What is the primary problem Nominal is solving?

Nominal targets the acute labor shortage in the accounting profession. They cite that CPA exam participation is at its lowest in 17 years and that 75% of the current workforce is nearing retirement. They argue that manual work in Excel is no longer sustainable given the shrinking talent pool, necessitating a 'digital workforce' to handle routine tasks.

How does Nominal differentiate itself from traditional ERPs?

Slide 14 introduces the concept of an 'Agentic General Ledger.' Unlike traditional ERPs that act as passive databases, Nominal claims to have built a system of record where AI agents actively perform tasks based on plain-English instructions, essentially acting as an automated layer that sits on top of or alongside existing data without requiring a full migration.

What metrics did Nominal share in this deck?

In the version analyzed, Slide 19 contains placeholders (XXX) for customer count, ARR, and QoQ growth. However, Slide 11 claims that the platform currently reduces manual work by 90%. The publisher reports that this deck successfully raised $20M in a Series A round in 2024, suggesting the actual figures shown to investors were compelling.

What technical stack does Nominal mention?

Nominal explicitly mentions using LangGraph and Bedrock on Slide 13. They position these as the 'Agentic Frameworks' that enable 'scalable digital labor.' This signals to investors that they are leveraging the latest in LLM orchestration and cloud-based AI infrastructure rather than building basic wrappers.

Who is the target buyer for Nominal?

The deck is clearly aimed at the Enterprise CFO. Slide 10 uses Deloitte data to show that 71% of CFOs are looking for automation and efficiency. The product features, such as inter-company eliminations and consolidation, are specific to mid-to-large enterprise finance departments rather than small businesses.

Nominal Pitch Deck: All 22 Slides + Teardown

See all 22 slides of the Nominal pitch deck — a 2024 Series A deck — with a slide-by-slide teardown of what the deck does well and where it falls short.

Nominal’s 22-slide Series A deck is a masterclass in narrative-driven fundraising, positioning their AI accounting platform as a 'Digital Workforce' rather than just another SaaS tool. By anchoring the problem in the 'Aging Baby Boomer Crisis'—where 75% of public accountants are expected to retire in 15 years (Slide 6)—Nominal creates immediate urgency for enterprise CFOs. The deck highlights a significant drop in CPA exam candidates (Slide 7) and uses this talent scarcity to pitch their 'Agentic General Ledger' (Slide 14). While the version of the deck reviewed uses placeholders for specific…

Key takeaways

The deck uses a specific macro-economic 'ticking clock' by citing that 75% of public accountants will retire in 15 years (Slide 6).
Nominal positions its product as a 'novel system of record' that requires 'no migration,' lowering the perceived barrier to entry (Slide 4).
Technical credibility is established by referencing modern AI frameworks like LangGraph and Bedrock for 'scalable digital labor' (Slide 13).
The product is framed as 'Agentic,' moving the user role from 'Doers to Reviewers' (Slide 17).
A 'Consolidation Example' visualizes the 'Excel Chaos' that currently plagues enterprise finance teams (Slide 8).
The deck claims a 90% reduction in manual work for current users, though specific case study names are omitted in this version (Slide 11).
Nominal aligns its value proposition with CFO priorities, noting that 71% of CFOs view automation as the most promising use of GenAI (Slide 10).
The 'Founding Team' is introduced early (Slide 2), emphasizing the importance of pedigree in the enterprise accounting space.

The Narrative: From Labor Crisis to Digital Workforce

Nominal’s pitch deck for their $20M Series A is a textbook example of how to sell a 'solution' by first selling a 'crisis.' Instead of starting with features, the deck spends its first third establishing that the accounting profession is in a state of terminal decline. By the time the product is introduced, the investor is primed to believe that automation isn't just a 'nice to have'—it is the only way for enterprises to remain functional.

Slides 1-2: The Hook and the Pedigree

Slide 1 sets the stage with the title 'Digital Workforce for Finance and Accounting.' The use of the term 'Workforce' instead of 'Software' is a deliberate positioning move. It suggests that Nominal isn't just a tool for accountants; it is a replacement for the labor that firms can no longer find. The visual shows a dashboard with 'Executive Analysis' for Q4 2024, displaying metrics like Gross Revenue ($252,400) and Gross Profit ($109,600) with growth indicators. This immediately grounds the AI hype in the reality of financial reporting.

Slide 2 introduces the Founding Team. In enterprise fintech, where trust and domain expertise are paramount, placing the team slide at the front is a standard move to establish credibility before diving into the problem space.

Slides 3-5: The ERP Evolution

Slide 3 and Slide 4 frame the current moment as a historical shift. Slide 3 claims 'Every Technology Wave Changes the ERP Landscape,' and Slide 4 asserts that the 'Digital Workforce is the Future.' A key selling point is introduced here: 'No migration is required.' This addresses the biggest objection in enterprise sales—the fear of a multi-year, multi-million dollar implementation process. Nominal positions itself as a 'novel system of record' that enables AI agents without the pain of a traditional ERP overhaul.

Slides 6-10: The Macro Crisis (The 'Why Now')

This section is the strongest part of the deck's narrative. Slide 6 highlights the 'Aging Baby Boomer Crisis,' stating that 75% of public accountants will retire in the next 15 years. Slide 7 follows up with a chart showing that the number of candidates taking the CPA exam has fallen to its lowest level in at least 17 years (citing AICPA and FT as sources). The chart shows a clear downward trend from a peak in 2010 to a trough in 2022.

Slide 8 visualizes 'Excel Chaos' through a consolidation example, and Slide 9 hammers home the point: 'Scarce Talent Cannot Be Wasted on Manual Work.' Finally, Slide 10 uses a Deloitte CFO Signals report to show that 71% of CFOs are already looking for exactly what Nominal provides: automation, efficiency, and insights.

Slides 11-17: The Solution and the 'Agentic' Ledger

Slide 11 makes a bold claim: Nominal reduces manual work by 90%, allowing humans to focus on strategy with 'no engineering required.' This is the 'aha' moment of the deck, promising a massive ROI.

Slide 13 , titled 'From Science Fiction to Fiction to Science,' explains the technical 'how.' It cites three pillars: Coding Assistants (CoPilots), Complex Reasoning (larger context windows), and Agentic Frameworks (specifically naming LangGraph and Bedrock). This slide is crucial for a Series A deck as it demonstrates that the company is building on a modern, defensible technical stack.

Slide 14 introduces the 'Agentic General Ledger,' and Slide 16 shows the product interface. The UI demonstrates how 'Agents Take Plain-English Instructions' to perform tasks like inter-company eliminations. The workflow is broken down into four logical steps, from searching journal entries to validating accuracy. Slide 17 summarizes the user experience shift: moving humans from 'Doers to Reviewers.'

Slides 18-22: Traction and Future

Slide 19 covers 'Customers / Revenue.' While the version provided uses 'XXX' and '$XX' placeholders, the chart shows a steep hockey-stick growth curve starting in Q3 2023 and accelerating through Q4 2024. The text notes 'In only 10 months in the market,' which suggests rapid product-market fit. The deck concludes on Slide 22 with a 'So, What's Next?' prompt in a chat interface, reinforcing the conversational, AI-driven nature of the platform.

What Works in the Nominal Deck

The 'Ticking Clock' Problem: By using the 15-year retirement window and the 17-year low in CPA candidates, Nominal makes the problem feel urgent and inevitable. · Positioning as 'Labor': Framing the software as a 'Digital Workforce' allows Nominal to tap into headcount budgets rather than just software budgets, which are often larger and less scrutinized. · The 'No Migration' Promise: This is the single most important line for an enterprise accounting startup. It removes the primary reason a CFO would say 'no.' · Technical Specificity: Mentioning LangGraph and Bedrock (Slide 13) shows that the team understands the current state of the art in AI orchestration, which builds investor confidence in their ability to execute.

What is Missing from the Nominal Deck

Unit Economics: There is no mention of LTV, CAC, or churn. While this is a Series A deck, investors usually want to see the underlying math of the sales engine. · Competitive Landscape: The deck assumes the only competition is 'Excel Chaos.' It ignores other AI accounting incumbents or legacy players like BlackLine or Workiva who are also adding AI features. · Specific Case Studies: While Slide 11 claims a 90% reduction in work, the deck lacks a specific, named customer success story to prove this isn't just a theoretical lab result. · The 'Ask': The version of the deck reviewed does not include a slide detailing how much capital is being raised or how it will be deployed (though we know from publisher reports it was $20M).

Founder Takeaways: What to Copy

Use Macro Trends to Create Urgency: If your industry is facing a labor shortage, regulatory shift, or demographic collapse, lead with it. It makes your solution a necessity rather than a luxury. · Visualize the 'Chaos': Slide 8’s 'Excel Chaos' is a great way to make a boring problem feel visceral. Show the messy reality your customers live in. · Explain the 'How' Without Getting Lost: Slide 13 is a perfect 'Technical Architecture' slide. It uses recognizable names (Bedrock, LangGraph) to signal competence without needing a 20-minute deep dive into the code. · Focus on the User's New Role: The 'Doers to Reviewers' (Slide 17) framework is a powerful way to sell AI. It reassures the buyer that humans are still in the loop, but their jobs are becoming easier and more 'strategic.'

Frequently asked questions

What is the primary problem Nominal is solving?: Nominal targets the acute labor shortage in the accounting profession. They cite that CPA exam participation is at its lowest in 17 years and that 75% of the current workforce is nearing retirement. They argue that manual work in Excel is no longer sustainable given the shrinking talent pool, necessitating a 'digital workforce' to handle routine tasks.
How does Nominal differentiate itself from traditional ERPs?: Slide 14 introduces the concept of an 'Agentic General Ledger.' Unlike traditional ERPs that act as passive databases, Nominal claims to have built a system of record where AI agents actively perform tasks based on plain-English instructions, essentially acting as an automated layer that sits on top of or alongside existing data without requiring a full migration.
What metrics did Nominal share in this deck?: In the version analyzed, Slide 19 contains placeholders (XXX) for customer count, ARR, and QoQ growth. However, Slide 11 claims that the platform currently reduces manual work by 90%. The publisher reports that this deck successfully raised $20M in a Series A round in 2024, suggesting the actual figures shown to investors were compelling.
What technical stack does Nominal mention?: Nominal explicitly mentions using LangGraph and Bedrock on Slide 13. They position these as the 'Agentic Frameworks' that enable 'scalable digital labor.' This signals to investors that they are leveraging the latest in LLM orchestration and cloud-based AI infrastructure rather than building basic wrappers.
Who is the target buyer for Nominal?: The deck is clearly aimed at the Enterprise CFO. Slide 10 uses Deloitte data to show that 71% of CFOs are looking for automation and efficiency. The product features, such as inter-company eliminations and consolidation, are specific to mid-to-large enterprise finance departments rather than small businesses.

Cover slide of the Nominal pitch deck — Series A 2024 — Nominal pitch deck, slide 1 (2024)

Nominal pitch deck: the facts

Company: Nominal
Year: 2024
Stage: Series A
Slides: 22
Sector: Enterprise / Accounting
Deck type: Fundraising
Outcome: $20M Raised
Headquarters: North America (New York)

Nominal pitch deck PDF

The full Nominal deck is embedded on this page and can be read slide by slide in the browser — no download or account required. Each slide is covered in the breakdown above.

What the Nominal pitch deck was used for

This deck is for Nominal’s approximately $20M Series A round to scale its **agentic AI accounting platform** that connects to enterprise ERPs and automates complex finance workflows.[1][2][3][6][12] The fundraise followed a prior $9.2M seed round in March 2024 and brought Nominal’s total funding to roughly $30M.[9][10][11] The pitch emphasizes the macro shortage of CPAs and the manual burden on finance teams, positioning Nominal as an AI-first system of record and “Harvey for accountants.”[11][12] The deck, dated around 2024 and used at Series A stage, was aimed at institutional investors such as Next47 and Workday Ventures for growth and product expansion.[1][3][6][12]

Business model: Nominal develops AI agents that integrate with existing enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems to automate end-to-end accounting and finance workflows such as reconciliations, closing the books, forecasting, and financial reporting for mid-market and enterprise finance teams.[3][6][11][12]

Round: Series A[1][3][6][9][11][12]
Raised: Approximately $20M in Series A funding.[1][3][6][9][11][12]
Lead investor: Next47[1][3][6][12]
Investors: Next47, Workday Ventures, Bling Capital, Hyperwise Ventures
Founded: 2023[11]
Founders: Guy Leizaran, Yehonatan (Yolan) Kopinsky
Headquarters: New York, New York, United States[12]
Industry: AI-powered enterprise accounting and ERP automation[3][6][11][12]

Year: 2024–2025 timeframe (seed in March 2024 and Series A announced in 2025).[1][3][9][10][11]

Raising: Series A growth capital to scale AI accounting agents and ERP-integrated finance automation.[1][2][3][6][11][12]

Total funding: Approximately $30M in venture funding as of the Series A announcement.[1][3][9][11][12]

Use of funds as presented: Scale Nominal’s AI accounting agents, deepen ERP integrations, expand go-to-market to mid-market and enterprise finance teams, and further develop its agentic performance management category.[1][2][3][6][11][12]

What happened after the Nominal deck

Following its 2024 seed round, Nominal successfully raised about $20M in Series A funding led by Next47 with Workday Ventures and others, and continues to operate as an AI accounting and ERP automation company focused on agentic performance management for finance teams.[1][3][6][9][11][12]

Raised approximately $9.2M in seed funding in March 2024 led by Hyperwise Ventures and Bling Capital.[9][10][11]
Closed a roughly $20M Series A round led by Next47 with participation from Workday Ventures and existing seed investors,
Rebranded its category around "Agentic Performance Management" and reported tens of thousands of hours of manual account

What the Nominal deck got right

Compelling macro tailwind: CPA shortage and manual finance work. Nominal addresses a clearly articulated macro problem—the growing shortage of CPAs and accountants and the resulting manual burden on finance teams—giving the Series A pitch a strong, externally validated tailwind.[11][12]
ERP-integrated agentic architecture reduces rip-and-replace friction. The product is built as agentic AI on top of existing ERP systems, allowing enterprises to maintain their system of record while layering in automation, which is an attractive wedge strategy for risk-averse finance organizations.[3][6][11][12]
Experienced founding team with prior enterprise AI success. Nominal’s founders previously built Cognigo, an enterprise AI company, demonstrating relevant experience in building and commercializing complex AI products for regulated and data-intensive environments.[3][11]
Demonstrated time-savings outcomes for finance teams. Press materials report significant reductions in manual accounting work (tens of thousands of hours), providing concrete outcome narratives that likely appear in the deck as proof points for ROI.[11]
Strong investor syndicate including strategic ERP-related capital. Participation from strategic investor Workday Ventures alongside Next47 and repeat seed investors signals external confidence in Nominal’s technology and market potential, strengthening the validation story in the deck.[1][3][6][12]
Clear, differentiated category narrative around agentic performance management. Nominal’s branding around "Agentic Performance Management" gives it a distinctive narrative that differentiates from generic RPA or workflow tools, which likely helps the deck stand out in a crowded AI automation landscape.[11]

What could have been stronger

Limited publicly verifiable traction metrics at Series A time. External descriptions of Nominal’s platform lean heavily on conceptual language like "agentic performance management" and "Harvey for accountants," with limited published hard metrics (e.g., specific numbers of paying customers, ARR, or unit economics) tied directly to the Series A timeframe, which likely means the deck had to rely more on narrative and qualitative validation than on quantified traction.[11][12]
Category creation requires significant investor education. The company is creating a new category around agentic accounting and performance management, but there is sparse independent validation or standard benchmarks for this category in external sources, suggesting the deck must educate investors extensively and may face skepticism about category definition versus incremental workflow automation.[11]
Execution and integration risk not deeply evidenced in public materials. While press materials emphasize integration with existing ERPs and mid-market/enterprise focus, there is little externally documented detail on implementation complexity, security/compliance posture, or change-management burden, so investors reviewing the deck would likely perceive execution and integration risk.[3][6][12]

How an investor would read this deck

What draws attention

Scale of the CPA and accountant shortage and its impact on enterprise finance operations, which Nominal positions as the core macro tailwind for its product.[12]
Degree of automation and autonomy achieved by Nominal’s agents across the accounting lifecycle—how much is truly hands-off versus assisted automation.[11]
Quality and depth of ERP integrations (e.g., with major systems like NetSuite, SAP, Workday) and the ability to handle complex, high-volume enterprise data.[3][6][12]
Early proof points such as hours of manual work eliminated, error-rate reduction, and time-to-close improvements for reference customers.[11]
Founders’ prior experience building Cognigo and their ability to navigate enterprise sales cycles in finance and ERP environments.[3][11]

Risks that stand out

Enterprise accounting and ERP automation is a highly regulated and risk-sensitive domain, so any errors or lack of auditability in agentic workflows could lead to material misstatements or compliance issues, creating product and liability risk.[11][12]
Competition from both traditional ERP vendors and other AI workflow platforms targeting finance teams may compress differentiation if core capabilities (forecasting, reconciliation, reporting) become commoditized.[3][6][12]
Adoption depends on finance leaders’ willingness to trust autonomous agents with high-stakes accounting tasks, which may slow deployment and limit near-term scale despite strong macro tailwinds.[11][12]

Questions this deck invites

What specific ERP platforms does Nominal support today, and what percentage of customers are live on each integration (e.g., NetSuite, SAP, Workday)?[3][6][12]
Across current customers, what quantified impact has Nominal delivered on close-cycle time, error rates, and hours saved per month, and how does this compare to baseline benchmarks?[11]
How does Nominal handle data security, access controls, and auditability for autonomous accounting agents acting on financial systems of record?[11][12]
What is Nominal’s go-to-market motion (direct vs. channel/ERP partnerships), and what are sales cycle lengths and win rates for mid-market vs. enterprise customers?[3][6]
How does Nominal price its platform (per seat, per workflow, usage-based), and what are current gross margins and retention metrics (logo and net revenue retention)?

What founders can take from the Nominal deck

Positioning around a structural labor shortage—in this case the CPA and accountant shortage—can provide a compelling macro thesis that ties product capabilities directly to an urgent market gap.[12]
Defining a new category (agentic performance management for accounting) gives a startup room to frame the competitive landscape, but it requires clear, repeated explanations of what is truly new and why existing tools cannot fill the gap.[11]
Anchoring a Series A story in prior founder successes (ex-Cognigo founders in enterprise AI) can strengthen credibility in complex, regulated domains like finance and accounting.[3][11]
Tightly linking product narrative to existing systems (ERP integrations rather than system replacement) can ease concerns about rip-and-replace and highlight a wedge strategy into large enterprises.[3][6][12]
Demonstrating concrete customer outcomes, such as hours of manual work eliminated and improvements in close times, is critical to making an abstract AI agent story feel tangible to investors.[11]

Nominal pitch deck: common questions

What does Nominal do?

Nominal is an AI accounting and ERP automation startup that builds agentic AI "accounting agents" to automate end-to-end finance workflows—reconciling transactions, closing the books, generating journal entries, forecasting, and reporting—on top of existing ERP systems for mid-market and enterprise companies.[3][6][11][12]

How much did Nominal raise in the Series A this pitch deck was used for, and who invested?

Nominal raised roughly $20M in a Series A round announced in 2025, led by Next47 with participation from Workday Ventures and existing seed investors Bling Capital and Hyperwise Ventures, bringing total funding to about $30M.[1][3][6][9][11][12] The deck the library is analyzing is associated with that ~$20M Series A raise, framed around the CPA shortage and the need for an AI-first accounting system of record.[11][12]

What was Nominal raising money for in its Series A deck?

Nominal’s Series A capital was earmarked to scale its AI accounting agents, deepen ERP integrations, and expand go-to-market to mid-market and enterprise finance teams, with a focus on reducing manual accounting work and addressing the CPA talent shortage.[1][2][3][6][11][12]

What funding did Nominal have before this Series A deck?

According to funding trackers and press coverage, Nominal raised about $9.2M in seed funding in March 2024, led by Hyperwise Ventures and Bling Capital, before closing its ~$20M Series A.[9][10][11] The Series A then brought total capital to around $30M.[1][3][9][11][12]

Who founded Nominal and when was it founded?

Nominal was founded in 2023 by former Cognigo founders Guy Leizaran and Yehonatan Kopinsky, who previously built enterprise AI products and now focus on agentic performance management for finance teams.[3][11]