In an interaction with Finance Outlook India, Arpita Kapoor, Co-founder of Mysa, shares her insights on how India’s finance ecosystem is undergoing a structural reset, driven by tighter funding discipline, evolving compliance frameworks, and the rapid adoption of AI-led enterprise technologies. She explains how modern CFO stacks are shifting away from legacy ERP-heavy models toward modular, interoperable, and AI-first platforms that enable real-time compliance, faster financial closes, and strategic capital management. Building Mysa—an AI-powered operating system that unifies bills, approvals, reimbursements, accounting, and bank payments into one intelligent platform—Arpita emphasizes that finance is no longer a back-office function but a core credibility infrastructure, enabling startups to strengthen governance, improve capital efficiency, and drive sustainable, high-growth outcomes.

We are witnessing a structural reset in startup finance functions. What macro and funding environment changes are prompting companies to rebuild their CFO stacks today?

Funding discipline has tightened — Big 4 audits and deep diligences now start at Series A, not pre-IPO. India’s traceable tax ecosystem (GST, e-invoicing) demands real-time compliance and has deep consequences of non-compliance. And new-age business models break legacy ERP/Banking structures.

Finance is no longer back office — it’s credibility infrastructure.

What are the primary barriers to rebuilding CFO stacks: cost of implementation, integration complexity, talent capability, or cultural resistance?

The biggest barrier is cultural, not financial or talent led.

CFOs are conditioned to think transformation means 18-month ERP projects and heavy consulting spends and one time fees to services companies. Similarly, banking integrations are still tied to legacy host-to-host method. 

Modern stacks are modular, product-led and API-led — but the mindset is still catching up. We see it in top tech savvy CFOs who are leading the way for such practical adoption of AI platforms and new age AP/AR/Treasury and FP&A products.

How important is interoperability between finance, procurement, payroll, and compliance systems in today’s operating environment?

It’s not just important, It’s critical.

No single system can do everything well. CFOs must design a layered stack — ERP and bank at the base, with AI-driven AP, AR, Procurement, treasury, expense-mgmt, FP& A and compliance tools on top. If one software offers multiple of these solutions in one place, it obviously makes it more convenient for the Finance team to operate without needing too much training.

Interoperability creates real-time visibility, clean audits, and faster closes.

Also Read: The Emerging CFO-COO Hybrid Role

From a cost-benefit standpoint, how should startups evaluate ROI on AI-led finance automation investments?

We need to stop treating finance as a cost center. Strong controls and clean numbers determine your ability to raise VC, access debt, or list publicly. The ROI isn’t just efficiency — its lower cost of capital, better liquidity and better valuation. A lot changes when you start seeing finance as a growth center.

What will the ideal CFO tech stack look like by 2030 for a high-growth Indian enterprise?

Just like mature markets like the US, by 2030, the ideal stack would be AI-first systems for AP/AR/Procurement/Treasury/FP&A integrated deeply with banking systems - sitting on top of a broader ERP for financial accounting & close. 

High-growth Indian enterprises will operate on AI-powered financial command centers — with CFOs orchestrating capital, not compiling reports or logging into 5 different bank accounts to manage treasury.