Reference architecture for a startup's financial operations with Fondo at the center, connecting payroll, banking, payments, and internal reporting.
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Data Sources │
├──────────┬──────────┬──────────┬──────────┬─────────────┤
│ Mercury │ Gusto │ Stripe │ Brex │ AWS/GCP │
│ Banking │ Payroll │ Revenue │ Expense │ Cloud │
├──────────┴──────────┴──────────┴──────────┴─────────────┤
│ Plaid / OAuth Connections │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ FONDO PLATFORM │
│ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌────────────────┐ │
│ │ Monthly │ │ Tax │ │ R&D Tax Credit │ │
│ │ Close │ │ Filing │ │ Study (6765) │ │
│ └──────────┘ └──────────┘ └────────────────┘ │
│ │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Outputs │
├──────────┬──────────┬──────────┬────────────────────────┤
│ P&L │ Balance │ Cash │ R&D Credit │
│ Report │ Sheet │ Flow │ Certificate │
├──────────┴──────────┴──────────┴────────────────────────┤
│ Internal Dashboard (optional) │
│ Revenue metrics │ Burn rate │ Runway │ Board deck │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
| Category | Tool | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Banking | Mercury or SVB | Startup-friendly, API access, Plaid compatible |
| Payroll | Gusto | Best startup payroll, Fondo integration |
| Revenue | Stripe | Standard payments, clean webhooks |
| Expenses | Brex or Ramp | Auto-receipt capture, categorization |
| Bookkeeping | Fondo | Automated, CPA-managed |
| Tax Filing | Fondo (TaxPass) | Bundled with bookkeeping |
| R&D Credits | Fondo | Integrated with bookkeeping data |
| Cap Table | Carta or Pulley | Equity management |
| Board Reporting | Fondo exports + internal dashboard | Custom metrics |
Start with fondo-install-auth to set up your Fondo account.