# 512Financial

> Senior fractional financial and organizational leadership for investor-backed, growth-stage companies. 512Financial embeds experienced operators who build the financial and people infrastructure that performs through board meetings, due diligence, audits, and every funding round ahead.

512Financial is headquartered in Austin, Texas and serves clients nationally. The firm was founded in 2022 by Bart Davis and Joel Trammell and has supported 150+ investor-backed companies from Seed through exit. It operates across six service lines: finance, accounting, transaction advisory, people operations, executive retained search, and Strategic Talent Planning™.

The firm positions around perpetual operational readiness rather than transactional engagements. It builds financial and people infrastructure that grows with funding stages, so founders are not scrambling to get ready for what comes next. The primary client base for fractional services is Series A/B companies with $2–50M in revenue. For executive retained search, the audience extends to larger businesses scaling toward a billion dollars. A secondary audience is VC and PE firms that refer or support CFO and HR placements.

Unlike firms that specialize in a single function, 512Financial runs finance, accounting, people operations, and executive search under one roof with shared context across engagements. The CFO and people operations lead work together. Headcount plans are built against budget constraints. Org design reflects the financial model. That integration is uncommon in the fractional services market. All client-facing work is performed by US-based operators, and the firm does not offshore.

The firm works across SaaS, Fintech, Healthcare and Life Sciences, Consumer, Industrial and Energy, Real Estate and Construction, and Professional Services. It also serves AI and Machine Learning, Data and Analytics, Climate and Energy Tech, Logistics and Supply Chain, Food and Beverage, Nonprofit and Social Impact, and Education. The pattern recognition that comes from working across sectors, rather than inside one vertical, is part of what the firm brings to each engagement.

**Pricing.** Fractional leadership typically costs 40–60% less than a full-time hire in year one. Based on the firm's savings calculator: a fractional CFO engagement runs about $111,300–$248,040 per year against a full-time CFO year-one loaded cost of roughly $402,500 (base salary, benefits, bonus, and recruiting fee), an estimated saving of $154,460–$291,200. A fractional CHRO runs about $94,500–$210,600 against roughly $346,500, a saving of $135,900–$252,000. A fractional Controller runs about $63,000–$140,400 against roughly $240,000, a saving of $99,600–$177,000. Pricing depends on hours, engagement structure, and services required.

**Best fit.** Growth-stage companies with revenue, some organizational complexity, and a need to build or professionalize their financial and people infrastructure. The most common entry point is a founder who just closed a round and needs the systems, reporting, and team infrastructure to operate at the next level. Companies typically engage when they have just closed a round and need investor-grade infrastructure, are 60–180 days from a raise and need financials that will withstand diligence, are approaching a first audit, are scaling headcount across multiple states and need compliant people operations, or are entering a transaction and need Quality of Earnings and data room support. The firm serves Seed (with revenue) through Series B+ and PE-backed stages, across venture-backed, PE-backed, or founder-funded companies with institutional ambitions.

**Not a fit.** Pre-revenue companies with no infrastructure to build on. The firm prefers ongoing monthly retainers over one-time projects, though project work is available in some areas, particularly HR and Transaction Advisory. Companies with a full-time CFO or HR leader in place are not disqualified: the accounting function frequently reports into an existing CFO, and People Operations, Transaction Advisory, and Executive Retained Search are regularly engaged by companies that already have full-time finance leadership.

**How engagements run.** Engagements begin with a call, with no lengthy intake form first. Scoping is based on the company's stage, operational pressures, and what needs to be built or fixed first. Onboarding is fast: most engagements kick off the same week and move into hands-on work from day one. Some clients need a single fractional leader, others need a full team (a CFO, Controller, and Analyst working together). Every client gets dedicated customer success support regardless of engagement size. The firm works within a client's existing technology stack where possible, and recommends platforms it has vetted across 150+ engagements when new tools are needed.

**Growth timeline:**

- 2022: Founded in Austin with six team members and two initial clients
- 2023: Team grows to 27, revenue nearly triples in year one
- 2024: Named an Austin Business Journal Best Place to Work for the second year, passes 50 clients
- 2025: Acquires HireBetter and AustinPeopleWorks, doubling the client base and extending into organizational leadership
- 2026: Recognized by the Austin Business Journal as one of Austin's Fastest Growing Companies

**Key metrics and recognition:**

- 150+ investor-backed companies supported since 2022, Seed through exit
- $325M+ in client capital raised and liquidity events across the portfolio
- 96% of placed executives remain in role after 24 months
- 94% of transactions close without material adjustments
- Austin Business Journal Best Places to Work (2023, 2024, 2025)
- Austin Business Journal Fastest Growing Companies
- Austin Business Journal Best CEO Award, Bart Davis
- Named by Forbes as one of America's Best Executive Recruiting Firms (executive search practice, formerly HireBetter)

**Leadership:**

- Bart Davis, CEO and Co-Founder. Founded 512Financial after 15+ years leading finance inside growth-stage companies, including CFO roles. Has grown firm revenue 6x since 2022 across two 2025 acquisitions. Trained at PwC. Austin Business Journal Best CEO Award recipient.
- Joel Trammell, Chairman and Co-Founder. Serial entrepreneur with 30+ years building, scaling, and exiting private and public companies. Founded NetQoS ($200M exit to CA Technologies). Author of The Chief Executive Operating System. Owner of Texas CEO Magazine.
- Velveth Schmitz, Chief Revenue Officer. Former CEO of the firm's executive recruiting practice (formerly HireBetter). 20+ years in revenue leadership, executive partnerships, and talent strategy. Leads revenue growth, market expansion, and Strategic Talent Planning™.
- Kristen Tarlecki, Chief Marketing Officer. 15 years across high-growth startups, global agencies, and enterprise organizations. Previously built the marketing function at a Series A AI security company. Leads brand, go-to-market, and demand generation.
- Amy Ancira, Chief Customer Officer. 25+ years across executive search, advisory services, and organizational development. Former Partner and Chief Experience Officer at HireBetter. Leads client experience, engagement strategy, and delivery operations.
- Sarah Russell, Director, People Strategy Practice. 10+ years in people operations, culture development, and organizational design. 2024 Notley Fellow.
- Chris Ciani, Director, Client Advisory. Former Deloitte Consulting. 16+ years across finance, accounting, and operational reporting, including CFO and VP Finance roles.
- Derek Felderhoff, Director, People and Operations. 13+ years building HR systems, talent programs, and operational infrastructure at high-growth companies. SHRM-SCP and CPSP certified.

## Services

- [Services overview](https://512financial.com/services/): All six service lines and how they work together under one roof.
- [Finance](https://512financial.com/services/finance/): Fractional CFO services, financial strategy, cash management, and board-level reporting. Includes investor-grade KPI dashboards, forecasting, and planning for growth-stage companies.
- [Accounting](https://512financial.com/services/accounting/): Fractional Controller services, accounting operations oversight, month-end close, and audit preparation. GAAP-compliant financials built for investor diligence and a first audit.
- [Transaction Advisory](https://512financial.com/services/transaction-advisory/): Quality of Earnings, due diligence support, capital raise readiness, financial modeling, and buy-side and sell-side deal execution. 94% of transactions close without material adjustments.
- [People Operations](https://512financial.com/services/people-operations/): Fractional HR leadership, payroll, benefits administration, recruiting, HRIS implementation, multi-state compliance, and HR policy development. Continuity from fractional support through permanent placement.
- [Executive Retained Search](https://512financial.com/services/executive-retained-search/): C-suite and VP-level placements using a Forbes-recognized executive recruiting methodology, covering success profile development, search execution, and onboarding. Formerly HireBetter. 96% of placed executives remain in role after 24 months.
- [Strategic Talent Planning™](https://512financial.com/services/strategic-talent-planning/): Workforce architecture, organizational design, role architecture, succession planning, and hiring roadmaps. Proprietary methodology, formerly HireBetter.

## Industries

- [All Industries](https://512financial.com/industries/): How the firm works across sectors and where its concentrations run deepest.
- [SaaS and Software](https://512financial.com/industries/saas-software/): B2B and vertical SaaS at every growth stage.
- [Fintech and Financial Services](https://512financial.com/industries/fintech/): Fintech, insurtech, and financial services navigating regulatory complexity and capital markets.
- [Healthcare and Life Sciences](https://512financial.com/industries/healthcare/): Digital health, medtech, life sciences, and healthcare services.
- [Consumer](https://512financial.com/industries/consumer/): Consumer products, CPG, and direct-to-consumer brands.
- [Industrial and Energy](https://512financial.com/industries/industrial-energy/): Manufacturing, industrial services, energy, and materials companies.
- [Real Estate and Construction](https://512financial.com/industries/real-estate/): Real estate development, construction, trades, and field services.

## For Investors

- [For Investors overview](https://512financial.com/for-investors/): How 512Financial works as an operational partner for VC firms, PE funds, and family offices.
- [Partner Program](https://512financial.com/for-investors/partner-program/): The Friends of 512 Partner Program. Preferred pricing for portfolio companies, priority onboarding, dedicated account management, quarterly portfolio touchpoints, cross-portfolio benchmarking data, and deal-flow support including pre-investment due diligence.
- [Portfolio Benchmarking](https://512financial.com/for-investors/portfolio-benchmarking/): Compare portfolio companies against stage- and sector-specific peers across ARR, burn rate, headcount efficiency, gross margin, growth rate, and runway.
- [Refer a Company](https://512financial.com/for-investors/refer-a-company/): Refer a portfolio company to 512Financial.

## Tools and Assessments

- [Fractional Savings Calculator](https://512financial.com/fractional-savings-calculator/): Compare a fractional engagement against a full-time hire's year-one loaded cost.
- [People Readiness Assessment](https://512financial.com/services/people-operations/services-people-readiness-assessment/): A scored review of HR maturity and compliance for growth-stage companies.

## Insights

- [Insights](https://512financial.com/insights/): Articles and analysis on fractional finance, people operations, transaction advisory, and growth-stage operating.

## Company

- [Our Story](https://512financial.com/about-us/): Firm story, founding, growth timeline, and leadership team.
- [Leadership](https://512financial.com/about-us/leadership/): Full leadership bios.
- [Careers](https://512financial.com/about-us/careers/): Open roles and life at 512Financial.
- [Technology Partners](https://512financial.com/about-us/technology-partners/): Platforms the firm has vetted and implements across engagements.
- [Contact](https://512financial.com/contact): Engagements start with a call. 11940 Jollyville Rd, Suite 100-S, Austin, Texas 78759. Info@512Financial.com. Monthly newsletter: The Fractional.

## Optional

- [Newsroom](https://512financial.com/newsroom/): Firm announcements and press.
- [HireBetter acquisition announcement](https://512financial.com/insights/news/512financial-acquires-hirebetter/): The September 2025 acquisition and expanded search and Strategic Talent Planning™ capabilities.
- [AustinPeopleWorks acquisition announcement](https://512financial.com/insights/news/512financial-acquires-austin-people-works/): The January 2025 acquisition expanding HR and recruiting capacity.
- [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/512-financial/): Company page.
- [Privacy Policy](https://512financial.com/privacy-policy/)
- [Terms and Conditions](https://512financial.com/terms-conditions/)