Alaia Martin

Fractional CFO, COO and AI governance advisor

I help founders and lenders get financial clarity, an operation that runs without constant rescue, and AI they can defend to regulators and partners.

Book an intro callSee selected work
AI governanceFractional COOFractional CFO
Portrait of Alaia Martin
10+years as a VP in forecasting and analytics at a global bank
Co-founderof an AI-native fintech serving lenders
OxfordAI ethics, regulation and compliance
Kansas Citybased, working with clients nationally

Growing companies hit the same wall. The numbers, the operation and the AI outpace the team.

The forecast nobody trusts

Cash gets tight without warning. Investors and lenders ask questions that take a week to answer, and hiring decisions rest on guesswork.

The team that runs on heroics

Priorities change weekly, key work depends on one or two people, and customers feel the gaps between sales, onboarding and delivery.

The AI nobody can explain

Tools reach underwriting, marketing and support faster than anyone can show a regulator, a bank partner or an investor how they are governed.

A full-time executive is expensive at this stage, and a generalist consultant rarely carries the accountability. You need senior judgment applied where it matters, for exactly as long as you need it.

Three ways to work together

Each engagement is scoped to where your company is now. Start with one, or combine them under one accountable partner.

01

AI governance for lenders and fintechs

For lenders, CDFIs and fintechs using AI in decisions

You use AI in underwriting, marketing, onboarding or support, but no one can show how it is governed. Fair-lending rules, model-risk expectations and vendor diligence are moving faster than a small team can track.

OutcomeAI you can defend to regulators

Core deliverables

  • AI inventory and risk tieringMap every model, vendor and automated decision, then rank them by risk.
  • Policies and controlsAcceptable use, model documentation, human review and monitoring your team can follow.
  • Fair-lending alignmentECOA, FCRA and Section 1071 questions, including explainability and adverse-action logic.
  • Vendor and partner diligenceAssess third-party AI tools and answer bank-partner and investor questionnaires.
  • Board and team readinessBriefings, training and a documented audit trail.
02

Fractional COO

For companies that have outgrown the founder's head

Priorities change weekly, key work depends on one or two people, and customers feel the gaps between sales, onboarding and delivery.

OutcomeAn operation that runs without rescue

Core deliverables

  • Operating rhythmGoals, meeting cadence and accountability that keep teams moving together.
  • Systems and automationChoose, set up and document the tools and AI workflows your team will use.
  • Hiring and team structureRole design, scorecards and onboarding that new people can follow.
  • Customer onboarding and deliveryRepeatable processes from signed contract to first results.
  • Risk, security and vendor managementPolicies, contracts and controls that hold up under review.
03

Fractional CFO

For founders whose books explain the past but not the future

Cash gets tight without warning, investors and lenders ask questions you cannot answer quickly, and spending decisions rest on guesswork.

OutcomeNumbers investors and lenders trust

Core deliverables

  • Forecasting and cash managementRolling forecasts, runway tracking and scenario planning.
  • Financial modelsInvestor-ready models and budgets that connect to how the business actually runs.
  • Monthly close and reportingReliable books, management reports and KPI dashboards.
  • Fundraising and lender supportDiligence preparation, data rooms and Q&A.
  • Accounting, tax and compliance oversightDirection for your bookkeeper and CPA so nothing slips.
Discuss an engagement

Three things that rarely come in one person

Most advisors bring one of these. The work you need sits where all three meet.

MBA, Financial AnalysisOxford AI ethics and regulationAdjunct instructor, UMKC Bloch School

Bank-grade financial rigor

Ten years as a vice president in forecasting and analytics at a global bank. I build the kind of numbers that lenders, auditors and regulators expect to see, then explain them in plain language.

I have run the company side

I co-founded an AI-native fintech and handled the models, investor diligence, operations and compliance myself. My advice comes from doing the work, not observing it.

Formal training in AI governance

I completed the University of Oxford's program in AI ethics, regulation and compliance, and I work with ECOA, FCRA and Section 1071 questions in practice, not just in theory.

Selected work

A sample of the finance, operations and governance work behind the services above.

HealthtechInvestor-ready in 12 weeks

Studio lead, Enact Studios

Twelve-week sprints for early-stage founders

Run structured sprints that take founders from idea to investor-ready. For a healthcare-technology client, delivered a nine-tab, three-year driver-based financial model, an operational plan and a compliance checklist ahead of an in-person founders' working session.

FintechSOC 2 and Section 1071 readiness

Co-founder and COO, Cyphr AI

AI-native fintech serving small businesses and capital providers

Built the finance and operating backbone: investor-ready accrual and cash-basis models reconciled to monthly actuals, investor Q&A and diligence materials, positioning around ECOA, FCRA and Section 1071, SOC 2 readiness, and a company-wide system for hiring, onboarding and customer delivery.

NonprofitGovernance and tax-exempt path set

Executive Director, Cyphr Impact Center

Nonprofit formation in Kansas

Stood up a research nonprofit, settling its governance and tax-exempt filing path and shaping its flagship publication, the Capital Mobility Index.

CommunityFinance and operations under one lead

Fractional CFOO, Black Excellence

Combined finance and operations leadership

Serve as the organization's part-time chief financial and operating officer, covering financial management and day-to-day operations.

Board and advisory service

  • Band of Angels, board member
  • Next Paige Foundation, board member
  • Street Medicine KC, treasurer and board member
  • SXSW Pitch, advisory board

What happens when you reach out

  1. A free intro conversation

    We talk through where your company is, what is stuck and what a good result looks like. No pitch deck, no obligation.

  2. A written scope

    You receive a clear proposal with deliverables, timeline and fee, so you know what you are buying before work starts.

  3. Work starts on the biggest gap

    We begin where the risk or the cost is highest, and you see progress in the first weeks rather than at the end.

Tell me what you're trying to build.

Send a short note about your company and what feels stuck. I'll reply within two business days to set up a free introductory conversation.

Email Alaia
What's your biggest bottleneck?

Opens a pre-filled email to Alaia.

Engagements are limited to a small number of clients at a time so each one gets senior attention.