Josh Schauer is the CFO at insightsoftware, where he leads financial strategy and operations. He previously served as SVP of Finance from 2020 to 2024 and led Financial Planning and Consolidation at Longview before its acquisition by insightsoftware. Josh has extensive experience in FP&A, consolidation, and finance transformation, and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse.

In this episode, you will discover:

• Why are finance teams slow to adopt AI despite knowing its importance

• Why AI should be treated as a teammate, not a replacement

• How poor data and broken processes limit AI’s value

• Practical use cases for AI in FP&A, including variance analysis

• How scenario planning can be done faster using AI

Shannon Nash is a global C-suite leader, CPA, attorney, and board director with over 30 years of experience across finance, technology, and governance. She is a Partner at Alpha AI, where she helps organizations strengthen AI governance and strategic decision-making. Shannon has served as CFO at companies like Wing, Reputation.com, and Inside Source, and currently sits on multiple boards, including SoFi Bank and NetScout Systems.

In this episode, you will discover:

• Why finance professionals must continuously retool in the age of AI

• How AI is changing the role of CFOs and decision-making

• The importance of AI governance at the board level

• How to manage AI investment alongside “AI sprawl.”

• What key questions boards should be asking about AI

John Thomas is the Founder and CEO of the Global Institute of Data Science (GIDS), a consulting and professional development organization focused on helping organizations successfully implement AI and data science initiatives. He serves as a Fractional Chief AI Officer for Fortune 500 companies and teaches AI and machine learning courses at Caltech CTME and UC San Diego Extended Studies.

In this episode, you will discover:

• Why 85% of AI projects fail and how to avoid 

• The difference between AI hype and real implementation

• How augmented intelligence improves human decision-making

• Why asking the right questions about AI models matters most

• How AI can help with risk analysis and financial decision-making

Riya Grover is the Co-founder and CEO at Sequence. Sequence, backed by a16z with $40M raised, is building the first agentic platform for accounts receivable. The company helps B2B businesses automate quoting, billing, invoicing, and revenue recognition, especially for complex pricing and custom contracts. Prior to Sequence, Riya founded Feedr, a venture-backed company that exited to Compass Group in 2020. She holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA in Economics and Management from Oxford University.

In this episode, you will discover:

• Why building a two-sided marketplace is incredibly difficult

• How modern B2B pricing models break traditional billing systems

• The difference between deterministic systems and generative AI in finance

• Why human-in-the-loop design is critical for financial AI agents

• What the future finance tech stack will look like in the next five years

Paul and Glenn discuss their firsthand experiences with AI-driven tools, from tracking expenses and managing journal entries to building financial models. They also dive into the ways small and medium businesses are utilizing AI-powered Excel agents to streamline their financial processes without the need for expensive, traditional planning tools.

In this episode, you will discover:

• The impact of AI agents in finance and how they simplify workflows.

• Personal experiences with Claude and Copilot in real-world finance tasks.

• How to integrate AI into your finance team’s daily tasks.

• The benefits and challenges of AI-powered automation in finance.

Kevin A.Thomas, CFA, is the founder of Omniga and a seasoned strategic finance leader focused on scaling digital businesses. Kevin is passionate about rebuilding the back office to help businesses make smarter decisions, faster. Drew Hyatt is the Co-Founder and CTO of Omniga. He plays a key role in architecting Omniga’s infrastructure, translating complex workflows into scalable technology for finance teams. 

In this episode, you will discover:

• Why clean books are the foundation for strong financial decisions

• The hidden risks in small business bookkeeping and how to fix them

• The difference between replacing tasks and supporting human judgment

• How to expand from bookkeeping to full finance strategy support

• How to structure a finance workflow that scales with your business

Paul and Glenn discuss how individuals have become far more comfortable using AI tools in their own work, while companies as a whole have moved much more slowly. Topics include ongoing data quality problems, hesitation around governance and security, and why many organizations still struggle to integrate AI into core systems and workflows. They also share their thoughts on notable developments from 2025, including OpenAI’s shift toward consumer use, Microsoft Copilot’s mixed results, Google Gemini’s rapid improvement, and Nvidia’s continued growth.

In this episode, you will discover:

• How AI adoption differs between individuals and organizations

• Why poor data quality still limits many finance teams

• What recent changes from OpenAI, Microsoft, Google, and Nvidia suggest

• Where Microsoft Copilot works well today and where it falls short

• Why automation and basic app-building are becoming more important

Ian Wong is the co-founder and CEO of Summation, an AI-powered decision platform built to help enterprise leaders better understand how their businesses are performing. Before Summation, Ian co-founded Opendoor and served as CTO through its journey to going public. He was also Square’s first data scientist, where he built early fraud and risk systems. Ian holds degrees in electrical engineering and statistics from Stanford University and brings a rare blend of deep technical expertise and business leadership experience.

In this episode, you will discover:

• What the “Monday Morning Problem” is and why it slows down decision-making

• Why dashboards and ad hoc reports often fail finance leaders

• The risks of relying on generic AI tools for financial analysis

• How decision-grade analytics differ from conversational AI

• What the coming “query flood” could mean for data infrastructure and costs

Cindy Vindasius is a CPA and MBA with over 30 years of experience guiding high-growth technology and manufacturing companies through complex ERP, finance transformation, and AI-readiness initiatives. As the founder of Vindasius Advisory, she has led 12 ERP implementations, 8 IPO and M&A, and numerous SOX compliance projects. Her clients include industry leaders such as Tesla, Apple, 23andMe, and TenX. Through her ERP Preparedness Master Workshop and executive advisory programs, Cindy helps CFOs and CIOs align systems and processes for scale, resilience, and efficiency.

In this episode, you will discover:

• Why 70% of ERP implementations fail and how to avoid common missteps

• What ERP readiness really means, and why it's often overlooked

• How AI-native ERPs compare to legacy systems in real-world implementations

• Why scalable data governance and documented processes are essential

• How Cindy’s ERP Preparedness Master Workshop helps teams succeed

Santiago Nestares is the CEO and co-founder of DualEntry, an AI-native ERP platform. Before DualEntry, he co-founded Benitago, a leading Amazon brand aggregator. His experience running a multi-entity, high-growth business exposed the inefficiencies in traditional finance systems, inspiring him to build a next-gen ERP solution from scratch.

In this episode, you will discover:

• Why legacy ERP systems are fundamentally broken, and how AI changes the game

• How DualEntry enables 24-hour ERP data migration

• The role of AI in journal entries, reporting, and reconciliation

• How auditors are embracing automation and AI for compliance and accuracy

• Why ERP systems must evolve beyond just being "AI-enabled" to truly AI-native

Joe Friedman is the Senior Director of AI Innovation at Oracle NetSuite, driving efforts to integrate practical AI across finance and operations. With over 15 years at NetSuite, Joe focuses on converting AI into measurable productivity gains. Ranga Bodla is the Vice President of Field Engagement and Marketing at Oracle NetSuite, with more than 20 years in enterprise software. He leads industry strategy across verticals, helping businesses convert innovation into performance.

In this episode, you will discover:

• Why NetSuite believes ERP is the core of AI transformation in finance

• How the new MCP connector integrates AI agents like Claude and ChatGPT

• Practical AI use cases: from variance analysis to journal entry creation

• Why clean ERP data is essential for effective AI outcomes

• How companies can start AI initiatives without high risk or cost

Khaled Chowdhury is a data expert and founder of Data Crafters, helping businesses, especially in finance, build clear data strategies in the age of AI. With a background in FP&A, Khaled’s unique journey spans from finance director to certified data professional, with expertise in tools like Power BI and Fabric. He’s been recognized globally for his contributions to the data world, empowering organizations to make data-driven decisions. Khaled’s experience bridges finance, technology, and business leadership.

In this episode, you will discover:

• Khaled’s journey from finance to data analytics and AI

• The importance of data clarity and the common mistakes companies make

• Why AI and data-driven decisions require a strong foundation

• How AI can both enhance and challenge business decision-making

• Practical advice on how companies should prioritize AI investments and data management

• How top-down and bottom-up AI adoption strategies differ in business.

• Why employee-driven AI innovation is on the rise and how to manage it.

• The role of AI-powered tools like Excel Labs in transforming financial work.

• How AI agents can help upskill finance professionals and streamline tasks.

Franz Faerber is the Co-founder and CTO of Everest Systems, a next-gen AI-native ERP company. Before Everest, Franz spent over 26 years at SAP, where he served as Executive VP of Technology and was the original architect behind SAP HANA, one of the most advanced in-memory databases in the world. His work helped transform data processing and analytics for thousands of global enterprises. Now, at Everest, he is on a mission to revolutionize ERP from the ground up, embracing AI and agile development to tackle the inefficiencies of traditional systems.

In this episode, you will discover:

• Why the ERP space is finally ready for disruption, and how Everest is leading that charge.

• How Everest built a fully functional inventory management system in just four months without writing a single line of code.

• The role of AI in accelerating ERP development, reducing costs, and enabling mass personalization.

• Why Franz believes the future of ERP lies in integration, automation, and adaptability.

Jeff Seibert is the founder and CEO of Digits, an innovative accounting platform that helps businesses manage their finances with real-time insights. Before starting Digits, Jeff co-founded Crashlytics, a mobile performance analytics company that was acquired by Twitter in 2013. He went on to lead Twitter's consumer product team and later appeared in the Emmy Award-winning Netflix documentary The Social Dilemma. A self-taught programmer, Jeff has been a part of the startup world for years and has invested in over 100 companies, earning recognition as one of Insider's Top 100 Seed VCs.

In this episode, you will discover:

• How Jeff’s passion for coding started at age 13.

• The story behind founding Digits and solving slow financial systems.

• How Digits provides real-time financial data to businesses.

• Why traditional accounting systems fail and how Digits overcomes it.

• Jeff’s vision for AI and automation in the future of accounting.

Dennis Jiang is the co-founder and CEO of Rosie, an AI-powered assistant that helps professionals understand, build, and analyze spreadsheets with ease. Dennis started his career as a consultant at Bain & Company, where he became an Excel whiz, so much so that he later worked as a freelance Excel consultant for high-profile clients like Apple. Having seen firsthand how much his clients and colleagues rely on spreadsheets yet struggle with them, Dennis founded Rosie to leverage agentic AI to finally solve that problem and help professionals focus on insights rather than wrestling with formulas.

In this episode, you will discover:

• How Rosie’s AI assistant redefines how professionals use Excel.

• The role of AI in auditing and debugging complex financial models.

• How Rosie saves time for finance teams by automating tedious tasks.

• The difference between Rosie and tools like Microsoft Copilot for advanced users.

• Why Dennis believes that spreadsheets will remain central to finance, even as AI technology evolves

Nicolas Kopp is the founder and CEO of Rillet, the AI-native ERP designed to automate accounting and close books faster. Backed by Sequoia, Rillet empowers accountants by integrating AI seamlessly into financial workflows. Previously, Nicolas served as the US CEO of N26, a fintech bank valued at $9 billion, where he played a key role in leading its expansion into the US market. Prior to N26, he spent five years in investment banking at Morgan Stanley. Nicolas holds a BA from the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland and an MSc in Accounting from the London School of Economics.

In this episode, you will discover:

• How AI-native ERP systems like Rillet are revolutionizing general ledger operations.

• The process of automating complex accounting workflows with AI agents.

• Why finance leaders need to embrace AI and the practical steps to do so.

• The challenges and benefits of shifting from legacy systems to AI-driven platforms.

• How CFOs can leverage AI today, even without a dedicated tech team.

Tariq Munir is a keynote speaker, writer, and digital transformation consultant with over two decades of experience working with Fortune 500 companies. Formerly with PepsiCo, Tariq recently transitioned to full-time entrepreneurship. His work focuses on empowering CFOs and finance teams to lead enterprise-wide digital transformations. He’s also the author of the forthcoming book Reimagine Finance, scheduled for global release with Wiley.

In this episode, you will discover:

• Why mindset, not technical expertise, is the key to digital transformation in finance.

• How AI is changing leadership expectations and essential skillsets.

• What digital twins are and how they can optimize finance processes.

• The challenges of applying reasoning models in financial AI use cases.

• Why critical thinking and human judgment remain vital in an AI-driven world.

Siqi is the founder and CEO of Runway, a modeling platform designed for operators and finance professionals who need flexible, intuitive tools to manage business complexity. He previously served as CEO of Sandbox VR, VP of Product at Postmates, and Head of Product at Zynga. Siqi has also invested in over 100 startups, including Clubhouse, Amplitude, Pipe, and Italic. Early in his career, he worked at NASA, where he was awarded a Congressional Space Act Award while still in school for his work on the Mars Exploration Rover.

In this episode, you will discover:

• Why FP&A platforms often fail to replace spreadsheets for financial modeling.

• How Runway is addressing the core pains of collaboration, complexity, and data integration.

• Why flexibility and speed of thought matter more than workflow automation.

• How Siqi thinks about AI’s role in making finance tools more usable and accessible.

• A remarkable story of how a meme coin helped fund life-saving research for his daughter’s brain tumor.