This past summer, I had the chance to dive headfirst into the world of FP&A software as an MBA intern at Aleph. During a wildly fulfilling three months, I learned a ton about the industry, the challenges finance teams face, and how Aleph is building a customer-focused solution to address their pain points.
From the get-go, I knew I’d landed in the perfect spot. The founding team's energy and passion were just what I was looking for, and their commitment to building a product that makes a real difference for FP&A professionals was contagious.
Having wrestled with my fair share of financial reporting headaches in the past, I was immediately drawn to Aleph's mission to simplify and enhance FP&A processes. The chance to contribute to cutting-edge features, like the recent dashboards release, and help finance teams bring their reporting packages to life was especially exciting. I was eager to roll up my sleeves and support customers as they unlocked the full power of their financial data.
Learning the product and the team
Something that really impressed me about Aleph was how quickly I was able to get up to speed with the product by diving right in and getting my hands dirty. From day one, I was working directly with customers, understanding their reporting needs, and brainstorming ways to make their lives easier. It was the perfect way to learn the ins and outs of the platform while also contributing to its evolution.
But what truly makes Aleph special is the team. Everyone, from engineering to marketing, is laser-focused on building an exceptional product. Even though we're a remote team, we're constantly connected thanks to tools like Fathom, Notion, and Loom. It's a testament to Aleph's commitment to "smart" working and building a strong company culture, no matter where everyone’s located.
Engaging with FP&A leaders
One of the most rewarding aspects of my internship was the chance to connect with FP&A leaders across a diverse range of organizations. From massive corporations to early-stage startups, these conversations gave me a real appreciation for the different kinds of challenges and workflows that exist across the FP&A landscape.
It was fascinating to hear about their experiences and incredibly validating to see how well Aleph's features addressed their pain points. More often than not, I found myself saying, "We can already do that!"
These discussions provided invaluable feedback that directly influenced our product roadmap and helped us prioritize feature development. It was a powerful reminder that building a great product starts with listening to your users.
Diving deep into budget reporting and variance analysis
Throughout my discussions with FP&A leaders, one theme emerged time and again: the need for a reliable, streamlined approach to budget reporting, forecasting, and variance analysis. No matter the industry, everyone wanted a single source of truth and a tool that could free them from the drudgery of manual data crunching and endless reconciliation.
This is where Aleph shines. Our FP&A platform streamlines reporting and analysis, freeing up finance teams to focus on more valuable work like strategic planning.
For example, our real-time dashboards provide a continuous pulse on key performance indicators (KPIs). With a variety of visualizations and metrics, it's easy to spot trends and potential issues. And with our drill-down capabilities, you can go from a high-level overview to granular transaction details in just a few clicks, giving you a better understanding of the "why" behind your numbers.
But here's the thing: it's not just about the numbers. It's about bringing more authority and responsibility to teams that might otherwise be left in the dark when running their verticals. Aleph does this by providing real-time access to budget vs. actuals data, which fosters a culture of transparency and accountability. Department heads can track their spending, monitor their progress, and make course corrections as needed, all within a collaborative, data-driven environment. This leads to better decision-making and more accurate planning across the board.
Turning learnings into customer value
As we gathered feedback from FP&A leaders and rolled out new reporting features, we noticed that our customers were craving more flexibility to slice and dice their numbers. They needed better ways to compare and aggregate data across different sources.
So, we got to work. We focused on making our dashboards even more intuitive and powerful, adding features like custom tables, variables, and enhanced drill-down capabilities.
One of the coolest enhancements that came out of these conversations was building a Google Slides integration to streamline the often-painful process of transferring data from Excel to presentations. The goal here was to help them tell the story behind the numbers without getting bogged down in the nitty-gritty of formatting and exporting. More to come on this feature soon.
Takeaways and lessons learned
Of all the things I learned this past summer, my biggest takeaway is the value of collaboration. By working closely with customers and industry leaders, we were able to fine-tune a product that delivers immediate value and addresses their most pressing pain points.
Seeing customers quickly onboard their data and experience those "aha!" moments with Aleph was incredibly rewarding. These early successes built trust and opened the door for tackling even bigger challenges.
Aleph has found the sweet spot between familiarity and innovation. The platform feels intuitive and easy to use, yet it's packed with powerful features that streamline FP&A processes and unlock new levels of insight.
All in all, it was a great summer that I’ll take many learnings from. I’m grateful for the opportunity to work closely with a passionate, driven team that puts customer success at the heart of everything they do, and I look forward to seeing how the product continues to evolve and create value for FP&A teams around the world.
- If you're in FP&A, I highly recommend scheduling a demo to get a tour
- If you're looking for a job, check out Aleph's open roles
I can personally vouch that both the product and the team are magical, and I'm excited to be watching and rooting from the sidelines post-internship. Go team Aleph!
