Day-One Financial Infrastructure Boosts BackEngine's Growth
"I think first and foremost I've been able to grow my business a lot faster. If I were bogged down by everything that it takes to be able to run our books, that would have prohibited me from doing all the things that we needed to do to be able to grow our top line sales and become a profitable business."
Finances before
Manual Financial Management
Founder handling all financial responsibilities personally
Limited Infrastructure
No established processes or systems in place
Growth Constraints
Time spent on administrative tasks limiting business development
Compliance Uncertainty
Potential risks from inadequate financial management
Finances with Hiline
Automated Financial Operations
Comprehensive systems handling all financial processes
Professional Infrastructure
Established processes and compliance management ready
Accelerated Growth
Freed time for core business development activities
Strategic Financial Partnership
Expert guidance supporting business decisions
Time to leave manual and time-consuming AP behind
Everything moves fast these days. That includes your buiness operations. Outdated, slow AP processes can hinder growth and damage relationships. Let's transform your AP into a strategic asset.
Finances Before
Manual Financial Management
Founder handling all financial responsibilities personally
Limited Infrastructure
No established processes or systems in place
Growth Constraints
Time spent on administrative tasks limiting business development
Compliance Uncertainty
Potential risks from inadequate financial management
Finances With Hiline
Automated Financial Operations
Comprehensive systems handling all financial processes
Professional Infrastructure
Established processes and compliance management ready
Accelerated Growth
Freed time for core business development activities
Strategic Financial Partnership
Expert guidance supporting business decisions
About BackEngine
BackEngine is a customer feedback intelligence platform that helps B2B companies understand their customers at scale. Founded by serial entrepreneur Eli Portnoy, BackEngine uses large language models to analyze customer conversations across calls, emails, and support tickets, transforming scattered feedback into actionable insights. As a multi-time founder with previous exits at Thinknear and Sense360, Eli learned the hard way that setting up proper financial infrastructure early is critical for scaling a business effectively.
The company focuses on solving a fundamental problem: while B2B businesses spend significant time talking to customers through account management, customer success, and support teams, they struggle to systematically capture and analyze this feedback. BackEngine bridges this gap by providing companies with the intimate customer understanding that only startups typically have, but at scale.
Hear more about Eli's story on the Fiscally Awesome podcast with Hiline CEO, Matt Gardner.
The Challenge
As a serial entrepreneur, Eli understood from previous experiences that financial infrastructure becomes exponentially harder to implement as a company grows. Having learned this lesson the hard way during his first acquisition at Thinknear, he knew that waiting to establish proper financial systems would create significant pain later.
The challenge wasn't just about bookkeeping. It was about creating scalable systems that could support the business as it grew, while ensuring Eli could focus his time on product development and customer acquisition rather than administrative tasks.
The Solution
Hiline provided BackEngine with comprehensive financial infrastructure from day one, implementing systems that could scale with the business. The solution included:
1. Day-One Financial Infrastructure Setup
Establishing complete financial processes and systems before the complexity of business growth made implementation difficult. This included setting up:
- proper expense categorization
- monthly financial reporting
- establishing the discipline of regular financial review
2. HR and Compliance Management
When BackEngine expanded to hiring employees in different states, Hiline managed everything that would have been time-consuming to handle internally:
- compliance requirements
- insurance coordination
- state-specific permits
3. Scalable Revenue Operations
As BackEngine began generating revenue, Hiline seamlessly implemented accounts payable processes, accounts receivable, automated invoicing systems, and aging reports. The team handled everything from contract processing to follow-up communications, ensuring smooth cash flow management.
4. Technology Integration
Hiline gave BackEngine access to advanced financial reporting tools like Digits so that Eli and the leadership team could have real-time visibility into financial performance with user-friendly interfaces that made data easily accessible and actionable.
The Results
The partnership with Hiline transformed BackEngine's operational efficiency and growth trajectory. By establishing proper financial infrastructure from day one, Eli was able to focus entirely on building the product and acquiring customers.
The implementation delivered:
- Accelerated Growth – Complete freedom to focus on product development and customer acquisition
- Seamless Operations – Automated financial processes requiring minimal founder involvement
- Strategic Decision Making – Access to real-time financial data enabling better capital allocation
- Scalable Infrastructure – Systems that evolved naturally with business growth
- Compliance Confidence – Professional handling of complex HR and regulatory requirements
How Hiline Can Support Your Startup
Are you a founder who understands the importance of proper financial infrastructure but wants to focus on building your product and acquiring customers? Hiline offers comprehensive financial services designed specifically for growing startups. From day-one setup to scaling operations, we provide the financial foundation that allows you to focus on what matters most—building your business.
Book a free consultation today to learn how we can help you establish the financial infrastructure that will support your startup's growth from day one.
BackEngine
To help teams get as close to their customers as possible by building the tools that enable deeper customer engagement and remove the constraints that prevent them from being more involved in customer interactions.
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