Lessons from the CIO of a top 25 accounting firm on what makes early-stage tech stick.

Enterprise sales isn’t just about getting the attention of a decision-maker—it’s about understanding how they think, how they evaluate new solutions, and what it actually takes to get adoption across a large, risk-aware organization.

In our latest interview, we sat down with Amel Edmond, CIO at Withum, one of the top 25 accounting firms in the U.S., for a wide-ranging conversation that covered everything from GenAI to cybersecurity, from procurement psychology to how CIOs really share intelligence behind the scenes.

Here are some of the most valuable takeaways for early-stage founders looking to break into the enterprise:

🔧 Technology Alone Isn’t Enough—You Need to Upskill the User Base

One of the central themes of the conversation was simple but powerful: “If you’re looking to leverage technology effectively, you have to upskill your end user population.”

Founders often assume that if their product is smart, sleek, or AI-enabled, it will sell itself. But in reality, enterprise buyers are asking: Will our people know how to use this? And if not, how fast can they learn?

In GenAI-driven environments, Amel says the companies best positioned to adopt are those who are building teams of architects—people who can think systemically and design how tools integrate—versus just operators who execute tasks.

If you’re selling into enterprise today, you’re not just selling software. You’re selling transformation—and that means helping the buyer build internal capability, too.

🔐 Cybersecurity Isn’t Just a Line Item—It’s the One Thing Keeping CIOs Up at Night

“It’s a great time to be a fraudster.”

With AI, automation, and remote work opening new vulnerabilities, cybersecurity is top-of-mind in every tech conversation. For founders, this means security can’t be an afterthought or buried in a technical doc. You need to be able to speak confidently about how your platform protects data, manages access, and adapts to evolving threats.

Even if your product isn’t directly security-related, enterprise CIOs like Amel are evaluating everything through that lens.

🤝 CIOs Share Notes—Your Reputation Travels Faster Than You Think

One thing founders often overlook: executive buyers talk to each other. Amel shared that he has a small, trusted circle of other CIOs across industries where they regularly compare notes on platforms, implementation partners, and what’s working (or not).

If you’ve had success—or stumbled—with one large customer, chances are others will hear about it.

This makes relationship-building and post-sale experience critical. Great support, responsiveness, and results won’t just help you renew a contract—they might land you the next one.

🛠️ Build vs. Buy Is About Timing, Not Just Capability

Amel shared a refreshingly honest view on the build vs. buy decision: it’s not always philosophical. It often comes down to:

• How urgent is the need?
• Do we have the internal resources to build?
• Can we afford to wait?

This is valuable context for founders—especially those competing with in-house teams or trying to replace spreadsheets. If you can clearly demonstrate speed to value and low lift for implementation, you increase your odds.

🤖 GenAI in Finance Is Moving Fast—Withum Is Already Running End-to-End AI Audits

Withum is not just experimenting with GenAI—they’re putting it to work.
Amel shared how they partnered with AICPA and Caseware to help launch the Dynamic Audit Solution, to test end-to-end audits using the platform.

This shows just how fast the landscape is shifting—and how receptive enterprise firms are to truly native, AI-first platforms that are purpose-built for the future.

Founders building AI from the ground up—not bolting it on—have a massive opportunity right now.

🎯 Founders: Think Bigger Than Just the Demo

This conversation was more than just a how-to on selling into one firm. It was a blueprint for understanding how modern CIOs evaluate early-stage vendors and how you, as a founder, can build trust, align with enterprise priorities, and drive real adoption.

If you’re selling into mid-market or enterprise today—or building in AI for vertical industries—this is 28 minutes you don’t want to miss.