Datarails’ Post

This is a landmark moment for FP&A.   An independent guide revealing the 15 best Next Gen solutions for FP&A has just dropped.   This is not where we say we are the #1 solution.   Instead, it is a moment of celebration for anyone in, or around, FP&A.   This is because of the 3 powerful conclusions as you read this fascinating guide.   1️⃣ Funding for Next Gen FP&A solutions reaches $468M   FP&A has arrived.   These 15 solutions have raised $468M (CrunchBase data). We represent $105million of that figure.   Investors (and all businesses) suffer from poor FP&A. In the words of one of our own investors Oren Zeev (an early investor in Audible): "Businesses are constantly about to start, in the midst of, or have just finished a round of financial reporting—it's a never-ending cycle.” He speaks for many investors when he says that FP&A needs to be “simple, streamlined, and effective." This is reflected in this new market for Next Gen software. 2️⃣ Third Gen FP&A solutions have democratized world-class FP&A     This is no longer a luxury software for the Fortune 100.   In the words of the guide:   "There was a time when a planning tool was reserved for blue chip companies.    They required large on-premises installations and countless hours of expensive consulting costs."   Not anymore. This has been replaced by 15 cost-effective FP&A solutions.   It can now only take a few weeks to change your business strategy and finance department.     3️⃣ Excel vs Non Excel FP&A Solutions   The guide compares solutions in various ways (integrations, functionality, industry focus, and ideal customer). All important.   But one battleground needs to be made explicit.    Excel vs Non Excel   For our part, we unashamedly are all in on Excel. We turn your Excel into a world-class FP&A solution. (From the authors’ review: "The first enterprise application allowing the data in Excel to be saved into a database…Excel used as the core calculation engine, and allowing you to continue your own Excel models").   Others in the guide talk about “replacing Excel” or some middle-ground "compatibility” with Excel.   Frankly, we are not the right solution if a company is looking to ditch Excel.   But it is good that the entire market has such rich options whichever side of the Excel fence they stand on.   It's great to celebrate a historic moment in revolutionizing FP&A from cost center to a profit driver.    Thank you for this great publication from a team including Anders Liu-Lindberg, Paul Barnhurst and investor Wouter Born.   What are your takeaways from this guide? #fpna