Crew used Parallel to streamline financial modeling, run fundraising scenarios, and raise their seed round, all while keeping the founding team aligned on strategy and execution.

Most founders spend weeks buried in spreadsheets before a fundraise. Crew took a different path. By syncing their accounting into a live financial model with Parallel, they walked into investor meetings with current numbers and clear scenarios, and raised their seed round faster and with more confidence.

Results at a Glance

Successfully raised their seed round with strong investor conviction
Investor-ready forecasting and live, up-to-date models
Fast scenario planning around capital, runway, and hiring
A founder who walked into every meeting knowing the numbers cold

Meet Crew

Founded in 2022 by Gentry Davies and a team of experienced fintech operators, Crew is a financial technology company building modern banking tools designed specifically for families.

With features like high-yield checking, joint and child accounts, automated budgeting, "pockets" for organizing funds, allowances for kids, and paycheck splitting, Crew makes family money management simple and transparent. Partnering with Bangor Savings Bank for FDIC-insured services, Crew's mission is clear: make family finances seamless, empowering, and built with families in mind.

The Challenge

When Gentry prepared to raise Crew's seed round, he faced the same pressure every early-stage founder does: how to prove to investors that the financial story was not only believable, but repeatable.

The Crew team needed clarity on:

Runway — how long the capital would last under different scenarios
Growth levers — where new investment would create traction
Repeatability — proof that early wins could scale into a durable business
Team alignment — making sure everyone told the same story to investors

Manual spreadsheets weren't going to cut it. Crew needed forecasts they could trust and update without building a finance team or maintaining a fragile workbook.

Enter Parallel

Parallel is financial planning software for startups, without the spreadsheet. It syncs your accounting into a live financial model, so the numbers behind your fundraising narrative stay current as the business moves.

With Parallel, Crew was able to:

Build investor-ready models in days, not weeks
Run live scenarios instantly, from burn rates to hiring plans to revenue pacing
Walk into meetings prepared, answering investor questions with confidence
Pair growth with clarity, showing not just where they stood, but where investor dollars would take them

"Parallel helped us show investors not just the vision, but the numbers behind it. We could map out our future and speak with confidence in every meeting." — Gentry Davies, Founder of Crew

Taking Action

The Crew team used Parallel to:

Model multiple fundraising scenarios with scenario modeling: how much to raise, how long it would last, and what hiring acceleration looked like
Keep models fresh and investor-ready at all times, avoiding the pitfalls of outdated spreadsheets
Align the founding team internally, so every co-founder spoke from the same financial story
Confidently show investors the repeatability of Crew's model, not just early traction

The Results

With a live financial model behind them, Crew raised their seed round successfully. Investors were impressed by:

The clarity of the financial model, updated live in every meeting
The confidence of the founder, who knew the business cold
The repeatability of the model, reinforced through usage and retention metrics

Parallel didn't just give Crew a model, it gave them a story backed by numbers that unlocked investor conviction. For a deeper look at preparing for a round, see how Parallel supports fundraising prep and runway clarity.

Key Takeaways for Founders

Real-time clarity builds confidence: Investors trust founders who present live, up-to-date models
Scenario planning matters: Stress-testing burn, hiring, and revenue gives founders optionality
Team alignment is critical: A unified financial story strengthens external credibility
A live model delivers speed: Forecasts that update with your accounting let founders move faster, raise quicker, and own the narrative

Want to run your next round with confidence? Parallel helps founders forecast runway, model scenarios, and walk into investor conversations ready to close.

Start free or book a demo.

About Parallel

Parallel is financial planning software for startups, without the spreadsheet. It syncs your accounting (QuickBooks Online or Puzzle) into a live financial model so founders can forecast runway, plan hires, prep to fundraise, manage burn and cash flow, and build board-ready dashboards, no spreadsheet wrangling required.