Date: 07.11.2025 (2025-11-07)
Markus Baumgartner (07.11.2025) • https://www.linkedin.com/in/markus-baumgartner-8a676438/ • Group CFO at EBNER GROUP (800ppl) -> how many in portfolio? • For generations, the employees of EBNER, EED, Gautschi, GNA,HPI and Hazelett have been involved with heat treatment and the development and manufacture of innovative industrial furnaces and casting facilities. • From Leonding • Was at SMU • Wir entwickeln proprietäre KI-Modelle für Controlling & Accounting, die auch für komplexe Fälle trainiert sind - etwa mehrere Purchase Orders auf einer Rechnung, Price-Variance-Tolerances bei Lieferanten etc. Ziel ist eine ~60% Automatisierung in AP/AR und auch 50% weniger Aufwand beim Closing & Reporting - ohne neues SaaS-Tool, direkt integriert in bestehende Systeme (auch ohne API) und angepasst an aktuelle Prozesse.
Notes: • Notes: • SMU: 10x 10 Tage in SG - he lived in China (Shanghai) • He comes from shared services industry • He looks at AI players in accounting • Lived in China and USA • Notes: • They have old SAP system • Skonto is covered • What he needs as a SME which is working globally -> good booking quality • Automation • He has an accounting manual • He wants to match invoice with accounting manual • Anomaly detection • e.g. when 12k on a Konto that formerly was not so high • Data consistency check is important • Is master data complete? • Steuerdaten sind nicht komplett • He wants to book dunkel -> no accountant has to see it -> that saves time • He is very interested • He introduces a reporting tool for budgeting and analytics () • But data below is not good • He knows finto - the startup • Anomaly -> seems interesting to him • Bank account number change • Most important: Eingangsrechnungen Prozess • Ausgangsrechnungen is very difficult -> very tax complex -> finding it, is an art, he works on an AI agent himself -> these cases are documented -> he wants an AI doing that -> would help • Team size? • 5 accountants • Automation / AI: • He looked at AP with finto • Albatross -> check them out • It is quite complex • He looks sth that he can deploy sth and co-develop • 50 to 100k EUR per year is too expensive for him • Florian Hasiba • They are invested in SAP company -> worldwide used -> add AI to it -> maybe distribute with them • Next steps: • Send him information what we are doing • Biggest objections / challenges in his daily life? • • Most valuable flows for him? • • Context: team setup? internal and external? • • Which tasks are the biggest pain? With magic wand -> what would he solve? • • Which tasks would he focus on? • • Do they already have automations? Which ones? How well do they work? • • Which companies would he target? • • General feedback to pitch? •