8 finance SaaS tools to upgrade your tech stack

Finance forms the backbone of any business. However, manual finance operations become labor-intensive and costly without the ability to see vital metrics, generate recurring revenue, pay invoices, and manage cash flow.

Fortunately, the last few years have seen an explosion of options for startups and growth-minded businesses. Companies design these apps to help others overcome the obstacles (and fees) of traditional banking and accounting, find the terms and flexibility they need, stabilize their cash flow, and analyze their financial data to make better decisions for their companies.

At Vendr, we take pride in helping our customers forge strong partnerships with some of the most innovative companies in the FinTech space.

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Here are some names you should know when looking to take your business processes to the next level.

1. Brex

Having all the best tools in one place can make a difference when trying to grow your business. This streamlining is the premise of Brex.

This all-in-one spend management system helps companies “spend, save, and earn smarter.” Their offering includes zero-fee banking, cost-savings analysis (to catch budget leaks such as duplicate subscriptions), spending analysis, and more.

In addition to peace-of-mind features, Brex offers an alternative to the big-bank corporate card, with higher limits for better spending capabilities. The card also features a rewards program to help reduce costs on business essentials like travel, meals, and SaaS buying. Brex makes it easy for finance teams and employees to ‘spend smart, grow fast, and enjoy the ride.’

Learn more about how Brex implemented Vendr as an extension of procurement, helping the company to streamline its tech stack and save $800k within the first year.

2. Zuora

Subscriptions are the future, and Zuora is helping clients across many industries “successfully launch, manage, and transform into a subscription business.”

Zuora helps companies across industries build “subscription experiences,” helping clients with complex offerings to build, iterate, and automate the subscription model. The company also focuses on creating avenues in the “subscription economy” and reducing churn for its clients.

The Zuora platform has grown to encompass every aspect of subscription-based sales models, from billing to CPQ development, revenue recognition, and analytics. In addition, their Central Platform helps customers respond to market demands through a multi-layer microservices architecture.

3. Bill.com

Simplifying AP and AR functions is an excellent way to save time and money. Fortunately, software has made it easier than ever to run your accounting department without hours of manual input, cross-checking, mailing, and invoicing.

Bill.com uses its AI-enabled platform to create connections between businesses, suppliers, and customers. For example, suppliers can create an invoice in minutes by employing point-to-point accounts, delivering it directly to the customer’s account with a few clicks.

In return, customers can quickly get their suppliers paid, reducing time spent in payment processing.

4. PitchBook

If you’re working in the world of finance — specifically startups, VC, private equity, or M&A — you know PitchBook.

This financial database and analytics platform helps investors and analysts investigate investments and stay on top of the data.

On the demand side, PitchBook helps startups refine their pitch, target the right cohort of investors, and raise funds faster.

The company is continuously expanding its datasets and product offering. Recently, the platform introduced patent data as part of its service, allowing potential investors to investigate a target company’s intellectual property (IP) portfolio as part of due diligence.

5. Wise

International money transfer is a fraught process. The red tape, fees, and complications make it difficult for customers and businesses to operate in the global marketplace.

Wise (formerly TransferWise) aims to improve the sending and receiving of money internationally while reducing the amount consumers spend on fees and markups.

The system allows customers access to a multi-currency account, allowing users to simultaneously hold more than one currency. While the electronic money account operates differently than traditional banking (for instance, you can’t overdraw your Wise account or accumulate interest), the card allows you to quickly send and receive money through a fixed-fee, fast-moving system.

6. Recurly

If you’re looking to check the pulse of your company, one of the first stops is MRR. Recurring revenue is one of the best methods for stabilizing your financial outlook. So, investing in a powerful billing engine to make subscription payments easy is critical.

Enter Recurly. This recurring billing engine provides high-volume subscription management to industries like SaaS, streaming services, healthcare, and education. They make it easy for businesses to realize revenue, reduce churn, and recapture missed payments.

7. Xero

Small businesses still need large-scale help to get everything done. Xero focuses on providing a full suite of services to SMBs through one platform.

Clients get on-demand access to their real-time financial data. The platform also offers solutions for clients' needs, connecting users to third-party apps, banks, and other financial partners.

8. Baremetrics

You put a lot of work into making your business grow. Founded on the principle that you shouldn’t have to work hard to track business growth, Baremetrics eases the frustration of calculating SaaS metrics without the right tools.

The software makes it easy to analyze, forecast, engage with your audience, and drive team performance.

The platform integrates easily with many of the top financial platforms. They offer the ease of zero configuration to give you complete visibility into the most critical business metrics. Users can track MRR, LTV, churn, and other vital indicators in one place.

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"As software options have increased, so has the complexity associated with buying. Stakeholders are learning the importance of having Finance, Procurement, IT, Legal, Security, etc. on their side, and are tapping them in earlier in the process." – Michael Murray, Enterprise Account Executive