Darren Sturdy and Jeroen Ganseij from Startup Accounting

Too many startups drown in messy books and last-minute investor stress. Darren Sturdy and Jeroen Ganseij saw it happening everywhere and decided to fix it. With Startup Accounting B.V., they bring sharp financial control to ambitious founders, without the corporate fluff. They don’t just keep the numbers clean, they help build what’s next.

Built from frustration (the productive kind)

Startup Accounting wasn’t born out of a business plan. It was born out of annoyance. Darren and Jeroen met on LinkedIn, vented over startup horror stories, and realised they were both stuck cleaning up financial messes instead of helping founders build the future.

So they flipped the model. No more retroactive panic. Instead, they built a firm that could speak both “balance sheet” and “pitch deck.” A boutique partner for ambitious startups that need more than just compliance. They need clarity, confidence and someone who understands the brutal beauty of early stage chaos.

“We were spending more time fixing the past than shaping what’s next.”

Partners, not paper-pushers

Forget what you know about accountants. No dusty offices. No end-of-year surprises. Darren and Jeroen came from the trenches. They’ve been inside startups, on growth teams, juggling cap tables and sleepless nights. That’s why Startup Accounting doesn’t feel like a vendor. It feels like someone on your side of the table.

They don’t just file things. They forecast. They challenge. They ask the questions founders forget to ask themselves.

And no, they didn’t launch with seed money or flashy campaigns. They self-funded, stayed lean, said no to bad-fit clients, and learned the hard way that onboarding can take twice as long as you think.

“The real growth hack? Saying no to the wrong clients.”

The underestimated power of real talk

Startups don’t need more dashboards. They need people who’ll tell them the truth, build trust, and catch problems before they become ones. That’s how Startup Accounting creates loyalty: not with slogans, but by showing up, staying sharp, and owning their mistakes as much as their wins.

It also means recognising talent early. When Isabel joined as a junior financial controller, she didn’t just fill a seat. She helped shape the company. In their eyes, she’s not support staff. She’s a co-founder in spirit.

“Her growth is proof of what we’re building, and why.”

Not your average accounting firm

Yes, there’s competition. Loads of it. But while others focus on year-end reports, Darren and Jeroen obsess over SaaS metrics, investor updates and pre-seed modeling. They’re not trying to be ‘the best accountants’. They’re trying to be the most useful people in a founder’s inbox.

And it’s working. Startup Accounting has quietly become the go-to for scale-ups who want smart finance without the fluff.

What’s next?

More talent. More founders. More impact. But without losing the personal, high-trust feel that made them different in the first place. Startup Accounting is on track to become the startup-focused financial partner in the Netherlands. Soon, beyond.

The dream? A Europe-wide network of founder-first financial teams that actually get it.

“We’re not scaling a firm. We’re scaling trust.”

The golden tip for entrepreneurs

Start before you feel ready. Talk less. Listen more. And when you hit a wall, don’t fake your way through it. Ask for help. The right person, the right advice, at the right time can change your entire trajectory.

Lastly

Entrepreneurship is an adventure with its highs and lows. For Laen Sanches & Tony Stearns of Return to Earth Studio, it was no different. Discover the challenges and successes in the full story.