Rafael Marañón Cfa Caia

As Director of Finance at Kreative Tech Ventures, a diversified holding of SaaS and marketplace companies operating across Europe, I oversee the financial strategy, operations, and performance management of all subsidiaries. I lead a finance team covering FP&A, accounting, and taxes, ensuring robust financial governance and scalability across the group.

• Achieved breakeven in 2 out of 3 geographies within 8 months by optimizing pricing, cost structures, and unit economics.
• Created the group’s holding structure, consolidating +4 operating entities under a unified governance and reporting framework - resulting in more efficient intercompany funding flows and a improvement in overall tax and administrative efficiency.
• Partnered with the tech team to modernize billing and revenue recognition processes, automating invoicing and integrating payment systems across marketplaces — cutting billing errors by 40%.
• Led the refinancing and optimization of the group’s capital structure, strengthening liquidity, extending maturities, and improving financial flexibility to support long-term growth.

As the finance lead at Journee, I led strategic financial initiatives, overseeing fundraising efforts and managing investor relations to secure capital for growth. I was responsible for financial planning and analysis, including budgeting, forecasting, and variance analysis, ensuring informed decision-making.

Additionally, I managed cash flow and liquidity planning to maintain financial stability while providing comprehensive financial reporting to both internal leadership and external stakeholders, ensuring transparency and compliance with regulatory requirements.

Beyond strategy, I oversaw the finance operations, managing accounts receivable and accounts payable to optimize cash flow and working capital. I streamlined accounting processes to ensure accuracy, compliance, and timely financial close while implementing cost optimization strategies to improve efficiency.

• Secured €18M in Series seed, series A and venture debt rounds, building the financial model and leading investor relations with international VCs.
• Introduced a rolling forecast model, improving budget accuracy from 70% to 90% and enabling proactive cost control.
• Partnered with operartions and sales teams to implement real-time KPI dashboards tracking growth, CAC/LTV, and churn; drove 25% improvement in customer lifetime value.
• Reduced monthly cash burn by 15% through vendor renegotiations and restructuring marketing spend.
• Improved DSO by 20 days, releasing €500k in working capital and strengthening liquidity.
• Delivered quarterly board packs and investor updates with advanced scenario analysis, supporting strategic expansion into the U.S. market.

Unlock your company’s financial growth.

Finance Transformation Partner and Value Creation Operator supporting PE and VC-backed companies from Series Seed to Series C, as well as portfolio businesses post-acquisition.

I work with founders, CEOs, and investment teams to professionalize finance, accelerate decision-making, and materially increase enterprise value. My mandates go beyond running finance. I design and execute scalable finance operating models that directly support growth, profitability, and exit readiness.

My work combines CFO leadership with hands-on transformation across strategy, performance, and execution. I translate growth plans into investor-grade financial models, capital allocation frameworks, and KPI systems that shift organizations from reactive reporting to forward-looking control. I lead fundraising, refinancing, and transaction readiness across equity, venture debt, PE add-ons, and exits. I also drive EBITDA and cash flow improvements through pricing redesign, cost engineering, working capital optimization, and automation.

Across engagements, I build and scale FP&A functions, implement ERP, BI, RevOps, and spend management tools, and integrate companies into PE portfolio standards post-acquisition, strengthening governance, controls, and reporting.

Selected impact

• Led finance transformation and value creation initiatives for 10+ PE and VC-backed companies.
• Raised €150M+ across equity and debt from Seed to Series C.
• Delivered EBITDA expansion of 5–15% through operational and pricing initiatives.
• Reduced month-end close from 20 to 5 business days via finance automation.
• Extended runway by 4–6 months through cash flow and working capital optimization.
• Ensured US GAAP, IFRS, and local GAAP compliance across multi-country environments.

Industries include fintech, SaaS, marketplaces, e-commerce, manufacturing, energy, healthcare, logistics, retail, and deep tech. Engagements across EMEA, US & LATAM.