As our first Finance Lead, you'll be the single owner of all things finance at Different.ai . This is a high-impact, hands-on role where you'll set up systems and processes from scratch, ensure we stay compliant across two geographies, and be a trusted partner to the founding team on business decisions. You'll work closely with the CEO and leadership team and have the chance to build the finance function as we scale.

Accounting And Bookkeeping The candidate will have responsibilities across the following functions: Maintain accurate books for both the India entity and the US entity (C-Corp / Delaware).

Manage month-end and year-end close processes.

Oversee accounts payable, accounts receivable, and vendor payments.

Manage and reconcile multi-currency transactions (INR/USD).

Manage relationships with external auditors and CA/CPA firms.

Tax And Compliance India: GST registration, filing, and reconciliation; TDS deductions and returns; income tax filings; ROC filings and MCA compliance; transfer pricing documentation.

US: Federal and state corporate tax filings; sales tax/nexus analysis for SaaS; 1099 contractor filings; coordination with a US CPA firm.

Ensure timely regulatory filings across both geographies and proactively flag compliance risks.

Manage FEMA/RBI compliance for cross-border transactions (including FIRC, ODI, ECB).

Payroll

Run end-to-end payroll for the India team: PF, ESIC, PT, TDS on salary, gratuity.

Manage US payroll through a payroll provider (Gusto / Rippling) for employees and contractors.

Maintain employee records for finance purposes and ensure payroll compliance in both jurisdictions.

Business Finance And Strategy





Own budgeting and forecasting to build the annual operating plan and quarterly reforecasts.

Track and report key financial metrics: burn rate, runway, CAC, LTV, gross margin.

Build financial models to support fundraising, pricing decisions, and hiring plans.

Prepare investor-ready financial reports and board decks.

Identify cost optimisation opportunities and build unit economics frameworks.

Support due diligence processes during fundraising rounds.

Banking And Treasury Manage

India and US bank accounts; optimise cash flow and liquidity.

Handle forex conversions and minimise currency risk.

Manage relationships with banking partners (e. g., ICICI/HDFC in India; Mercury/Brex in the US).

Requirements 1-5 years of finance/accounting experience, including time at a startup or high-growth tech company.

Strong working knowledge of Indian accounting standards (Ind AS / IGAAP), tax laws (GST, TDS, income tax), and company law (Companies Act 2013).

Hands-on experience with US entity accounting and compliance (ideally for a Delaware C-Corp with an Indian parent/subsidiary).

Experience managing cross-border financial operations and FEMA compliance.

Proficiency with accounting software Zoho Books, QuickBooks, or Xero.

Advanced Excel / Google Sheets skills; comfortable building models from scratch.

CA (preferred) or MBA Finance / equivalent experience.

Bonus Points

Prior experience as Finance Lead or Controller at a SaaS startup.

Familiarity with US SaaS revenue recognition (ASC 606).

Experience supporting Series A/B fundraising and managing investor data rooms.

Working knowledge of equity and ESOP accounting.

Exposure to tools like Stripe, Brex, Gusto, Carta, or similar. This job was posted by Bidyut Ganguly from CBX1.

📌 Finance Manager (Bengaluru)
🏢 CBX1
📍 Bengaluru