The Future of Work in Finance Episode 1: From Spreadsheets to Smart Systems with Greg Moser

In August, LuminaData launched the first episode of our Future of Finance Fireside Chat series, designed to bring together leaders at the intersection of finance and technology to explore how the CFO tech stack is evolving.

Our guest was Greg Moser, CEO and co-founder of ShipCalm, an operations platform for emerging consumer brands. Greg has worn many hats in his journey, serving as both CTO and CFO, and he shared candid insights into the challenges of managing complex operations, disconnected systems, and the now infamous “9-spreadsheet problem.”

The 9-Spreadsheet Problem

Greg described a familiar scenario for many finance leaders: reconciling data across multiple vendors, carriers, and systems required nine separate spreadsheets just to achieve a baseline view of operations.

This fragmented workflow created inefficiencies, errors, and wasted time, and, more importantly, it prevented finance and operations teams from focusing on higher-value insights.

As Greg put it, the challenge wasn’t just a matter of scale; it was about creating trust in the data so decisions could be made with confidence.

AI as a Core Enabler

ShipCalm has been an early adopter of AI,  even before the wave of large language models. Greg explained how the company uses predictive AI and machine learning in areas like call centers, logistics, and customer engagement.

But the real opportunity he identified was applying AI to financial operations: reconciling messy, multi-source data into a clean, consistent foundation for decision-making. This is where LuminaData’s vision of agentic co-workers directly connects to the needs of enterprise finance teams.

Liberating Tech Teams

One of the often-overlooked benefits of solving reconciliation and data fragmentation is the relief it provides to technology teams.

When finance is bogged down in spreadsheets, the burden of building stopgap scripts, manual integrations, or constant troubleshooting often falls on engineering. Instead of innovating, tech teams are forced into maintenance mode -  patching together systems to keep the business running.

By introducing AI-driven automation and intelligent reconciliation, organizations not only empower finance leaders but also liberate their tech teams. Engineers can focus on scaling platforms, building new capabilities, and supporting growth — rather than chasing down mismatched data and broken spreadsheets.

Lessons for Finance Leaders

Several takeaways emerged from the conversation:

• Disconnected data is the root problem. Finance teams cannot deliver strategic insights if they are buried in spreadsheets and manual reconciliations.
  
  

• AI adoption must start with real pain points. Greg’s journey shows that adoption sticks when AI is applied to urgent, high-friction problems.
  
  

• Leaders must bridge finance and technology. Greg’s dual role as CTO and CFO gave him a unique vantage point. Today’s CFOs need to understand both workflows and systems.
  
  

• Liberating tech teams unlocks innovation. By removing the burden of constant spreadsheet firefighting, engineers are free to focus on building for the future.
  
  

• Scale requires trust in data. Without confidence in reconciliations, automation, and reporting, organizations will hesitate to act on AI-driven insights.
  
  
  

Key Takeaway

The “9-spreadsheet problem” is more than an anecdote,  it’s a symbol of the inefficiencies that still plague enterprise finance operations.

Our conversation with Greg Moser reinforced a central theme of the Future of Finance Fireside Chat series: finance leaders must embrace AI not as a buzzword, but as a practical enabler that transforms manual work into intelligent workflows.

And in solving finance’s toughest data problems, companies also give a gift back to their technology teams: the freedom to innovate, rather than maintain.

LuminaData is proud to be part of this journey, helping enterprises move beyond spreadsheets toward a future where Agentic co-workers empower finance and tech teams alike to focus on what matters most - strategy, growth, and leadership!