Strategic Finance Advisor for Founders and Finance Leaders

I help founders make high-stakes financial decisions and CFOs get complex deals right from revenue recognition to exit strategy.

Fifteen years of experience: building deals desk operations at Google Cloud, advising on IPOs and M&A at Deloitte and Riveron, and teaching 220+ students annually at San José State University. I bring senior finance judgment to founders who need it and technical depth to finance leaders who can't afford to get it wrong. Based in San José. Working with clients across Silicon Valley and nationwide.

What I do:

Strategic Finance for Founders

You don't need a full-time CFO. You need senior finance judgment for the decisions that matter: pricing strategy, fundraising, scenario planning, board communication, and exit positioning. I work with seed-to-Series C founders as a strategic finance partner the experienced voice in the room when the numbers actually matter.

Revenue Recognition & Technical Accounting Advisory

Complex revenue recognition is where deals go to die. I help CFOs and Chief Accounting Officers implement ASC 606, structure multi-element arrangements, and build policies that hold up under audit. If you're preparing for an IPO, acquisition, or first Big 4 audit, I've seen your situation before.

Deal Structuring & Deals Desk Operations

Deals break when sales, legal, and finance aren't aligned. I've built deals desks from scratch, including at Google Cloud, and I help finance leaders design structures and workflows that move fast without creating downstream problems.

Teaching & Content: Lecturer in Finance & Accounting at San José State University.

I teach 220+ students every year, not theory, but how finance actually works. How deals get structured. How revenue gets recognized. How finance leaders make decisions when the textbook doesn't have an answer.

My classroom is built on 15 years of doing the work: structuring deals at Google Cloud, advising on IPOs at Deloitte, and watching what breaks when finance teams get it wrong.

Beyond the classroom:

  • Ambition Aligned Podcast — Conversations on building wealth, navigating careers, and making smarter financial decisions

  • YouTube — 20,000+ subscribers learning finance from someone who's lived it

  • Newsletter — 1,800+ readers getting weekly insights on money, career, and strategy

  • 10 Laws of Finance — My book distilling 15 years of lessons into practical financial education

  • LinkedIn - 22,000+ followers and the best place to contact me

Devon Coombs, CPA, MA, smiling with short dark hair, wearing a navy suit, white shirt, and dark tie, against a blurred background.

About Devon Coombs

Strategic Finance Advisor | SJSU Lecturer | Author

From homelessness at 21 to advising on billion-dollar transactions. Financial knowledge shouldn't be gatekept — that's why I teach, write, and advise.

Background:

  • Google Cloud Marketplace Controller

  • Head of AI Accounting Deals Desk, Google Cloud

  • Deloitte & Riveron alumnus

  • CPA, MBA

  • Based in: San José, California

Why Leaders Work With Me

I've sat in your seat. Not as a consultant observing but as the person building the deals desk, defending positions to auditors, and explaining variances to the board. I know what breaks.

I translate complexity. I teach 220 students a year. If I can make ASC 606 and diversification clear to undergraduates, I can make your financials clear to your board and your investors.

I'm not a firm. No utilization targets. No rotating staff. Direct access to 15 years of experience, scoped to your actual problem.

FAQs

Who do you work with?

1

Founders making strategic finance decisions : pricing, fundraising, M&A, exit planning. CFOs and CAOs navigating complex revenue recognition, audit prep, or deals desk buildout. Most clients are at technology or SaaS companies, seed through pre-IPO.

Fractional CFOs often handle ongoing operations: closing books, managing teams, running FP&A. I focus on high-stakes decisions and complex technical problems. Some clients use me as a fractional CFO; others bring me in for specific transactions or implementations.

What's the difference between a fractional CFO and a strategic finance advisor?

2

No. Revenue recognition is one specialty, but I advise on deal structuring, financial modeling, fundraising strategy, and general strategic finance. ASC 606 comes up often because it's where companies get burned but it's not all I do.

Do you only work on ASC 606?

3

Do you work with companies outside Silicon Valley?

Yes. I'm based in San José and many clients are local, but I work nationwide. Most advisory is done virtually.

4

How does engagement work?

5

Schedule a call. We'll discuss your situation. I'll tell you honestly if I can help. If there's a fit, I'll propose a scope, typically retained advisory or a project-based engagement.

What industries do you work with?

6

Primarily technology and financial services. SaaS, enterprise software, fintech, and infrastructure businesses like cloud and data platforms. I also work with financial services firms navigating complex revenue arrangements. These are the industries where revenue recognition gets complicated: multi-year contracts, usage-based pricing, bundled offerings, and deal structures that sales closes but accounting has to figure out how to book. If your business has recurring revenue, variable consideration, or multi-element arrangements, I've probably seen your situation before.