Truewind @ AICPA Engage 24

Last week, Truewind launched its AI-powered accounting platform for accounting firms at the AICPA Engage 24 Conference. We were a Silver Sponsor, and had the chance to showcase our new product to hundreds of people over the course of three days. Up until then, we worked quietly with our early design partners to rethink accounting software from the ground up with AI at its center. After months of engineering, we were ready to show the world what we had built. Below is a recap of our week at Engage 24, Las Vegas.

Sunday June 9 — Setting Up

10 Truewind team members flew into Las Vegas from San Francisco, New York, Seattle, Dallas, Toronto and Brazil. For many, it was their first time meeting each other. This was also all our first time going to a conference as exhibitors. We spent the day preparing everything.

• We printed flyers, post cards and business cards introducing Truewind.

• Unpacked Truewind branded swag, coffee cups, and snacks.

• Everything at our booth would have the Truewind logo.

• A 13" Las Vegas themed photo wall & video wall introducing Truewind.

• Designed to give attendees a delightful, even fun experience with us.

As newcomers to an established conference, we knew we would have to make a splash. And we did. Our island booth stood 13" with backlit logos so people could see our booth from across the exhibit hall.

Monday June 10 — Game Day

You know when you do a product launch and it’s crickets on the other side? We went into this conference with that mindset — if no one comes by our booth, let’s be proactive and go talk to people. We had the opposite problem. We had more traffic than we could handle. All 10 Truewinders were talking to prospects every minute of the day. We must’ve given over a hundred demos in that day alone.

A partner from an accounting firm visited our booth and said: “When I see a well-designed booth experience like this, I can tell you care about the customer experience.” That was our aim — to provide a delightful experience. Whether it was the booth, the video wall, the raffle prizes, the artisan coffee, or the specialty snacks, we wouldn’t be able to figure out the attribution. It was probably all of the above.

The energy around our booth was palpable. At the end of the day, everyone said “I need a drink.”

On day one, we learned that accountants are not shying away from AI. In fact, many of them are leaning in. We met CIOs and Partners-in-charge of CAS practices at several of the top 100 US public accounting firms. Many asked thoughtful questions, demonstrating that they’ve thought deeply about this technology. What specific accounting workflows does your product automate? What kind of data does the AI need to perform at its best, and how is this data processed? We do not have the luxury of being wrong. How do you handle the fact that LLMs hallucinate?

Tuesday June 11 — Leading a Conference Session

During a discussion we led, we emphasized that the next decade in accounting will be vastly different from the last, with generative AI leveling the competitive playing field. We explained how AI enables firms to achieve more with the same headcount, expedite month-end close processes, and provide strategic insights.

The title to our 12:10 PM speaking session was:

Using Generative AI: Here’s how the Competition is using Generative AI to Unlock Above Market Profitability, presented by Truewind.ai

The next decade of accounting will be dramatically different from the last decade. Generative AI is leveling the playing field in the competitive world of accounting. By leveraging this new technology, accounting firms can get more done with the same headcount, while internal accounting teams can close the books faster and help guide the company.

During this session, attendees will fully understand the nuances of this new technology, what it can and cannot do, and how to build an AI strategy. We will go through case studies of how CAS practices use generative AI to unlock productivity, faster monthly close, and enthusiasm for new technologies. Generative AI is a generational paradigm shift in technology; come hear from the team who has been there right from the start.

We went over an overview of artificial intelligence, followed by a deep dive of how we think about AI applied to accounting. We learned that 70% of the audience had used ChatGPT and half of that had used an AI tool aside from ChatGPT. Lastly, we invited our first accounting firm partner Rooled to do a mini fireside chat on-stage and show how CAS practices are leveraging AI to boost productivity.

Wednesday June 12 — Finishing Strong

On the last day of the conference, we decided to try something different. Typically, we would invite interested parties to sit down with us for a 1–1 meeting. This gave us the opportunity to get to know them, their firm, and learn about how they thought about technology solutions. On the last day, we tried giving a live demo to a small audience. It started with a small crowd of 4 people. A few minutes later, we had over 10 people.

Next time we are going to do this on the big screen with a microphone. Conference attendees liked being able to walk by and observe what Truewind is all about, before committing to a conversation with us.

600 cups of coffee, 150 product demos, and 50 trio wireless charger gifts later, we wrapped up a whirlwind 4 days in Las Vegas. I will be writing a retro at a later time. For now, I want to thank the organizers of AICPA Engage for having us and to the many partners we worked with to make this happen. Thank you to the hundreds of accountants that visited our booth to spend time with us. We’re looking forward to continuing the conversation and explore how AI can help unlock new margin and growth for your CAS practices.

Interested in learning more about our AI-powered accounting solutions? Chat with our team to get started.