Resource hub
Startup finance
What early-stage companies actually need, in the order they need it — written for founders who do not yet have a finance function.
Introduction
Early-stage finance is mostly about avoiding decisions that are cheap now and expensive later: mixing personal and company money, deferring the accounting integration, or letting a year of transactions accumulate without categories.
These four guides cover the decisions that compound. The startups solutions page covers the same ground from a product angle.
Guides in this hub
Each guide is self-contained and links to the product pages it relates to.
Topic categories
How the material in this hub is organised.
Related product references
Recently updated
The most recently reviewed material in this hub.
Frequently asked questions
From the first month. At five people it takes about an hour; introduced two years later it becomes a clean-up project measured in weeks.
Most operators start a raise with nine to twelve months remaining, because raises take longer than expected and a short runway weakens your position. Your circumstances may differ — this is context, not advice.
They are different roles: bookkeeping records transactions, accounting produces and interprets statements, controllership owns process and controls. See our guide.
Keep reading
Sources and further reading
Every factual statement on this page is checked against primary documentation. Terms change frequently, so confirm details with the provider before acting on them.
- FASB Accounting Standards Codification Reference point for accrual, expense recognition and close-process statements.
- Brex — official website Primary source for current product names, availability and terms.
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau — credit card resources Background on card terminology, billing cycles and consumer-vs-commercial distinctions.
- FDIC — deposit insurance and pass-through coverage Reference for how deposit insurance applies, including through third-party arrangements.
Independent resource notice
Brex Card Reference is an independent publisher. We do not provide account access, financial services, card applications, payments or official customer support, and we are not affiliated with, endorsed by or operated by Brex.
Product names, features and terms referenced here belong to their respective owners and change over time. Verify anything decision-critical with the official provider.
Keep reading in the resource library
Vendor-neutral guides on corporate cards, underwriting, expense policy, spend controls and month-end close — written and reviewed by named editors.