As finance teams face growing pressure to deliver real-time insight across increasingly complex, multi-entity organizations, traditional ERP systems are struggling to keep pace. Lengthy implementations, fragmented data environments, and manual reconciliation processes continue to limit the ability of finance leaders to operate with speed and precision.
A new generation of platforms is beginning to challenge this model. Rather than layering automation onto legacy systems, AI-native ERP solutions are being designed to support continuous close, real-time data flows, and more integrated financial operations from the ground up.
LiveFlow is among the companies advancing this shift with the introduction of Flow, an AI-native ERP platform built specifically for modern finance teams. By unifying accounting and financial planning, and embedding AI directly into core workflows, the platform aims to address long-standing challenges around scalability, visibility, and operational efficiency.
In this Q&A with ERP News, Lasse Kalkar, CEO and co-founder, and Anita Koimur, COO and co-founder of LiveFlow, discuss the limitations of traditional ERP systems, the rise of continuous close finance, and how AI-native ERP platforms are reshaping the role of finance within the enterprise.
Closing the Gap: Why Finance Teams Need a New Type of ERP
Q: LiveFlow recently introduced Flow, described as an AI-native ERP designed for continuous close finance operations. What gap in the market inspired you to build this platform?
A: We built Flow because we kept seeing the same problem across thousands of businesses. Finance teams at growing, multi-entity companies were stuck in an impossible trade-off: stay on systems like QuickBooks that can’t scale, or commit to a legacy ERP implementation that takes 12 to 18 months, costs six figures, and still requires spreadsheets to get a full picture.
Before LiveFlow, we spent years at Revolut, where we saw firsthand what happens when finance infrastructure can’t keep up with growth. Then, working with over 6,000 customers, we kept hearing the same challenges: manual processes increasing, close cycles slowing down, and systems breaking as companies scaled.
The gap was clear. There was no ERP built for how modern finance teams actually operate — one that unifies accounting and FP&A, handles multi-entity complexity natively, and runs in real time rather than in batch cycles. Flow is built to address exactly that.
Rethinking ERP Architecture for Speed and Flexibility
Q: Traditional ERP systems often require lengthy implementations and heavy customization. How did your experience with LiveFlow shape a faster, more agile approach?
A: From the beginning, LiveFlow was built around real-time data connectivity. We integrate directly with systems like QuickBooks and Xero via API, eliminating manual data movement. That same principle carries into Flow.
Flow enables one-click migration, allowing companies to move data at the transaction level — not just balances — in as little as a day. This is a significant contrast to traditional ERP implementations that can take over a year.
We also designed the system to balance structure and flexibility. Multi-entity consolidation, intercompany eliminations, and multi-dimensional tagging are built in natively. At the same time, reporting remains flexible, allowing finance teams to analyze data across entities, locations, projects, and more — without adding complexity to the chart of accounts.
Enabling Continuous Close and Real-Time Finance
Q: Finance teams are moving toward real-time financial visibility. How does Flow support the continuous close model?
A: Flow is built around the concept of continuous close. Instead of treating month-end as a high-pressure event, financial data is continuously updated across accounting, consolidation, and planning.
Bank connections are live, and transaction categorization is AI-driven. The system learns from user behavior, flags anomalies, and routes items for review. Consolidation across entities happens continuously rather than at the end of the period.
As a result, the close becomes more of a validation step than a discovery process. Finance teams can shift their focus from reconciliation to real-time decision support.
Managing Multi-Entity Complexity at Scale
Q: How does Flow address the challenges of multi-entity, multi-currency financial operations?
A: Flow is built with a multi-entity-first architecture. It supports multi-entity journal entries, intercompany eliminations, and foreign currency management within a single system.
It also includes features such as transaction splitting, expense allocation, and multi-dimensional tagging. This allows finance teams to analyze performance across entities, projects, locations, and other dimensions without restructuring their accounting framework.
This level of flexibility is critical for industries like construction, real estate, healthcare, and food & beverage, where operational complexity is inherent from the start.
What It Means to Be Truly AI-Native in ERP
Q: What distinguishes an AI-native ERP platform from one that is simply AI-enabled?
A: AI-enabled systems typically add automation on top of legacy architecture without changing the underlying workflows. AI-native systems are different — they are designed with AI as a core component from the start.
In Flow, AI is embedded directly into the accounting layer. It handles transaction categorization, identifies anomalies, and supports decision-making through guided workflows.
This approach allows finance teams to move beyond incremental efficiency gains and fundamentally redesign how work gets done.
From Back-Office System to Collaborative Platform
Q: How are ERP systems evolving into more collaborative platforms across the organization?
A: ERP systems are no longer just back-office tools. Finance teams are increasingly expected to act as strategic partners, and the ERP needs to support that shift.
Flow enables shared access to financial data through customizable reports that provide both high-level insights and detailed drill-down capabilities. Role-based permissions and approval workflows also allow cross-functional collaboration while maintaining control and auditability.
ERP is becoming a system of collaboration, not just a system of record.
Unifying Financial Workflows into a Single System
Q: How does Flow help reduce fragmentation across finance tools and systems?
A: Many organizations rely on multiple disconnected tools for accounting, planning, and reporting. This creates inefficiencies, delays, and inconsistencies.
Flow unifies these functions into a single platform. Accounting, consolidation, and financial planning all operate on the same real-time data, eliminating the need for exports, reconciliations, and manual data transfers.
The result is a single source of truth that is continuously updated and fully auditable.
Improving Collaboration Across Finance and Business Teams
Q: How can ERP platforms improve collaboration between finance and the broader organization?
A: Collaboration depends on access to timely and accurate data. When financial information is delayed or static, it limits decision-making across the business.
Flow provides continuously updated financial visibility, enabling finance teams to share insights proactively. Multi-dimensional reporting also allows stakeholders to access relevant views without relying on finance teams for every request.
This creates a more collaborative and data-driven organization.
The Evolving Role of Finance Leaders in an AI-Driven World
Q: How will AI-native ERP platforms change the role of finance leaders over the next five years?
A: Finance leaders will shift away from manual processes toward strategic decision-making. As reconciliation, consolidation, and anomaly detection become automated, their focus will move to interpreting data and guiding business decisions.
Finance will increasingly act as the strategic core of the organization, connecting operational performance with financial outcomes in real time.
The Future of ERP: Toward Autonomous Finance Systems
Q: What is your long-term vision for LiveFlow and the future of ERP?
A: Our goal is to build an autonomous financial operating system that combines accounting, planning, and AI-driven workflows into a single continuous system.
We are focused on serving multi-entity businesses that have traditionally been underserved by legacy ERP solutions. Over time, ERP systems should become more invisible — handling routine processes automatically while enabling finance teams to focus on higher-value decisions.
ERP News Editorial Team
The ERPNews Editorial Team covers global developments in ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning), enterprise software, cloud platforms, AI, automation, and digital transformation, providing independent news and editorial analysis for senior business and technology leaders. Our reporting focuses on market signals, strategic shifts, and enterprise impact across the ERP and enterprise technology ecosystem.
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