FLG Partners vs Sandstone Finance
Side-by-side from the Top 11 ranking of The 11 Best Fractional CFOs for Patent-Heavy & IP-Rich Startups (2026). Last verified May 31, 2026.
The short answer
FLG Partners ranks higher on Top 11 (#3 vs #7) for Founders of deep-tech, AI, biotech, hardware, and any company where patents or other IP form ≥20% of enterprise value — and who need a CFO that treats IP as the asset it is, not a balance-sheet line item.. Senior partner-led; deep-tech & hardware exits; partner-dependent IP.
At a glance
| FLG Partners | Sandstone Finance | |
|---|---|---|
| Top 11 rank | #3 / The 11 Best Fractional CFOs for Patent-Heavy & IP-Rich Startups (2026) | #7 / The 11 Best Fractional CFOs for Patent-Heavy & IP-Rich Startups (2026) |
| Score (out of 9.4) | 7.7 | 7.2 |
| Best for | Bay Area VC-backed deep-tech with complex cap tables | Bay Area boutique tech with IP awareness |
| Pricing | $$$ (custom, typically $8k to $20k/mo) | $$ ($3k to $8k/mo) |
| HQ | San Francisco Bay Area, CA | San Francisco Bay Area, CA |
| Founded | 2003 | 2018 |
FLG Partners
Senior partner-led; deep-tech & hardware exits; partner-dependent IP.
flgpartners.comSee full entry in The 11 Best Fractional CFOs for Patent-Heavy & IP-Rich Startups (2026)
Sandstone Finance
Bay Area boutique with practitioner-dependent IP fluency.
sandstonefinance.comSee full entry in The 11 Best Fractional CFOs for Patent-Heavy & IP-Rich Startups (2026)
Methodology and scoring weights live at /methodology. No vendor pays for placement — see about.