How Cactus (YC X25) Unlocks End-To-End Financial Visibility With Puzzle

Building a Best-In-Class Finance Stack – Designed for Hypergrowth

As a second-time founder, Ajith Govind was already familiar with the challenges of building an early-stage startup — especially when it comes to financial management. So when he co-founded Cactus, a fast-growing AI business assistant, establishing a robust finance stack from day one was a top priority.

On the heels of YC's Spring Batch and a successful Seed raise, Ajith spotted an opportunity to refine Cactus' finance stack further. While the company was already using Mercury and Brex for banking, Pulley for cap table management, and Fondo for tax credits, Ajith still relied on Google Sheets for accounting workflows. As a result, his team was tracking budgets manually and categorizing transactions by hand, all while trying to keep a close eye on burn and runway.

Despite having pre-built processes and a working knowledge of Google Sheets, Ajith's team would spend hours compiling data across Cactus' financial footprint for analysis. This workflow was not only unsustainable as Cactus scaled, but also fell short of delivering the timely financial clarity that Ajith needed to make pivotal growth decisions and maintain the company's continued momentum. Ajith knew that to effectively modernize Cactus' finance stack, he needed an accounting software solution that was:

• Intuitive: With internal and external stakeholders requiring real-time data surrounding Cactus' financial position, Ajith needed a solution with an interface anyone could navigate, regardless of accounting proficiency.

• Innovative: Knowing firsthand how effective AI was in helping teams reclaim bandwidth, Ajith's ideal solution would automate time-consuming tasks (like expense categorization and data consolidation) within Cactus' accounting flows.

• Interoperable: Having spent well over a year building Cactus' finance stack from scratch, Ajith required a solution that would integrate seamlessly with the modern tools his team was already using.

Early into his search, Ajith discovered Puzzle through the On Deck Founder's Fellowship, a tight-knit community where trusted solutions and tools circulate among early-stage builders. After seeing how fellow founders spoke highly of Puzzle and how seamlessly the software fit into their existing stacks, the decision to move forward was a "no-brainer."

"Before Puzzle, we managed all accounting flows manually, from revenue tracking to expense categorization. We were good at it for a while, but as the company grew, we needed more structure, automation, and visibility."

Improved Visibility With Puzzle's Weekly Reports & Auto-Categorization

After onboarding to Puzzle, Cactus was finally able to establish an accounting function that drives effortless visibility and efficiency at scale. Once integrations were set up, Ajith's team quickly began implementing auto-categorization parameters while connecting all existing bank accounts and other financial tools to the platform. Within hours, Cactus had a single source of truth across its entire financial footprint, with crucial metrics including burn, runway, cash balance, and revenue available in seconds via the Puzzle Dashboard.

Now, every expense Cactus incurs is automatically categorized the second it hits their books. Rather than spending hours chasing down and logging every expense, Ajith's team can quickly analyze spend patterns to uncover optimization opportunities that in turn extend runway. Plus, when tax season arrives, they can consolidate a year's worth of expense records in minutes.

Diving deeper, Ajith points to Puzzle’s automated weekly reporting as a massive time-saver. Even if his team is at full capacity, Ajith still receives up-to-date insights on Cactus' expense patterns, cash balance, MRR, ARR, burn, and runway. With these automated insights in hand, making informed, data-driven growth decisions for his business is easier than ever.

"The biggest benefit with Puzzle was the automation. It's not only reliable for expense categorization, but also sends us weekly summaries showing up-to-date financial data. Having that information relayed automatically has been invaluable."

Hours Saved, Real-Time Reporting, and Actionable Financial Insights
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With Puzzle, Cactus effectively modernized its financial foundation – and future-proofed the startup as it enters hypergrowth. Zooming out, its accounting function has evolved from a manual burden to a competitive advantage that will continue to pay dividends down the road.

• 4+ hours saved weekly on accounting tasks
• 1 centralized HQ for all financial data 
• 85% faster month-end close time

Looking ahead to the next few quarters, Ajith is eager to leverage Puzzle's AI-native tooling to uncover ongoing opportunities that will help Cactus prepare for its next phase of growth. And he’s confident that Puzzle will play a crucial role in his company's long-term financial health.

"Puzzle was the best thing that ever happened for Cactus when it comes to financial visibility. The software makes tracking and understanding our position that much simpler and efficient."