I help business owners and VC-backed founders prepare for and execute M&A deals from zero to closure.

We're Singapore's fastest-growing CFO advisory firm, featured by Business Times, CNA938, MoneyFM, TechInAsia, and Straits Times.

Here's what makes us different: 

We don't just build your finance function - we take M&A deals from zero to closure. Whether you need a CFO function that attracts investors, or you're ready to execute a transaction, we handle both sides of growth and exit.

I believe every business owner deserves both financial clarity and deal execution expertise when opportunity strikes. Too many great companies either miss deals because their finances aren't ready, or can't execute when the right buyer appears.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY:

"Paloe has been an invaluable partner in Dreamcloud's journey to acquisition. Sam Lee and his team clearly have the right ethos, and they were a real asset to have on the team." - Daniel Lim, CEO, Dreamcloud (acquired by Temasek/UST JV)

"They were there when we need to rush out documents and were always willing to go the extra mile to support us. His experience in the fundraising process helps to position the company towards a successful fundraising exercise." - Zhi Zhong, CEO, Geniebook (Series A led by EV Growth and Lightspeed)

"Sam has deep experience in digital business models that helped Express Melody pin-point our key growth drivers." - Jerry Chen, CEO, Express In Music (acquired by Tokyo-listed USEN)

Ready to explore your exit strategy? Book my M&A primer session - learn how to optimize your valuation, navigate the deal process, and understand what money actually hits your pocket after liabilities and post-deal obligations.

Sam Lee

Paloe | CFO Advisory has been ranked #55 on Singapore’s Fastest-Growing Companies 2026 list by The Straits Times  and Statista.

We're grateful. And honestly, a little humbled.

If you’ve been following our journey, you’ll know the last 3 years weren’t about chasing growth at all costs.

We were busy doing the “unsexy” work:
Building strong delivery standards
Training our team properly
Tightening our internal processes
Getting sharper on what we say yes to, and what we say no to

Because in CFO work, fundamentals matter.

If your foundation is shaky, scaling just makes the cracks louder.

The image that keeps coming to mind is bamboo. For a long time, bamboo looks like it’s doing nothing. But underground, the roots are growing deep. Then one day, it shoots up fast. That’s how this phase feels for us.

Deep roots first. Then responsible scaling.

To our clients, partners, and the team that has poured their heart into the craft, thank you for trusting us.

Onwards, with calm confidence, and good governance.

#Paloe #CFOAdvisory #SingaporeBusiness #FinanceLeadership #ScalingUp

Sam Lee Chengyi

CEO, Paloe CFO Advisory | I help businesses become transaction-ready | M&A, VC, IPO preparation | #55 Fastest Growing Company in Singapore by Straits Times and Statista

Paloe is one of the fastest-growing CFO advisory firms in Singapore and as our client base grows, we’re expanding our talent pool in Kuala Lumpur.

We’re hiring: Accountants and FP&A Analysts in KL :)

If you’re exploring your next step in finance, here’s what’s different about this seat:
Most roles expose you to one set of problems in one company.
At Paloe, you’ll work with multiple fast-growing companies as your clients which means you get sharper faster: reporting, forecasting, cash, investor decks, board-level thinking… the full muscle.

And culture matters to us. Ours is deeply ingrained:
Safe - you can ask, challenge, learn quickly
Ownership - you’re trusted to run with things
Fulfilling - your work clearly impacts real decisions

If you’re keen, DM me and we can chat.

If you know someone solid, tag them or forward this, I’d really appreciate it.

#Hiring #KualaLumpur #FinanceJobs #FPnA #Accountant #CFOAdvisory #CareerProgression #SingaporeStartups

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I came across a TikTok video about "turtle theory" that hit me hard.

Turtles don't rush. They don't care who's ahead of them. They just keep swimming, one stroke at a time. Through calm waters and chaos, they never change their pace or direction. And somehow, they always reach shore.

Because speed means nothing without the right direction.

A few years ago, I was tasked with transforming our firm from "growing at all costs" to scaling properly. We went through what I call the 3S phases: Soldiering On, Sustaining Growth, and now Scaling Up.

Did the shareholders (including myself) wish things moved faster? Absolutely.

But this video reminded me we've done well. We found our direction first. Now we're swimming one stroke at a time, confident we'll reach shore.

As we enter our 2030 growth plan, I'm quietly confident we'll get there.

To my team at Paloe | CFO Advisory - We will get there. One stroke at a time.

Family heart. Team standards.

This is one of the hardest culture tensions to hold as a founder.

We want a family culture.
One firm, one family.
But we also need a high-performing team.

Here’s the reframe that helped me reconcile it.

Family is about how we treat people.
Team is about what we expect from roles.

When someone walks through our door, we treat them like family.
With care, dignity, and respect.
That includes employees, interns, clients, partners, and even former employees.

But being “family” doesn’t automatically mean this is the best house for them.
And it doesn’t mean they stay on the team forever.

A sports team still needs performance.
You need to train.
Play your position.
And deliver the outcomes the team depends on.

If performance isn’t there, we may not be able to keep you on the field.

But removal from the team is not removal of care.

We can coach clearly.
Set fair standards.
Give support.
And if it still doesn’t work, we exit with kindness and help the transition.

Because the goal isn’t to win at all costs.
The goal is to win without losing our humanity.

If you’re building culture, try this simple line:
Be family in how you treat people.
Be a team in what you expect from roles.

If this resonated, you’re welcome to follow for practical CFO tips.

#leadership #companyculture #startupsg #founders #teamperformance #peopleops #internships

It’s the first Monday of the year, so I’m launching something new today: M&A Monday.

A weekly newsletter where I share one practical tip to help founders prepare for M&A.

Most people think M&A is simply about buying and selling a business.
That’s the headline, not the real story.

The real story is what happens after the deal is signed
How much money actually goes into your pocket
What liabilities still follow you
What obligations you may still be on the hook for, even after you “sold”

A good deal isn’t just a good price.
It’s a clean outcome: cash you can keep, and risk you can sleep with.

If M&A is even a “maybe someday” for you, start preparing earlier than you think. It’s rarely a last minute project.

If this helped, you’re welcome to follow. Every Monday, I’ll share one M&A tip to help you get ready.

If you want a successful M&A, don’t chase valuation. Chase what you actually keep.

I’ve seen this happen often.

A founder thinks they’ve agreed on valuation. Everyone feels good. Then the deal progresses and suddenly the “take-home” keeps moving down.

Not because anyone lied outright.
Because M&A has levers. And if you’re not experienced, it can feel like a fast one.

Here are a few of the most common levers to watch.

Earn-out
The headline valuation looks attractive, but the targets are set so high they’re hard to reach. Your price becomes “maybe later”.

Cash-free, debt-free
Sounds clean. But “debt” can include debt-like items, not just bank loans. Leases, unpaid taxes, deferred payments. These can all reduce proceeds.

Minimum cash
The buyer may require a minimum cash balance left in the company at closing. So even if the business has cash, you may not be able to extract it.

Working capital adjustment
If receivables and payables aren’t at the agreed level at closing, the purchase price gets adjusted.

So the real question isn’t “What’s the valuation?”
It’s “How much goes into my pocket, and what obligations still follow me after I sell?”

If this helped, you’re welcome to follow. Every Monday, I share one practical tip to help founders set themselves up for a successful M&A.

Most people saying “VCs aren’t investing” aren’t lying.
They’re just describing a slice of the market.

I met someone yesterday who told me, “VCs have stopped investing already.”

But on the ground, I’m still seeing Series A cheques being written.

So what’s the disjoint?

Some funds really did pause
Yes, a number of funds are no longer deploying.
But that doesn’t mean the market is dry.
There are still funds with meaningful dry powder. They’re simply more selective.

The “nobody is investing” feeling is coming from portfolio pain
Many VCs are watching their existing portfolio struggle to raise the next round.
And when the previous round had very founder-friendly terms and pricing, the next round becomes harder to justify in today’s market.

Valuations eased, and the bar moved to quality plus governance
This is the biggest shift I’m seeing.
Less growth at all costs.
More show me clean numbers, repeatable unit economics, and proper governance.
Governance means how decisions are made and tracked.

Post Series B is where it’s really tight
Some SEA companies can be market leaders locally, but still struggle when competing for international capital and global benchmarks.

Three extra reasons people miss
Fund cycles: some partners are in reserve mode, not new deal mode
Sector bias: money flows into fewer themes, so the rest feels quiet
Headlines: a few big pauses can make the whole market sound frozen

Takeaway for founders raising Series A
Don’t ask “Are VCs investing?”
Ask “Which VCs are investing in my stage, my sector, and my cheque size, and am I ready for today’s bar?”

If this helped, you’re welcome to follow for practical Startup CFO tips.

#SeriesA #Fundraising #VentureCapital #Startups #CFO #SaaS

Buyers don’t really buy your revenue.
They buy what your revenue represents.

When a buyer looks at your topline, they’re quietly asking three questions.

Can this happen again next month
Repeatability. Steady pipeline, steady conversions, not a one-off spike.

Will customers actually stay
Durability. Renewals, contracts, churn, and whether one customer is too big.

Can I own this business without you
Transferability. Team, process, and a company that runs even when the founder steps back.

This is why two companies with the same revenue can get very different outcomes in M&A.

Revenue matters.
But the real premium comes from revenue that is repeatable, durable, and transferable.

If this helped, you’re welcome to follow. Every alternate Monday, I share one practical M&A tip to help you get ready.

Team Tuesday 2026 Episode 1

Some teams feel “high-touch” because of process.

Ours feels high-touch because of people.

One of the most common feedback we get from clients is:
“You guys really build real relationships.”

When we looked at our CliftonStrengths as a team, one pattern stood out.

More than two-thirds of our team has Relator as a key strength.

Relator, in simple terms, means:
We value deep, trusted relationships over lots of surface-level connections.

What does that look like in client work?

We don’t rush trust
We take time to understand how you make decisions, what pressures you, and what “good” looks like for you.

We follow through
Relators care about reliability. Not big promises, small promises, kept consistently.

We speak human
We translate finance and ops into plain language. Because a real relationship means you feel safe to ask: “Can you explain that again?”

The business impact is real:
When the relationship is strong, feedback comes faster, issues surface earlier, and decisions get cleaner.

And that’s how we move quickly without drama.

If this helped, you’re welcome to follow for practical CFO tips.

#CliftonStrengths #Relator #ClientExperience #Leadership #CFOtips

Career Zoom Pte. Ltd.

Career Zoom is an executive search firm headquartered in Singapore, helping corporations, investors,
and their portfolio companies find the right talent, assess potential, align incentives, accelerate
performance, and grow market share globally. Led by Ms. Charania, the team has completed more than
3000 searches globally across Wholesale Banking, Technology leadership, Startups.

Chief Executive Officer

SolveCube Pte. Ltd. 

SolveCube is an integrated AI platform, designed to create people strategy, offer a breadth of talent
solutions & provide domain advisory solutions globally, utilizing AI technology and a flexible, ondemand, global talent pool of domain experts, it offers a comprehensive suite of products and services
that go beyond traditional methods. Ms. Charania is an investor and holds responsibility as the Chief
Business Officer; her role involves a careful balance of nurturing top-line growth while ensuring bottomline health. It’s a journey marked by collaborative efforts in leveraging AI for talent solutions and
fostering meaningful partnerships. Her focus remains steadfast on contributing to SolveCube’s larger
goal of building a diverse expert network and facilitating global connections, always with an eye toward
sustainable, responsible growth.

Chief Business Officer

Empauwer | AI for Neurodiversity inclusion in the workplace

Ms. Charania is the Co-Founder and CEO for Empauwer, which is an inclusive onboarding and
engagement platform, to help employers hire, engage and harness the strengths of neurodiverse
talent. Empauwer was the winning solution at the Microsoft Hackathon and also the recipient of the Enabling Lives Grant from TBELI, governed by SGEnable. Empauwer is a proud alumnus of the Microsoft for Startups program and Microsoft's Leadership for Positive Impact program.
Ms. Charania's goal is to work towards a future where all neurodiverse individuals will be able
to maximize their potential and work to their strengths. Work is such an important part of society and
identity, and with the challenges the world faces, we need the full range of human capability focused
and included. She is grateful to be able to work in that direction with Empauwer as a strategic leader
and bring this digital solution to the market, which will give her an opportunity to collaborate with
industry peers in finding ways to facilitate systemic inclusion

Co-Founder and CEO

X0PA Ai

Ms Charania took responsibility as the SVP Sales & Business Leader UK/ EMEA at X0PA Ai. X0PA
acquired Nastrac Group, which of which Ms. Charania was the Group CEO; in January 2019. An
experienced leader and business builder with an extensive track record in executive search and
technology savvy, Ms Charania was roped in to use her experience to help companies transform the
way they hire, engage, and enhance talent. X0PA Ai is a B2B SAAS platform that makes hiring efficient,
effective, and bias-free, ensuring the best outcomes for employers and candidates. During her tenure,
she led the completion of Microsoft for startups and scale-up programs and also brought in the first
commercialization. Ms. Charania is a shareholder and continues to engage as an advisor to X0PA Ai.

SVP Sales & Business Leader EMEA/ UK at X0PA Ai

Nastrac Group

Ms. Charania took over as the Group CEO for the Award winning, Executive Search Firm, Nastrac
Group in 2018. Ms Charania, was previously the CEO for APAC and before that CEO for BFSI business
for the group. Ms. Charania was the first search consultant to set up Transaction Banking as a practice
area in Asia while it was still a sub-vertical within the search industry.

Group CEO

Barclays Capital

This was a short-term contract role brought in to facilitate and project manage the rapid expansion of the Product Control & Financial Control Divisions.
Part of the COO office and remit included; 
Consultation and Stakeholder (internal & External) Engagement (20%) 
Needs Analysis (30%)
Strategy Execution (30%) 
Project Management and MI related activity (20%)

Strategist : Finance Resourcing

HSBC

Senior Manager – Wealth Management Projects, 2003-2006 
Manager, MIS – Wealth Management 2002-2003 
Officer, Investment Advisory, Private Banking, 1999-2002 

Recruited into the team which set up the Private Clients Division in HSBC India in 1999. Over the years, roles evolved in line with the changing business needs.  Been part of the transformation team, which was responsible to drive a successful transition from a private bank to a retail wealth management model.

Senior Manager, Projects

UTI Securities

Recruited into the research team, which was formed as a part of joint venture between UTI Securities and Nomura.  Was responsible for assistance on coverage of BSE & NSE - listed stocks across industries.  In this role, assisted head of research and senior analyst’s across financial modelling, analysis of financials, interacting with company management and external sources for channel checks, attending industry conferences, writing reports on individual stocks as well as sector pieces, and communicating ideas to institutional clients and the institutional sales team.

Executive, Research

Global Entrepreneur | Talent Acquisition | Investor | Board Member | DEIB Advocate | Top Community Voice

Dynamic senior executive with over 25 years of extensive leadership across the financial and technology sectors in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. Proven track record in building, scaling, and leading companies through strategic transformations and market expansions. Passionate about leveraging technology to drive business innovation and operational efficiency.

Specialized in venture building, global talent acquisition, decision analytics and fostering inclusive workplace cultures. Recognized for thought leadership in executive search, AI-powered HR solutions, and diversity initiatives, with a robust global network of decision-makers in the BFSI and Technology sectors.

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