A New Chapter: Building finstory.ai
- joostvogelezang
- Sep 13
- 2 min read
Updated: Sep 15
After 25+ years in finance, product, and operations, one frustration never left me:
Finance teams are drowning in data but starving for clarity.
At CXO Software, my previous company, I saw this gap firsthand. CFOs and finance leaders worked tirelessly to deliver results, yet struggled to tell the story behind the numbers in a way that inspired understanding and action.
That frustration turned into a mission.
Today, I’m proud to share that I’m co-founder at finstory.ai, together with three highly experienced colleagues. Wouter Born (CEO), Matías Panario (CTO), and Ali Bilawal (Chief Growth Officer).
Our Mission
Our goal is simple yet ambitious: to redefine financial storytelling for CFOs and finance teams.
We believe finance should do more than just report.
It should persuade, align, and drive decisions.
Where most tools focus on numbers alone, finstory.ai combines AI technology with human finance expertise.
Instead of replacing finance professionals, we empower them. Together, AI and experts co-create clear, board-ready narratives from complex data. Fast, simple, and reliable.
Finance leaders must spend less time wrestling with reports and more time guiding strategy.
What We’ve Achieved So Far
We’ve developed the first version of our software.
We’re running multiple prototypes with companies, validating our vision in real-world scenarios.
Already, over 750 finance professionals have registered on our waitlist — proof of the strong demand for a new way of working.
And this is just the beginning.
Why I Care So Deeply About This
Over my career, I’ve helped companies scale, led M&A integrations, and built powerful customer success teams.
I’ve learned that the best operators do two things exceptionally well:
They turn complexity into momentum.
They bring structure where there’s chaos.
That’s what I bring to finstory.ai as COO.
I ensure we run with operational rigor, trusted data practices, and a product that actually works for the people using it.
But beyond the role, here’s what keeps me grounded:
I’m a husband and father of three grown-up kids.
One is a missionary in Australia.
One is a UX designer.
One studies visual storytelling through film, photo, and animation.
I enjoy life in Gouda with my wife, who runs a beautiful Airbnb in the city’s historic heart.
I love long road trips, meaningful conversations, and yes, still dancing in the living room with my wife.
What’s Next
We’re only at the start of this journey.
With a strong founding team, early product validation, and a growing community of finance professionals who believe in this vision, I’m convinced finstory.ai will set a new standard in financial storytelling.
As my friend Wouter Born often says: “Storytelling is the most powerful skill in finance.”
That’s the foundation we’re building on.
An Invitation to Read My Blogs
Going forward, I’ll be sharing what I’ve learned about:
Leading teams through change.
Building products that communicate.
Why structure is the foundation of trust.
Helping finance professionals become storytellers.
If you’re a finance leader who wants to transform how your story is told, Join our waitlist at finstory.ai
And if you’re building something that makes finance more human and more powerful, Add me on LinkedIn.
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