FATE Pitch Stage Finalists will have the opportunity to pitch their product or service to our audience of venture capitalists, angel investors, entrepreneurs and potential customers such as CFOs, VPs of finance, and other finance professionals.
When you are not busy pitching, you will have demo space in the FATE Startup Pavilion, where you will be able to network one-on-one with audience members. FATE Pitch Stage Finalists will also receive free registration to all FATE programming, access to professional coaching, and a chance to win a $2,500 prize!
When: November 13, 2025
Where: Javits Convention Center, NYC
Please note: Pitch Stage categories, format, and rules are subject to change at the sole discretion of FATE organizers.
Pitch Stage
Startups will compete on the Finance & Accounting Technology Pitch Stage across four categories. Applications open on May 14, 2025.
The category descriptions and examples below are not exhaustive—if you have an innovative product or service broadly related to finance and accounting, we want to hear about it! We invite you to submit your entry in the Disruptive Platforms and Tools category if you are unsure which track to indicate on the entry form.
We are currently accepting applications for startups focused on the following categories:
Software and tools that focus on accounting, financial operations, reporting, auditing & tax, and compliance. This category includes products and services that automate, manage or optimize day-to-day financial operations, including payroll, expenses, AR/AP, invoicing, billing, cash management/treasury, fixed assets and payments.
Products and services that elevate finance to its strategic role—helping businesses plan, analyze and organize financial data and make strategic decisions. Product areas include (but are not limited to) innovations in FP&A, budgeting & forecasting, financial modeling, predictive analytics, performance management, data visualization and presentation, digital twins and all-in-one financial planning platforms, including industry-specific solutions.
Solutions designed to help organizations manage people, run cross-functional and operational functions and assist individuals and teams in managing tasks and projects. Product areas include (but are not limited to) HRIS and talent management, workforce management, CRM, procurement, supply chain, sales engagement, customer service, project management, document management and e-commerce.
Innovative products and services that do not fit the tracks above but are contributing to the digital transformation of the finance department, the office of the CFO or their partners in the business.
There is no fee to apply.
Each Finalist will be granted 2 minutes to pitch, followed by 3 minutes of Q&A with a panel of judges who have investment experience in the Finalist’s space.
No. FATE Pitch Stage is an in-person event only.
FATE Pitch Stage judges will focus on these four critical elements:
Yes! Companies participating at FATE Pitch Stage will receive four (4) complimentary registration badges for FATE, good for access to all keynotes, panels, and other activities. These complimentary badges must be assigned to specific individuals attending the conference.
Additionally, each presenting company will have the opportunity to network and demo their product or service as part of the FATE Startup Pavilion.
All Pitch Stage applicants will receive a code providing them two (2) free registration for FATE.
FATE staff will screen applicants to ensure they meet all eligibility requirements, and a steering committee of finance and accounting experts will review each application to decide which products and services are the most innovative.
We strongly encourage all applicants to submit a brief video pitching the company. This pitch video should be one (1) minute or less and should feature the applicant speaking to the camera—we want to see how you pitch, not what your video editing software can do.
We also strongly encourage you to upload a current pitch deck (no longer than 10 slides), along with a marketing video demonstrating your product or service or a video of you pitching at a prior event. Our application committee weighs these materials heavily.
Applicants selected to participate will receive an email invitation from FATE staff. Participating companies will be notified in late September/early October of 2025. Please refrain from contacting staff of CFO Leadership regarding the status of your application. We receive a high volume of submissions and will update all applicants regarding their status as soon as possible.
Please contact FATE Pitch Stage Manager Philip Cogley: philip@adeointeractive.com
Startups pursuing disruptive software and services for recording financial transactions, tracking revenue and income, monitoring expenses, and conducting financial planning and analysis. Emerging companies are also developing products and technology to assist in financial and regulatory reporting and other compliance activities.
Judges
Chris Byers
Kerty Levy
Rafa Borroso
With articles seen almost daily mentioning staffing concerns, wouldn’t you like to know how others are managing staffing shortages? By addressing the current talent crisis in accounting firms and finance departments, we can shed light on new and innovative staffing approaches and make great strides toward resolving the talent crisis, redefine what it means to be an accountant, and attract those to the profession who want to make a difference. Attend this thought leadership session to look at CFO Leadership Circle members’ responses to the Center for Accounting Transformation’s Staffing Strategies Survey and discuss key findings that may help identify leading practices and innovative approaches to address your staffing needs.
CPA.CITP, CGMA, Managing Director, IntrapriseTechKnowlogies
Companies developing software and services that streamline or automate the handling of cash flows, working capital, purchasing, and payments. Startups in this category are also pursuing innovation in employee expense management & reimbursement and supply chain management.
Judges
Chris Byers
Haley Bryant
Sheila Collins
In the presentation David will explore some the new responsibilities of the modern CFO:
Global Head of the SaaS Vertical, Sage
Companies launching services and systems that assist organizations in organizing, securing, manipulating, and ensuring the accuracy of financial data and solutions. Tools in this emerging area integrate operational and financial data to provide a holistic view of business performance that improves decision-making.
Judges
Brian Hollins
Jay Wang
Rachel ten Brink
Emerging software and systems that help companies manage people internally through everything from human resources recordkeeping to recruiting and onboarding to employee training (learning). Other entrepreneurs in this category develop software and services to automate previously manual tasks. A subcategory of tools helps staff manage customer relationships, target the correct sales prospects, and increase the sales team’s productivity.
Judges
Arif Damji
Rob Antoniades
Monique Brown
Our Emcee for the Pitch Stage, Mary McKenna is an Irish exited serial tech entrepreneur and angel investor based in Donegal in Ireland.
Principal & Strategic Finance Advisor
Self Employed
President
Scalar Grouy Holdings
Founder / CFO
Kwiatek Consulting
President
TC2 Advisors LLC
Chief Automation Officer
OTTO-MATES
Chief Financial Officer
Bishop Lifting Products, Inc.
Principal
be radical
SVP, Finance
Cognitiv Corp
Managing Director
Everest Advisors
Chief Financial Officer
RCM Industries, Inc.
Chief Accounting Officer / Corporate Controller
Self-Employed
CFO
HB
Student
MIT
CEO/CFO
IkigAI Advisory
CEO & Founder
Bakstage.AI
Accounting, Financial Planning & Compliance
Cash Flows (AP/AR) & Payments
Data Management & Security
People & Productivity Tools
New York, NY
Avise is AI-enabled close management automation software enabling businesses to make real-time finance-driven decisions.
Raleigh, NC
MasRefund, a bilingual Spanish/English DIY Tax Filing app. Making tax filing as easy as Uno, Dos, Tres.
Miami, FL
MRGN is the only platform purpose-built for small businesses that builds and maintains their operating plan and advises the business on how to prepare for real-world events.
San Francisco, CA
Praxi is a groundbreaking accounting platform that empowers teams to achieve unmatched efficiency and accuracy by seamlessly converting both standard and non-standard documents into actionable checklists, memos, and journal entries.
Toronto, Canada
Adaptive optimization using machine learning, especially for enterprise asset managers.
San Francisco, CA
AI agent for Accounts Receivable
Rockville, MD
Global PayEX specializes in B2B payment modernization, supporting the Office of the CFO by automating both AR and AP processes and delivering working capital optimization. With advanced AI/ML solutions, they improve buyer-seller interactions and seamlessly integrate with ERP systems, transforming financial operations into streamlined, efficient processes
San Francisco, CA
Insightful Revenue has developed an AI-enabled B2B Revenue Management SaaS platform that Accounting teams want to use. This platform helps accounting teams eliminate manual tasks related to managing customer contracts, invoices, and revenue recognition scheduling and compliance.
Omaha, NE
For Executives in Supply Chain, struggling to manage transportation surcharges, Moneiva automates the visibility, workflows, predictability, and payments of such charges, decreasing invoice exception processes by 30%, generating 15% additional monthly revenue, and accelerating cashflow by 4 days.
New York, NY
Procurement orchestration made easy. Opstream is a self-service, AI driven, procurement orchestration and intake platform for companies looking for better visibility and control over their spend and purchasing processes.
Grapevine, TX
Change Captain preventatively automates your SDLC GRC compliance and software capital expenditure reporting, while enhancing pipeline visibility and code security through our GitHub partnership. Change Captain helps companies strengthen their code and avoid potential pitfalls that can cost billions.
Calgary, Canada
SaaS Solution to collect, track and reduce Scope 3 Emissions associated with insurance claims.
Austin, TX
Polygraf AI provides data integrity, monitoring, and governance solutions to organizations using & interacting with AI/LLM tools through a Zero Trust on-prem user interface.
New York, NY
Preql centralizes your data and automates manual reconciliation processes, ensuring your entire business operates from a single source of truth. With Preql, Finance, Operations, and Data teams can streamline workflows and confidently build reports that are fast, accurate, and consistent with company-wide metrics.
San Francisco, CA
Safebooks AI integrates with office of the CFO systems to monitor financial transactions in real-time, ensuring data integrity and accuracy. It generates work papers to boost compliance, catch errors instantly, and accelerate the close process, all while reducing the manual effort involved in financial data governance and controls.
Livingston, NJ
Unlock the full potential of your online sales and customer experience with Bakstage.AI, combining 1:1 live video interaction augmented with real-time AI insights to boost your online sales, customer satisfaction, and customer lifetime value.
Miami, FL
Founders use Flowlie to force-multiply their fundraising efforts. Our Fundraising Hub has helped 3,000 founders from 60+ countries raise $450 million. We combine expert coaching with project management software and AI to reduce the fundraising workload by more than 50%. Founders use Flowlie to run a systematic fundraising process and increase their odds of closing financing with the right investors, all for a subscription instead of a percentage of the raise.
Silver Spring, MD
A talent marketplace with AI integration that connects employers to over 1,000 college student clubs and professional organizations.
For college students and professionals, Sparc opens doors to career opportunities, mentorship, and making money—empowering them to take charge of their futures.
Los Angeles, CA
Give your customers their choice of chat tool and win more revenue.
Mississauga, Canada
WorkScore.ai is a smart system that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to track how workers move and perform their tasks in real-time in a warehouse. The AI helps show how well workers are doing and where improvements can be made, helping companies save time and money.
Data Management & Security
People & Productivity Tools
Thank you to our FATE Pitch Coaches, who work closely with our finalists to assist in their on-stage presentation before the event.
Innovation Advisor,
National Science Foundation
Co-Founder,
BCPartners Tech, XR Americas & Brooklyn2Bogota Digital Transformation Community
Executive Director,
Second Chancer Foundation
Entrepreneur In Residence,
Bow Valley College
VP, Strategy & Innovation,
CPA.com
Community & Partnerships Advisor, Connectology
Senior Advisor, Global Entrepreneurship Network Connectology
Technology Development Advisor,
Alberta Innovates
CPA.CITP, CGMA, Managing Director, IntrapriseTechKnowlogies
Donny is the founder and managing director of IntrapriseTechKnowlogies LLC, an advisory-focused CPA firm providing innovation acceleration and business transformation services for small businesses, middle market organizations, and nonprofits. Donny is an internationally recognized thought leader and advisor in the accounting technology, IT risk management, and performance management areas. His dedication to helping accountants and organizations strategically leverage technology while proactively managing their business and technical risk is paramount.
Global Head of the SaaS Vertical, Sage
David Appel is Global Head of the SaaS Vertical for the largest technology company on the London Stock Exchange, Sage. Over time as a Sales and GTM leader, his organizations have earned the business of >2,000 SaaS and Software companies, growing at 40%+/year. He previously ran Direct Sales at Bill.com, led NetSuite’s Software Vertical, and was part of IBM’s Corporate Development team.
Mary McKenna is an exited serial tech entrepreneur and angel investor based in Donegal in Ireland. She co-founded and subsequently sold successful Irish online learning business Learning Pool. Since selling her company, Mary has worked extensively with early stage and scaling ventures and has personally invested in 35 or so early stage tech startups to date and in September 2023 she co-founded Ireland’s first and only women-led angel syndicate, AwakenAngels. Mary was recently appointed as one of 2025’s 15 Royal Society EIRs after a competitive process.
Mary is a distinguished visiting Entrepreneur in Residence at the University of Oxford and she was both the European Female Business Angel of the Year and the UK Business Angels Association UK Angel of the Year in 2023/24. Mary is an Innovation Expert for the European Union on their flagship €9bn EIC Accelerator and she has recently joined the Investment Committee of Lithuanian VC Fund CoInvest. She is a visible role model, commentator and speaker and she was proud to feature on Computer Weekly’s 2024 List as one of the top 10 women in IT in the UK.
Mary was awarded an MBE by Her Majesty the Queen in the 2014 New Year’s Honours for services to digital technology, innovation and learning.
