Pennylane: Genesis, Lessons and Vision

On the occasion of our Meetfounders event on April 15, 2025, we welcomed Arthur Waller, Co-founder and CEO of Pennylane.

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It all started with PriceMatch, the first startup from the co-founders of Pennylane: a promising product, but that nobody was ready to pay for.

From this experience, they learned a decisive lesson: it is better to replace an existing tool than to create a new one.

And that's how Pennylane was created, with the aim of tackling an essential and rapidly changing market: Bookkeeping.

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A genesis based on field observation

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After the Adventure PriceMatch, the co-founders of Pennylane has a hundred managers of VSEs and SMEs, looking for a new field of opportunities. The testimonies were unequivocal: “I love my chartered accountant, it's like a family doctor, I don't want to do without it. But I need more effective collaboration and a real dashboard to manage my business.”

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As the discussions progressed, they realized that traditional accounting was based on historical software (Cegid, Sage, etc.) that were designed with language specific to accountants. Result: little management in real time, a waste of time in exchanges, and no consolidated vision of financial flows. Pennylane is then positioned for Reconciling accounting (productivity for the office) and Finances (management for the manager) in the same software.

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An All in One Product

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Right from the start, the technical team set itself a major challenge: software for The Chartered Accountant and the Manager.

This dual approach complicates development. Each time a manager pays an invoice, the accounting system must automatically integrate the entry, requiring a complex level of automation and synchronization.

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It took nearly two years of research and development for the first firm to trust Pennylane. A long-term investment, but profitable: it now offers a Productivity significantly superior to traditional solutions.

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Productivity: The Promise of Pennylane

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Pennylane's promise is simple: Save Firms Time and Margin. Precisely, some people talk about 20 to 30% productivity gains, which has a direct impact on profitability.

This Growth Standing out when BDO (700 employees) decided to switch entirely to Pennylane. A major migration that validated the technological robustness of the platform.

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Beyond Software: The Integrated Financial Ecosystem

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Pennylane isn't limited to accounting. The Startup Integrates Financial Services (Swan, Wise, Defacto, etc.) to offer “embedded finance”. Each paid subscription entitles you to a Pennylane bank account, facilitating cash flow management, credit requests and other ancillary services. The idea is to build a global infrastructure that allows accountants to become real “TPE bankers”, providing advice and tailor-made solutions to their customers.

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The Arrival of Electronic Invoicing in 2026

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In September 2026, France will adopt the Electronic Invoicing Mandatory for all businesses (B2B). Each invoice will be sent to the DGFIP, which can then pre-fill the VAT. The impact on the profession is major:

• End of manual entry (40% of firm fees)
• Switching to consulting: accountants will have to offer new services (reporting, strategic support, etc.).
• Battle of operators: each company will have to choose a platform to issue and receive invoices, opening the door to intense competition, especially between Pennylane, banks and other players.

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For Pennylane, this reform is an opportunity to establish itself as a reference operator, in a market that is likely to quickly “freeze”: once companies have opted for a platform, changing one will become expensive.

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Differentiated Branding and Trusted Go-To-Market

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Pennylane has opted for a modern and educational discourse, breaking with the serious codes of the sector. For example, the company organizes its own event, Comptatech, which will bring together 2,500 accountants at the Zenith.

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It also relives on Canals Organics : a podcast where accountants tell about their daily lives, customer testimonies, or even the “name-dropping” of major firms adopting the solution. To address SMEs, the strategy is clear: get a first “flagship”, then capitalize on the confidence that this inspires in the market.

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European Ambition and Product Organization

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With a goal of 800 employees by the end of 2025 (including nearly 400 dedicated to R&D), Pennylane Now love at Germany.

The Objective: To Deploy Progressively Throughout Continental Europe.

True to their product culture, the founders are inspired by the “cell division” model of Booking.com, with an organization in several small teams.

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By focusing on a unified platform for accountants and managers, by relying on the impending reform of electronic invoicing and by integrating finance in a fluid way, Pennylane aspires to become the reference infrastructure for millions of businesses in Europe.