Hitting the "Excel Ceiling"

Despite strong in-house capabilities, the firm faced growing complexity that threatened its ability to scale.

Manual Excel-based processes created significant inefficiencies with multiple team members spending hours on data entry, reconciliation, and formula verification, leading to calculation errors and delays.

Limited analytical capabilities prevented quick scenario analysis for time-sensitive investment decisions, with teams often taking days to compile data needed for strategic planning.

Key person dependencies concentrated critical knowledge with a few individuals who had built proprietary models, creating substantial operational risk if these team members were unavailable.

Investor demands for reporting grew more detailed, frequent, and sophisticated than in the past. This strained existing resources as LPs requested more granular performance metrics and customized analytics.

Fund growth required proportional headcount increases. Due to inefficiencies, the firm needed to significantly increase headcount to maintain operations as the business expanded.

Automation Without Losing Control

The CFO outlined a transformation strategy that would maintain in-house control while aiming to eliminate manual processes, create a single source of truth for fund data, improve analytics, and build a scalable foundation for the future.

After evaluating their options, the firm identified Maybern as the platform that could most effectively power these goals.

Implementation and Results

The firm worked with Maybern’s Solutions Architects to comprehensively transition from Excel-based processes, configure automated workflows and calculations, and build repeatable processes for future funds.

The efficiency gains were immediate: waterfall calculations and investor allocations now take 70% less prep time, and response times for investor queries improved. Investor reporting became more detailed, performance monitoring shifted from reactive to proactive, and analysis tools now allow flexible modeling. Team members who previously spent days wrangling messy Excel files are now free to do strategic analysis.

With fewer manual steps, the firm can scale its operations without proportional headcount growth, while managing increasing complexity.

Finally, the firm was able to tighten controls. Audit trails and documentation cover all calculations, and validation processes are automated. By having systemized calculations with the right inputs, the firm has eliminated the risk of Excel-based errors and reduced key person dependencies. Standardization, meanwhile, has significantly reduced operational risk overall.

Conclusion

By using the Maybern platform, this investment manager transformed its in-house operations into a scalable foundation for growth. The firm was able to enhance its existing capabilities while achieving new levels of efficiency and control. 

This modernized approach to fund operations positions the firm to handle greater complexity while maintaining the benefits of its vertically integrated model.

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