modelling before decisions |
| Engagement Model | Annual or quarterly touchpoints | Ongoing, integrated with leadership team |
The Scalemetrics rebrand marks a commitment to serving Swiss SMEs at the level of sophistication they deserve. Explore our strategic CFO services to understand how we partner with Swiss SME leadership teams to build financial capability that drives real growth.
Pascal Stämpfli leverages over a decade of expertise in corporate finance and venture capital to scale and optimize businesses. A CFA charterholder with a Master's in Economics from the University of St. Gallen, Pascal specializes in market & company assessments, strategy, and business value creation. Having assessed more than 1,000 companies for financial and strategic investors provides him with a sophisticated understanding of investor rationale and capital allocation. As the Managing Director of Scalemetrics and Managing Partner at COREangels Big Data & AI Europe, Pascal operates at the intersection of financial discipline and technological innovation.