Date: 28.10.2025 (2025-10-28)
Tomas Smetana (28.10.2025) • https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomassmetana/ • Director finance & operations at VidLab7 (10 ppl) • VidLab7 develops the most advanced real-time avatars tailored specifically for sales use cases. They enable companies to automatically qualify leads on their website 24/7, significantly boosting conversion rates and revenue – without the need for inbound BDRs. Implementation takes no more than 24 hours. • Intro via Jonas - I potentially know him from Project Xberg
Questions: • Context: team setup? internal and external? • AR: B2B SaaS -> a few but large contracts • 1 year - all upfront -> 1 invoice per customer per year -> low volume • -> zero tools -> 100 invoices -> 8 per month -> easy • AP: • Intern set something up • Email Postfach -> billing address • Datev • Monthly closing: allokiert Belege (100 pro Monat) - zu Zahlungen • Some invoices have to be downloaded from some websites sometimes • 20 Leute • Ausgelagerter Buchhalter • They looked at Moss • To make Ausgabenmanagement leichter • With one CC: no allocation to cost centers etc. • Every team gets a CC -> easy cost center logic • Mühselig aufzusetzen -> Moss & Datev connections are painful • Verfahrensdokumentation nötig - durch Steuerberater • Went back to the process before Moss because the need is not there • Moss is good when starting at zero - when there are existing processes its painful • He came 18months after start -> 3 bank accounts, missing invoices etc. • He does everything • He needs half a day for monthly closing • 1h per week for AP • 1h per week for AR • They pay 2,5 brutto per month to tax advisor • 25 per MA for payroll • 3650 EUR costs for monthly closing • Which tools do they use? What do they outsource? • • Biggest objections / challenges in his daily life? • • Which tasks are the biggest pain? With magic wand -> what would he solve? • Integration to bank account • Belege into Datev -> Eingangspostfach that collects the data • If no PDF -> download of Beleg • Check if it fits the budget (comparison with actuals) • E.g. edge cases: Anthropic subscriptions went up because they hired new people -> less new red flags -> less manual review (e.g. he gets UrbanSport Club flags) -> no learning (a lot of costs are triggered by a new hire -> no flagging) • Tools atm can set simple guardrails but no smart logic • Personio • Gut gedacht, schlecht gemacht • If there is a perfect HR department -> someone that puts bonuses there etc. • Not realistic for startup • He downloads list sends to Lohnbüro -> mistakes -> iteration (too much work) -> then you get final list and you can • When they have a new customers • New customer -> more VM -> new costs -> there should not be flags • He looses a lot of time with un-flagging / unnecessarily double checking stuff • FP&A should only stuff that does not correlate -> thats how it should be • Looking at the market • There are a lot of systems replacing or augmenting existing systems • Either you have an overkill function or sth you outgrow a solution • AI allows to scale with the company • Distribution • Accounting does the past • Controlling looks at the present • FP&A looks at the future • Tools for these 3 areas are fragmented -> annoying -> one financial home would be great; currently for every stage there is the right partner but you outgrow it -> migration is necessary • FP&A: Scenario Planning -> mathematical formula of many variables • What he looks for: • Startup can get accounting -> add controlling when you get there -> then add FP&A later • FP&A • Dollar invoices -> tax; here high costs -> insource • He looked at Vercel -> text to speech automation -> super expensive • AWS, GCP do it very well to grow with the company -> lock in effects at perfection • Often smaller tools for startups do not offer migration service • Tax advisors do not do Cash Flow Rechnung because it is not legally required • Feedback Demo: • Makes sense • AP: • Anthropic: calls it “Claude” -> you match • Different countries have different requirements -> US invoices do not have all info that is required • Ask supplier • For him a tool that grows with company is most important -> emphasise it • I think we could convert them to LOI • Do they already have automations? Which ones? How well do they work? • • Which tasks would he focus on? • • Which companies would he target? • General feedback to pitch?