WHAT WE DO
Brightsky Partners helps early-stage startups stay financially sharp while scaling fast. We work with ambitious founders — typically at the pre-seed to Series A stage — providing fractional CFO support, strategic finance guidance, and investor readiness expertise.
HOW WE HELP
• Fundraise modeling & pitch prep
• Budgeting & runway forecasting
• Bookkeeping services (Quickbooks)
• Cap table and cost analysis
• Investor updates & reporting
• Hiring support & payroll admin
ABOUT JIM
Jim Lockheed is a fractional CFO, investor, and entrepreneur with a track record of helping early-stage startups achieve success. Prior to Brightsky, he spent five years as an investor at JetBlue Ventures, focusing on travel, aviation, and climate tech startups including Air Company, Avnos, Beacon AI, ClearJet, Assaia, and 3Victors (acquired). As an entrepreneur, Jim founded one of the first FAA-authorized drone inspection companies (sold), building on experience at Boeing and in the U.S. Air Force. Jim has extensive experience managing finances and bookkeeping beginning with his own ventures in 2012 and holds a Intuit/QuickBooks bookkeeping certification. Jim earned his MBA from the University of Oregon and a BS from Embry-Riddle (Summa Cum Laude).
SOLVING PAINT POINTS THAT KEEP FOUNDERS UP AT NIGHT
"I don’t know how much runway I have."
We track cash and burn rates so you always know your position.
"I’m not sure what to tell investors."
We create reporting dashboards and board updates that impress.
"I’m flying blind on hiring or expenses."
We help with cost modeling, offer analysis, and team planning.