CAREER BUILT AT
Ford Motor Company · Weyerhaeuser · BMW · Mercedes-Benz · Volkswagen · Audi · London Stock Exchange
THE AMERICAN SIDE OF THE TABLE
Most advisors to German companies in the US are Germans who also speak English. We are the reverse.
THE USUAL ADVISOR
German first. The US is their second culture.
Knows your home market well – and learns the US side along with you.
LAKE TAPPS CAPITAL
American first. Near-native German.
30 years of US corporate and public-company finance. Knows US banks, auditors, the IRS, employees and customers from the inside – and explains it all to your head office in German.
SERVICES
Four ways we work with you.
01
US Finance Setup
Entity, banking, payroll, ERP and reporting to your parent company. A fixed-scope project.
Typically 8–12 weeks
02
Fractional CFO
Ongoing CFO leadership for your US subsidiary, a few days a month, including the report to head office.
Monthly retainer
03
Interim CFO
Full-time leadership when you need it now: a CFO departure, an audit, a turnaround or a fast ramp-up.
Weeks to months
04
Parent Reporting & Transactions
HGB/IFRS ↔ US GAAP reporting, board updates in German, valuation, M&A and capital raising.
Project or retainer
Included as needed: Budgeting & forecasting · KPIs & reporting · Cash flow & working capital · Valuation & capital raise
WHERE WE WORK
On the ground in Washington and Utah.
Two of the strongest business climates in the US, with growing German investment – and few German-speaking finance advisors nearby. We serve DACH companies across the US from here.
Seattle
Aerospace, advanced manufacturing, clean tech, software
Salt Lake City
Medical devices, life sciences, technology
ABOUT
Andrew Lear, Founder & CEO
An American who learned German as an adult, Andrew now speaks it near-natively. His connection to German industry began with internships at Daimler-Benz and Kaiser Maschinenmesser, followed by programs for BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen and Audi at a Tier 1 automotive supplier.
He trained in corporate finance at Ford Motor Company and Weyerhaeuser, then served as CFO of public and high-growth companies. He founded Lake Tapps Capital in 2018 and is also CEO of the US entity of PlockControl, a German AI start-up working with major Tier 1 automotive suppliers.
30
years in finance
2
IPO processes led
20x
investor return, London listing
6
countries with finance teams
MBA, University of Michigan · BS Mechanical Engineering, Brigham Young University
How we work
01
Free 30-minute call
Where you are, what you need in the US, and whether we are the right fit.
02
Clear proposal
A fixed-scope project or a monthly retainer, with defined deliverables and price.
03
Hands-on delivery
We work inside your team and report to your US management and head office.
Planning your US expansion?
Let's talk – in English or German.
+1 253 347 3614