An Airwallex Program
Open for submissions now. Know someone who should be on this list?
Let us know.
Submissions close 13 September 2026, 23:59 GMT+0
Chosen by an independent committee
Judgement from operators who know what great looks like.
The final 30 are selected by a committee of operating CFOs. They set the bar for what emerging finance leaders at high-growth startups should deliver.
Notion, CFO
Deel, President & CFO
Vercel, CFO
Airwallex, CFO
What Startup Finance 30 is
Finance is one of the most under-leveraged growth levers a startup has.
The best finance leaders don't just keep the books. They extend runway, structure capital that changes what a company can do next, and build the systems that let it scale across borders.
Startup Finance 30 is the first list built to recognise that work. Beginning in 2026 and continuing annually, we name 30 finance leaders at venture-backed, globally ambitious startups. The operators shaping how the next generation of companies grow.
Who's doing the most consequential finance work in the startup world right now?
This list is the answer.
Who should participate
Finance leaders who fit a clear profile
Here's who qualifies:
A CFO, VP, Head of Finance, or a founder / COO who owns finance where there isn't a CFO yet.
Private, roughly Series A through pre-IPO. Not public companies, not pre-revenue.
Around a year or more in the role, between January 2022 and August 2026.
No unresolved fraud, governance, or regulatory issues.
For the final 30
What it means to make the list
An exclusive circle of the finance leaders defining the next era of global startups
A published profile capturing the impact and trajectory behind the growth
Introduced to the ecosystem that decides what the next era of global startups looks like
A mark of recognition in a social toolkit that travels wherever your career does
How the list is built
Anyone can refer a finance leader, or put their own name forward
From there, the path to the final 30:
We screen every entry against the eligibility criteria.
We research and assess each candidate against a five-part merit rubric.
The committee scores, reviews, and ratifies the final 30.
We verify every honoree before the list goes live in October.
Our commitments
You can't pay to be named, and no one can sponsor their way onto the list.
Using Airwallex makes no difference. The committee is blind to customer status — it plays no part in selection.
An independent group ratifies the final 30 against a published methodology.
Read the full selection methodology.
“Get recognised by the founders, investors, and peers building the most defining companies of tomorrow.”
FAQ
More information on how SF30 works.
Startup Finance 30 is published by Airwallex. We built it because we work with globally ambitious companies every day, and the finance leaders driving that growth deserve more recognition than they get. Selection sits with the committee.
A committee of operating CFOs and finance leaders. They score every candidate against a five-part merit rubric and ratify the final list. See the full selection methodology.
No. It's free to enter, and recognition is earned on merit.
Name and LinkedIn are sufficient. Airwallex will reach out to them for the rest.
Yes — they'll know they've been suggested when we reach out to invite them to put their work forward.
October 2026. Honorees are informed before the public release.
