The Accounting Disruptors Podcast

Cody Sugarman, co-founder of Abacus, joins Wiss CEO Paul Peterson and Tech Practice Partner Matt Barbieri to discuss how artificial intelligence is tackling the most overlooked bottleneck in tax practice — data ingestion. In this conversation, Cody shares how two brothers with zero accounting background built a product that's now selling into nearly 10 of the top 100 firms, and why the mid-market has a bigger AI advantage right now than the Big 4. In This Episode: Why data ingestion, not tax expertise , is the real bottleneck holding firms back from doing their best work How Abacus signed a six-figure contract before the product was built, and what that says about the size of the problem Why mid-market firms now have a technology advantage over the Big 4, and what they need to do to keep it How embedded client "playbooks" take Abacus from a 30% solution to a 70–80% solution Why the firms waiting for a perfect out-of-the-box AI solution are already falling behind About the Guest: Cody Sugarman is the co-founder of Abacus, an AI-powered tax data ingestion platform built for complex returns — ultra-high-net-worth individuals, family offices, trusts, and partnerships. Before Abacus, Cody and his brother Grant built and scaled multiple ventures out of Stanford, where all three Sugarman brothers attended and founded companies. About the Series: The Accounting Disruptors Podcast features conversations with innovators who are reshaping accounting through technology, strategy, and vision. Hosted by Paul Peterson, CEO of Wiss. 🔗 Learn more about Abacus: https://www.abacus.com 🔗 Learn more about Wiss: https://www.wiss.com #Accounting #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #AccountingFirm #CPA #Abacus #TaxTech #Automation #FutureOfWork #AccountingTech

What does it actually take to bring AI into a live accounting practice? In Episode 5, Wiss CEO Paul Peterson and Tech Practice Partner Matt Barbieri sit down with Transformation Lead Nick Buccelli to talk about the reality of AI adoption; what broke, what worked, and what changed everything. From early days working directly with the Basis founders to 18 months of live deployment, this is an unfiltered look at the future of outsourced accounting.

Your invoices go out late. Collections drag on for weeks. And 70% of your finance team is stuck doing billing instead of strategic work. Sound familiar? Here's the kicker: Most finance leaders think the problem is collections. It's not. The real issue happens way before that, and it's finally fixable. In this episode of the Accounting Disruptors Podcast, Paul Peterson sits down with Ali Hussain, Founder of Tabs. They talk about why revenue automation has been the "forgotten subledger," how AI is solving problems that were impossible to crack just two years ago, and why the smartest companies are building AI-optimized stacks without ripping everything out.

Legacy ERPs have held finance teams hostage for decades. Clunky systems. Manual processes. 15-day closes that should take 3. Finance teams kept throwing more bodies at the problem because what else could they do? That era is over. In this episode of The Accounting Disruptors, Paul Peterson (CEO of Wiss) sits down with Stephen Hedlund (Head of Finance at Rillet) to discuss how AI-native ERPs are finally disrupting the accounting industry—and transforming finance operations in the process. IN THIS EPISODE: [00:00] Introduction [04:00] The journey from stealth mode to market disruption [06:00] How AI adoption accelerated faster than anyone expected [08:00] Why Rillet spent 2+ years building before launching [12:00] The current state of the ERP market—and what's broken [15:00] Scaling from $10M to $100M with just 2 people on the finance team [19:00] How legacy companies can make the leap to AI-native systems [20:00] Real results: 15-day close to 3-day close in month one [23:00] Why now is the best time to be in accounting and finance [28:00] Keeping the mission alive while scaling fast [30:00] Elevating the accounting profession with AI KEY TAKEAWAYS: → Companies are ditching legacy ERPs like NetSuite and Sage faster than expected → One company reduced their close from 15 days to 3 days in their first month on Rillet → Finance teams can now scale from $10M to $100M revenue with lean teams → The key to transformation: finding a partner who can help you navigate the change → The firms that adopt AI-native systems now will win—the ones that don't will be left behind → This is the accounting renaissance, and it's happening right now ABOUT THE GUEST: Stephen Hedlund is Head of Finance at Rillet, an AI-native ERP that's disrupting legacy accounting systems. Steven's career spans from SAP at Walmart to Silicon Valley startups, where he experienced firsthand the limitations of traditional ERPs and became passionate about building the future of accounting infrastructure. ABOUT THE ACCOUNTING DISRUPTORS: The Accounting Disruptors is powered by WissLabs and features conversations with the founders and finance leaders rebuilding the accounting profession through AI, automation, and technology. Hosted by Paul Peterson, CEO of Wiss. RESOURCES: 🔗 Learn more about Wiss: https://wiss.com 🔗 Learn more about Rillet: https://rillet.com 🔗 Subscribe to The Accounting Disruptors: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLu3WbduSvu9Rcw9yCikvO-z3k8JQKp0Kn&si=gzyvwPDaUnVWW74l 🔗 Connect with Paul Peterson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ppeterson1/ 🔗 Connect with Stephen Hedlund on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenwhedlund/ SUBSCRIBE for more conversations with the builders transforming accounting and finance. #TheAccountingDisruptors #AI #Accounting #ERP #FinanceTransformation #CFO #Controller #AIinAccounting #Rillet #Wiss #AccountingTech #FinanceLeadership #MonthEndClose #AccountingAutomation

📺 WATCH THE FULL SERIES: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLu3WbduSvu9Rcw9yCikvO-z3k8JQKp0Kn 🔔 Subscribe for more conversations with accounting innovators: @wisscompanyllp In Part 2 of this conversation, Basis AI co-founder Matt Harpe gets tactical about how accounting firms can successfully navigate the AI transformation. Wiss CEO Paul Peterson and Matt discuss the practical roadmap for adoption, the critical role of trust, and why some firms will lead while others fall behind. In This Episode: The three mindsets firms adopt when facing AI: defensive, private equity, and venture capital—and why only one unlocks breakthrough opportunities: How to build trust with AI agents (hint: it's just like building trust with coworkers) Why top-down leadership commitment is essential for successful AI adoption The critical difference between AI and traditional accounting software Lessons from Khosla Ventures: "The company you build is the team you build" How to evaluate AI partners and what makes a successful implementation Real talk about the gap between firms saying "we use AI" and accountants actually using it ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 - Introduction & Recap 2:15 - How Firms Should Embrace AI Training 8:30 - The Three Mindsets: Defensive, PE, and VC 15:45 - Why Individual Accountants Matter Most 22:10 - Building Trust with AI Agents 28:30 - AI vs Traditional Software 35:20 - Competition & Impediments to Growth 42:15 - The "Same As Last Year" Problem 48:00 - VC Partnership & Investor Lessons 55:30 - Building for the Long Term 1:02:00 - Closing Thoughts 💬 What's your firm's AI mindset? Defensive, Private Equity, or Venture Capital? Share in the comments below. About the Guest: Matt Harpe is the co-founder of Basis AI, serving many of the top 100 accounting firms in the country. Basis is backed by leading investors including Khosla Ventures, with board members from OpenAI and involvement from AI leaders at Google DeepMind and Meta. About the Host: Paul Peterson is the CEO of Wiss, an accounting, tax, and business advisory firm at the forefront of AI adoption in the profession. Through strategic partnerships with companies like Basis AI, Wiss is pioneering new ways of delivering accounting services. About the Series: The Accounting Disruptors Podcast features conversations with innovators who are reshaping accounting through technology, strategy, and vision. 📌 RELATED EPISODES: Part 1: The AI Revolution in Accounting with Matt Harpe https://youtu.be/R6zrz-3zQ3k?si=iNFxyuzARcLufNWB Subscribe to be notified when Episode 3 drops 🔗 CONNECT: Learn more about Basis AI: https://www.getbasis.ai/ Learn more about Wiss: https://www.wiss.com Follow Paul Peterson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ppeterson1/ Follow Wiss on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wissllp/ #Accounting #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #AccountingFirm #CPA #BasisAI #Leadership #FirmStrategy #AccountingTech #FutureOfWork #Innovation #Automation #AIAdoption

Matt Harpe, co-founder of Basis AI, joins Wiss CEO Paul Peterson to discuss how artificial intelligence is fundamentally transforming the accounting profession. In Part 1 of this two-part conversation, Matt reveals the dual mission driving Basis: eliminating manual workflows that cause accountant burnout while enabling the depth of financial insights businesses have never had access to before. In This Episode: Why we actually need MORE accounting work, not less—and how AI makes it possible How AI agents transform accountants from manual workers into strategic managers of AI workforces The real problem: most health systems can't even tell you what an MRI costs them Why this isn't incremental change—it's a complete transformation of how accounting gets done What the "firm of the future" looks like when every accountant manages a team of AI agents About the Guest: Matt Harpe is the co-founder of Basis AI, a company serving many of the top 100 accounting firms in the country. Before Basis, Matt worked in machine learning in healthcare, where he witnessed firsthand the accounting challenges that inspired him to transform the profession. About the Series: The Accounting Disruptors Podcast features conversations with innovators who are reshaping accounting through technology, strategy, and vision. Hosted by Paul Peterson, CEO of Wiss. 🔗 Learn more about Basis AI: https://www.getbasis.ai/ 🔗 Learn more about Wiss: https://www.wiss.com #Accounting #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #AccountingFirm #CPA #BasisAI #Automation #FutureOfWork #AccountingTech