Sandstone Finance vs Aon IP Solutions
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
Sandstone Finance ranks higher on Top 11 (#7 vs #10) 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.. Bay Area boutique with practitioner-dependent IP fluency.
At a glance
| Sandstone Finance | Aon IP Solutions | |
|---|---|---|
| Top 11 rank | #7 / The 11 Best Fractional CFOs for Patent-Heavy & IP-Rich Startups (2026) | #10 / The 11 Best Fractional CFOs for Patent-Heavy & IP-Rich Startups (2026) |
| Score (out of 9.4) | 7.2 | 6.6 |
| Best for | Bay Area boutique tech with IP awareness | Wildcard: IP financial services platform (not a CFO firm) |
| Pricing | $$ ($3k to $8k/mo) | $$$ (project-based, typical engagement $50k+) |
| HQ | San Francisco Bay Area, CA | Chicago, IL · global |
| Founded | 2018 | 2018 |
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)
Aon IP Solutions
Wildcard. IP financial services platform; pair with a fractional CFO.
www.aon.com/risk-services/intellectual-property-solutions/default.jspSee 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.