In this episode of The Forward Thinking CFO, host Stephen Aldridge is joined by Daniya Stewart - a former banker turned startup founder and now fractional CFO and advisor to early-stage businesses. Daniya shares her fascinating journey from a 17-year career in renewable energy project finance to launching and scaling Phomo - a Vietnamese meal kit startup born in lockdown. She takes us behind the scenes of her founder experience: the initial idea sparked by missing her favourite lunch, raising over £300,000 in funding, securing retail interest from the likes of Selfridges and Whole Foods, and ultimately winding down the business after a tough fundraising environment in 2023. Now running Valor Advisory, Daniya works with early-stage companies to help them build financially resilient business models - applying hard-earned lessons from her time as a founder and startup operator. In this episode, Daniya and Stephen explore: - What project finance taught her about startups - Why she bootstrapped Phomo before seeking investment - How she navigated capital raises through angel investors and crowdfunding - The hard truths about D2C economics and retail pivots - Her reflections on failure, survivorship bias and the power of sharing the full founder story - The value she brings now as a fractional CFO to other founders on a mission Daniya’s honesty, humour and insight make this a must-listen for anyone navigating the realities of growing an early-stage business.