By now it is obvious to state that AI is having a transformational impact on accounting and finance functions. Data-driven decision making is transforming the role of the Office of the CFO, but it’s still crucial to remember that while productivity tools are changing how work gets done, they are not changing what work gets done. The need for human oversight at every stage, from initial set up to full time operation, remains critical. That also means founders need an engaged partner, not a passive service provider.
What does an “engaged partner” mean? To me it means understanding your business, not just crunching the numbers. Staying accountable for outcomes. Interpreting what data actually means and how it affects decision making. Making sure financial infrastructure gets built correctly right from the start.
This matters more than founders often realize. Founders are genuinely passionate about their product, about the front-end experience that delights customers and disrupts markets. Administrative functions – reconciliation, controls, data integrity, compliance – rarely generate the same excitement. We totally understand that, but mistakes – especially those that could give the impression of AI-driven corner cutting – can very quickly compound and really damage investor confidence.
What This Looks Like in Practice
An engaged partner is crucial for setting up systems correctly from the start. AI hasn’t eliminated the potential for “garbage in, garbage out” – it’s just that garbage can pile up much faster. Having an engaged partner means building financial infrastructure that generates clean, reliable, and trustworthy data right from the start. We want to avoid that garbage.
AI-driven financial errors can directly impact fundraising when human oversight gets skipped. We have seen examples where unwinding compounded errors and taking corrective action has depleted funds that were earmarked for marketing and sales. We have seen examples of clients that have had to delay fundraising by several months because of it – and not that many startups have the luxury of months’ worth of cash reserves.
Why Expertise Matters
In addition to our experience in selecting the right tools and building the right foundations, we continually vet and pressure-test AI tools before and after recommending them to clients. We have built strong vendor relationships, meaning the product feedback we give is based on real-world implementation, not theoretical use.
Mistakes at the founder stage – misinformed cash runway, incorrect resource allocation, uncertainty among investors – might not always be fatal, but they are expensive and create friction exactly when momentum matters most.
Attivo operates on a simple principle: when it comes to avoiding expensive mistakes, experience counts. We have implemented many AI-enabled finance systems, often for founders who are experiencing creating sound financial foundations for the first time in their careers. We see ourselves as a trusted advisor, not just a service provider.
So while of course we recommend clients embrace AI, we also recommend that they do so with a partner who understands new technologies, your commercial fundamentals, and the unchanged fundamentals of business accounting. That is what an engaged partnership delivers.
