An Evening of ROI, Reality Checks, and Real Conversations: NYC Round Table

Finance and accounting leaders came together in New York City this September for an intimate roundtable titled "Agentic AI in Finance & Accounting: ROI Perspectives" and the conversation didn't disappoint. Held at the stylish Dream Downtown by Hyatt, the evening brought together a sharp group of F&A executives ready to move past the buzzwords and get into the numbers.

Moderated by Rajeev Pathak, CEO & Co-Founder of Hyperbots, and John Silverstein, VP of FP&A at XR Extreme Reach (a finance professional driving transformation through data-driven progress), the session had the energy of a room full of people who'd been thinking about the same problems and were relieved to finally talk about them openly.

Key Themes from the Room

The discussion opened with a question that's been quietly nagging at finance leaders everywhere: where exactly does AI fit, and is it actually worth it? Three core threads ran through the evening:

• Not every F&A process is AI-ready, and the room valued that honesty.

• ROI metrics need to be defined before deployment, not figured out along the way.

• A phased roadmap only works when it's realistic about budgets and organizational change.

Knowing Where AI Actually Belongs

Not every workflow is ready for agentic AI, and finance leaders are starting to get comfortable saying that out loud. The conversation focused on identifying the right processes, the ones with clean data, manageable integrations, and clear governance structures already in place. Hyperbots' approach of mapping F&A functions to AI readiness before anything else struck a chord with several attendees who've seen rushed implementations fall flat.

Defining ROI Before You Build, Not After

One of the sharpest discussions of the evening centered on measurement. Leaders exchanged frameworks around cost savings, time reduction, error rates, and risk, agreeing that KPIs and payback periods need to be locked in from day one. Agentic AI makes this more achievable than ever, but only when the metrics are set with intention and tied directly to business outcomes.

Building a Roadmap That Respects Reality

Sequencing sparked the liveliest back-and-forth of the night. How do you phase AI adoption in a way that fits your budget and doesn't overwhelm your team? Attendees shared what's worked and what's stalled, and the consensus was clear: the best roadmaps are built around change-management capacity just as much as technology capability.

Looking Ahead

This roundtable made one thing clear: the ROI conversation around agentic AI in finance is no longer hypothetical, it's happening in real time, and it's being shaped in rooms exactly like this one. The energy throughout the evening was electric, with leaders leaving not just inspired but ready to act.

A sincere thank you to every leader who showed up, shared openly, and pushed the thinking forward. Your willingness to exchange ideas, challenge assumptions, and bring real experiences to the table created exactly the kind of dialogue that moves this industry forward.

Agentic AI is far more than hype. For finance teams willing to ask the hard questions about ROI, readiness, and roadmaps, it's already proving to be a genuine game-changer. Being part of these conversations means staying ahead of the shifts before they catch you off guard.

Follow us on LinkedIn to stay informed about upcoming events and secure your place at the next roundtable.

Curious about how agentic AI could work for your finance team specifically? Book a 30-minute call with us and let's find out together.