Technology and video gaming group Aonic has been attracting attention for more than just the quality of its video games. In early March, the company was ranked Europe’s eighth fastest-growing company overall and first in the IT & Software category in the 2026 edition of the FT1000.
This expansion has been fuelled by a combination of organic growth and acquisition. Over the last 12 months alone, the company has completed the acquisition of digital marketing company Casa Media and research technology firm Prime Insights.
A core challenge for finance officers in the technology industry is balancing structure with agility according to Aonic CFO, Fredrik Iversen.
“To scale successfully, you need a strong financial foundation, clear processes, reliable data and disciplined controls – while still being able to respond quickly to changes in markets, products and performance,” he says. “Solid, smart design is key.”
In this environment P&L becomes increasingly ‘live’, meaning there is a need to link operational data with financial reporting.
“At the same time, complexity increases as companies scale,” adds Iversen. “Many firms operate internationally across multiple products, revenue streams and even business models, often combined with ongoing M&A activity.”
He explains that growth has been driven by a combination of strong underlying unit economics and a capital-light model, where incremental revenue converts efficiently into cash flow.
“That cash flow can be rapidly reinvested into further scaling the business, as long as unit economics remain attractive, enabling sustained organic growth,” adds Iversen.
Another key contributor is the company’s ability to acquire and optimise businesses. Rather than growth being purely additive, it focuses on identifying and enabling synergies, accelerating performance through data-driven decision making.
“We don’t make acquisitions for the sake of growing,” says Iversen, who adds that access to flexible funding sources – both equity and debt – has allowed Aonic to act quickly on opportunities while maintaining a balanced capital structure.
So, what in his opinion are the most important qualities needed by the CFO of a fast-growing company?
“In this scenario, a chief financial officer needs to combine agility with structure,” says Iversen. “The role is fundamentally about enabling the business to move quickly (but not too quickly) while ensuring there is a solid financial foundation to support and sustain that growth.”
This requires strong judgement and prioritisation. In a fast-moving environment, decisions often need to be made with incomplete information, so the ability to balance speed with risk awareness is critical.
“At the same time, the CFO must build scalable processes, systems and controls that do not slow the organisation down but instead make it more efficient and investable,” adds Iversen. “This is particularly important when accessing capital or executing M&A.”
Finally, the CFO needs to be closely connected to the business. It is not just about reporting performance but about shaping it, translating strategy into financial outcomes and ensuring the company can act quickly on both organic and inorganic opportunities.
“In practice, this often comes down to creating financial transparency and alignment across the organisation, enabling better and faster decision making at all levels,” says Iversen.
In terms of market appetite for financing deals in the technology space, Iversen suggests interest is there for attractive opportunities.
“While the highest levels of investor attention are currently directed towards AI, we are increasingly seen as a beneficiary of that broader shift,” he says. “Like many AI-driven businesses, we operate in areas experiencing rapid growth and continuous optimisation driven by data. Our model is capital-light, scaling quickly and offering high cash generation and that combination together with exposure to AI-driven tailwinds – but with capital efficiency and proven economics – is particularly attractive to investors in the current environment.”
