Light has bagged $30 million to upend finance operations for the world’s fastest-growing companies.
The Denmark-based startup plans a U.S. push and rapid hiring as it ditches legacy accounting tools for an AI-native platform built from scratch.
Key Takeaways
- Light raises $30M Series A to scale its AI-native finance platform.
- New York office planned as engineering team triples in 2025.
- Platform processes 280M records in under a second for instant balance sheets.
- Customers report 84% faster finance operations after switching from legacy ERP.
Light, a Denmark-based startup, secured $30 million in Series A funding to expand its AI-native finance platform. Designed for hypergrowth firms, the system handles hundreds of millions of records in seconds and cuts finance operations time by up to 84%.
A $30 Million Bet on AI-Native Finance
Light, a Copenhagen-headquartered fintech, announced Thursday it has raised $30 million in Series A funding to accelerate the global rollout of its AI-native finance platform. London-based Balderton Capital led the round, with participation from earlier investor Atomico.
From Denmark to New York
The company plans to open a New York office, triple its engineering workforce, and launch a process-optimization workbench to help hypergrowth firms automate complex accounting and payments.
Inside the Platform
Unlike traditional enterprise resource planning (ERP) software, Light says its system was built “from scratch” for modern finance operations. The platform can reportedly process 280 million records in under one second and produce real-time balance sheets while matching human-level accuracy.
Founder and CEO Jonathan Sanders emphasized that Light isn’t “patching old systems with chatbots,” but rather rethinking the general ledger for an AI-first world.
Investor Perspective
Balderton partner Rob Moffat said Light “threw out the old playbook” by rebuilding core accounting architecture instead of bolting AI onto legacy code. “The result isn’t just faster—it’s a step change,” Moffat said.
Market Momentum
Light emerged from stealth in June 2024 with a $13 million seed round led by Atomico. Over the past 12 months, the company reports 30× revenue growth and says customers have slashed finance operation times by 84% after replacing legacy ERP systems.
Why It Matters
The financing wave highlights a broader trend: CFOs increasingly view AI as critical to finance strategy. A PYMNTS Intelligence report projects generative AI will move beyond cost-cutting to higher-impact tasks such as real-time forecasting and automated compliance.
Future Outlook
Light’s next steps include further expansion across Europe and the U.S., plus the release of a process-optimization workbench to streamline complex multi-entity accounting. If adoption continues at its current pace, Light could emerge as a direct challenger to established ERP giants such as SAP and Oracle.
Conclusion
Light’s funding signals growing investor confidence that AI can fully rewrite enterprise finance, not just tweak it. Hypergrowth companies struggling with legacy tools may now have a faster, purpose-built alternative.