S2E24: NetSuite is where ERPs go to die. We're building the escape hatch | Jonathan Sanders (Light)

We invited Jonathan Sanders, CEO and founder of Light, fresh off raising their $30M A round and serving some of the fastest-growing companies in the world, to share why ERP migrations are universally hated, how his company turns 18-month implementations into one-day onboardings, and why finance teams are becoming technical writers without even realizing it.

Jonathan and Manny explore the death of the traditional ERP category and the birth of smart finance platforms. From working with OpenAI months before ChatGPT launched to discovering the "student assistant" mental model that shaped Light's entire product philosophy, this episode maps out the future where finance teams configure systems by writing policies in plain English instead of paying consultants $200K to write scripts nobody understands.

"Think of it as a student assistant that works for you 24/7. The clearer you are in your instructions, the better a job it will do."

The Migration Pain That Created Light

Jonathan lived through two nightmare ERP migrations at Pleo and Juni. Each took 12-18 months, cost over $200K, and required constant consultant babysitting. At Outreach, Manny's board literally told leadership not to migrate because it would be a massive waste of time with zero ROI.

"It's like watching paint dry and getting f****. There's nothing enjoyable about it."

When Jonathan decided to build a better way, investors told him it would take 10 years and $100 million. He built it in 2 years instead.

The OpenAI Insight That Changed Everything

Before ChatGPT launched, Light was working directly with OpenAI's VP of Product:

"He said think of it as a student assistant. It won't always get it right, but the clearer your instructions, the better the job it'll do."

Finance teams write 2-4 page documents in plain English explaining their accounting. The AI uses those policies to classify transactions and handle exceptions. No consultants. No scripts. Just instructions you'd give any new hire.

The $200K Implementation Racket Is Over

Implementation consultants were brutally honest with Jonathan:

"If I can't sell a six-month project, I need to sell a project every week just to make payroll. Your interests are completely misaligned with your core client."

Light eliminates this entirely. No implementation fees. No consultant dependency. By design, they can't build the traditional channel ecosystem because if they depend on partners for go-to-market, they can't build self-serve products.

The New Finance Skill: Writing, Not Coding

"The ability to clearly articulate business processes and codify them into words. That's a new skillset coming out across all applications."

Finance teams are becoming policy writers. They document workflows in plain English. The AI executes it. This replaces sending instructions to BPO teams in India or calling consultants to modify scripts.

Software Should Defragment Itself

 "Nobody goes and deactivates unused tax codes. But if it does it for you, the system becomes leaner."

Light is building self-healing software that automatically identifies unused accounts and optimizes itself. Like disk defragmentation, but for your entire finance operation.

How Light Hunts for Customers

Light hunts for trigger events on LinkedIn: New CFO hired, scaling globally, hit 300-400 employees, funding announcements. The fastest deal? Saturday inquiry, signed Wednesday.

"Nobody migrates ERPs for fun. They only do it when they have no choice."

Companies Mentioned

• Light
• NetSuite
• SAP
• Oracle
• Microsoft
• Salesforce
• Workday
• HiBob
• Deel
• Rippling
• Xero
• QuickBooks
• Chargebee
• Zuora
• HubSpot
• OpenAI
• Pleo
• Juni
• Outreach
• Accenture

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.