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Back in high school, one of my first summer jobs was selling insurance to fishermen in Nova Scotia. This article first appeared in Business Review Canada. Lessons Learned from a Serial Software Salesman Back in high school, one of my first summer jobs was selling insurance to fishermen in Nova Scotia. I would literally have to walk down to a fisherman’s dock and try to sell a policy for cash. It wasn’t an easy sell. One thing that always stuck with me was the training program, where the big theme was PMA: positive mental attitude. They had PMA in big letters on a board. That job was a great introduction to sales and running a business because you always face a lot of rejection along the way. Through any adversity, you have to stay positive. I’d say there are three other things any entrepreneur or business leader should keep in mind. 1. Dare to Dream…But Back It Up I wanted to be a rock star, and I dropped out of university to pursue that dream. My friends and I had a band, a record deal and even some airplay, but not a big chart-topping hit. Emotional intelligence can be just as important as intellectual capacity, and we value it as much or more when we’re hiring people. To make ends meet, I ended up selling stereos on Yonge Street in Toronto, and at some point learned that I was in the top 1% of sales reps for the whole chain of electronics stores. My cousin, who worked in computer hardware, suggested software was a growth area. So I bought some PC magazines and talked my way into a job at SoftKey, now most famous as the firm Kevin O’Leary later sold to Mattel. If there’s anything I learned from O’Leary, it’s that he knows how to sell, and he always made sure he had something worth selling. At Vena we offer cloud-based financial software, which can be tough to grasp because people can’t hold it in their hands. That’s why we use case studies, customer videos and other things that give a more tangible sense that we offer something worth buying. When you can back up what you’re selling and be successful at it, you can fund your other dreams, too. Today I have a music studio at home, and I recently began playing live again. Thanks to succeeding in software sales, I still get to pursue my passions. 2. Sales Cures All I see a lot of entrepreneurs not willing to capitalize their business because of the risk of losing equity. My advice is if you’ve got a great idea, don’t try to control it all. In Vena’s early days our thing was, “let’s not worry too much about keeping all our equity; let’s share it with employees and the leadership team.” What was more important to us was to bring a great solution to market, and building a team with a vested interest in making it happen. In a nod to Mark Cuban, our secret sauce has always been our sales-driven culture – that when all else fails, sales cures all. We hire and train our team so everyone in the company can sell our software. Our CTO can sell. Our developers and HR team can sell. Anyone can. And we make sure they can by positioning our product so that it’s more compelling than anything out there. For example, we use Microsoft Excel as the main interface into our software — only Facebook has as many users – so it’s as easy as possible to use. That’s what everyone knows sets us apart, and why we win 70% of our competitive sales cycles. 3. The Best Leaders are Authentic I did go back to school eventually — I got my MBA and focused on areas of leadership that spoke to things like authenticity and emotional intelligence (EQ). That’s had a major influence on my leadership philosophy and developing Vena’s business culture. At Vena, we really wanted to create an environment with transparency as well as a feeling of being part of something special. We don’t put up with negativity. We don’t put up with micromanagers. And we don’t put up with assholes. That emotional intelligence can be just as important as intellectual capacity, and we value it as much or more when we’re hiring people. The thing is, the tech industry is so much different than when I started 30 years ago. The NASDAQ was built on software and tech companies. It’s now a very mature industry and highly competitive. Today’s customers know when you’re selling vaporware or spin, and when you’re offering something of genuine value. On a final note, I’m proud to say that these lessons have paid off, especially here at Vena. We just wrapped up our fifth straight year of triple-digit sales growth, hiring 86 new people over the past 12 months. Vena may be a long way from those fishermen’s docks but, thanks to these lessons, we’re still landing the big fish. Don Mal is the CEO and co-founder of Vena Solutions, offering budgeting, revenue forecasting and reporting software for medium to large sized organizations – all with the full power of Excel. Don co-founded Vena after a more than 20-year career in software sales and sales leadership.

Performance management leader strengthens executive bench, opening new Canadian headquarters to support rapidly growing team This release originally appeared on Marketwired. Performance Management Leader Strengthens Executive Bench, Opening New Canadian Headquarters to Support Rapidly Growing Team. ALBANY, NY & TORONTO, ON – March 8, 2017 – Vena Solutions, the fastest growing provider of cloud-based corporate performance management (CPM) software, today announced new additions to its seasoned executive team, including a chief customer officer, chief people person, chief revenue officer and corporate counsel. Vena also announced its impending move to its new Canadian headquarters in Toronto’s Liberty Village neighborhood to support and inspire its rapidly growing team. “Vena prides itself on our ability to attract world class talent,” said Don Mal, co-founder and CEO of Vena. “Our latest hires are among the best of the best and highlight that our customers and employees are our top priority. We welcome this new bench strength to help propel Vena through our next phase of growth.” Vena’s new hires are another key indicator of the company’s momentum and recently announced record sales growth in 2016. Vena hired 86 new people and increased its product, sales and marketing teams by 60 percent in the last 12 months alone. The company’s newest executive hires are: Debbie Lillitos as chief customer officer: Lillitos will oversee Vena’s client success and development of its customer service initiatives. Most recently, Lillitos was vice president of professional services at Achievers, a leader in employee recognition and rewards software. Tracey Mikita as chief people person: Mikita will oversee employee engagement and the cultivation of Vena’s corporate culture and values. Prior to Vena, Mikita served as vice president of human resources at FreshBooks after progressive HR and leadership roles at Wal-Mart and General Electric. Shawn Cadeau as chief revenue officer: Cadeau will lead sales, marketing and growth initiatives at Vena. Previously, Cadeau was chief marketing officer at FreshBooks and senior vice president of global marketing at Corel Corporation. Gargi Chopra as corporate counsel: Chopra brings to Vena several years of private practice and in-house experience with a specialty in technology law and corporate issues. Previously, Chopra was director of legal at Leonardo Worldwide Corporation, a SaaS firm serving the global hospitality industry. In conjunction with the company’s record employee growth, Vena also announced its new Canadian headquarters, located in the heart of Liberty Village – Toronto’s tech and innovation hub. The new space will provide additional capacity to support, encourage collaboration and inspire the company’s rapidly growing team, with highlights including: Over 27,000 square feet of open concept office space. A historic building with exposed brick and beam architecture. Maximum natural lighting and 25-foot ceilings throughout the office. Two rooftop patios for private work or impromptu meetings. Stocked kitchens, private washrooms, showers, recreation areas and more. “We’re thrilled with the results of all the hard work that went into Vena’s new Canadian headquarters,” said George Papayiannis, co-founder and CTO of Vena Solutions. “From the character and emotion the building evokes, to the informal breakout areas, we designed every detail to give our growing team an inspiring place to do what they love.” For more information visit: Vena’s Website @VenaSolutions on Twitter Vena on LinkedIn About Vena Solutions Vena turns Excel into an enterprise-class business solution with a centralized database, workflow, detailed audit trail and more. With Vena, hundreds of leading global brands now get trusted numbers and insights – fast – with their favorite spreadsheet software. Our customers use Vena for corporate performance management (CPM) applications including budgeting, financial close management and reporting, and automating other spreadsheet-driven processes beyond Finance. Vena is the fastest growing cloud CPM vendor, and the only one to embrace – not replace – Excel spreadsheets. Visit us at www.venasolutions.com. Media Contacts Danielle Salvato-Earl Kulesa Faul for Vena Solutions (650) 922-7287 vena@kulesafaul.com Michael A. Corcoran Kulesa Faul for Vena Solutions (650) 922-7287 vena@kulesafaul.com

Corporate performance management vendor doubles software revenues for fifth consecutive year This release originally appeared on Marketwired. Corporate Performance Management Vendor Doubles Software Revenues for Fifth Consecutive Year ALBANY, NY and TORONTO, ON – March 2, 2017 – Vena Solutions, the fastest growing provider of cloud-based corporate performance management (CPM) software, closed a record 2016 with software revenues doubling year over year. Beyond the company’s growth, Vena also raised a major round of funding, earned new industry awards and accolades, and added hundreds of new customers including White Castle, FirstService Corporation and Air Transport Services Group. “Vena is proud to wrap up 2016 with record numbers and growing market leadership, and we look forward to continuing this momentum moving forward,” said Don Mal, CEO of Vena Solutions. “Vena’s approach to embracing Excel continues to be validated by customers and industry analysts alike, and our commitment to customer success is evident in the recognition we consistently earn for industry-leading customer satisfaction.” Vena embraces Excel to automate financial processes such as budgeting, planning and forecasting, with enterprise-grade features including workflow, data management and a centralized cloud database. Unlike traditional solutions that try to replace Excel with rigid, hard to use software, Vena is the easiest way for finance professionals to get trusted insights – fast. “Vena leverages Excel to promote adoption and usability, helping its customers experience a shorter payback period, improved productivity and a significantly reduced learning curve,” said Anne Moxie, senior analyst at Nucleus Research. “To CPM customers, this should be an attractive value proposition in getting their teams to actually use applications in order to experience a positive ROI. We expect that Vena will continue to rapidly attract and retain customers as one of the fastest growing companies in the market.” In 2016, Vena secured $30 million in funding, led by Centana Growth Partners, a private equity firm that invests in high growth companies in financial services, financial technology and related enterprise technology areas. Vena raised the funds to grow the company’s product, sales and marketing teams, and further accelerate the company’s growth rate. “These results show precisely why we’re so pleased to be working with the team at Vena, and how they’re putting our investment to work,” said Eric Byunn, partner at Centana Growth Partners. “We backed Vena not only because of its fit with our focus on the financial services ecosystem, but also the tremendous growth potential we see in enterprise-grade software like Vena that is familiar, intuitive and easy to use.” Additional Vena 2016 milestones: Named to the Deloitte Fast 500 as one of the fastest-growing tech firms in North America. Named the top-rated CPM vendor in customer satisfaction by business technology review site TrustRadius. Recognized by leading industry analysts as a CPM market leader by Nucleus Research and a Core Vendor and a leader in customer satisfaction in the CPM market by BPM Partners. Expanded its growing network of global, strategic partners across four continents, including the Commonwealth Trade Initiative to connect with customers and partners across 53 member countries. Achieved “Built for NetSuite” status, taking part in the NetSuite SuiteCloud Developer Network (SDN) partner program. For more information visit: Vena’s Website @VenaSolutions on Twitter Vena on LinkedIn Vena Blog About Vena Solutions Vena turns Excel into an enterprise-class business solution with a centralized database, workflow, detailed audit trail and more. With Vena, hundreds of leading global brands now get trusted numbers and insights – fast – with their favorite spreadsheet software. Our customers use Vena for corporate performance management (CPM) applications including budgeting, financial close management and reporting, and automating other spreadsheet-driven processes beyond Finance. Vena is the fastest growing cloud CPM vendor, and the only one to embrace – not replace – Excel spreadsheets. Visit us at www.venasolutions.com. Media Contacts Danielle Salvato-Earl Kulesa Faul for Vena Solutions (650) 922-7287 vena@kulesafaul.com Michael A. Corcoran Kulesa Faul for Vena Solutions (650) 922-7287 vena@kulesafaul.com

Originally published on the Boomi Blog: Dell Boomi and Vena Solutions have created a new connector to integrate Vena’s Excel-based corporate performance management (CPM) software with Boomi’s growing network of more than 200 enterprise applications and 1,000 endpoints. The Vena unified software platform automates your financial, accounting and business processes that build on your existing spreadsheets – templates, reports and more – with a fully functional Excel interface. With the Boomi connector, customers can easily integrate Vena existing source systems and enterprise applications in a fraction of the time it would take to build a custom ETL (extract, transform, load) connector. Integrating Excel Flexibility with Enterprise Systems Vena offers a CPM solution that closes the gap between Excel and the functionality of traditional options. Vena is cost-effective, user-friendly and easy to implement. It ties the power and flexibility of Excel to a secure, centrally managed application. While other solutions replace existing spreadsheets with rigid applications, Vena’s web-based software leverages your spreadsheets so you can experience the best of both worlds with no compromises. Whether connecting Vena to other cloud or on-premise general ledger (GL) and ERP systems, the Boomi data connector provides a point-and-click tool and library of pre-built connectors that you can quickly and easily configure, run and manage – all without IT’s involvement. Learn more about how Boomi can help all your data and applications work better together.

Powerful keynotes, CPE training and new product announcements among VenaNOLA highlights This release originally appeared on Marketwired. Powerful Keynotes, CPE Training and New Product Announcements among VenaNOLA Highlights ALBANY, NY– (Marketwired – Jan 17, 2017) – Vena Solutions, the fastest growing provider of cloud-based corporate performance management (CPM) software, today unveiled details of VenaNOLA, its 2017 users’ conference. The event takes place May 17-19 in New Orleans and includes keynotes by industry influencer Nick Castellina, vice president and principal analyst at Aberdeen Group, and local hero Lt. General Russel L. Honoré, leader of relief efforts in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. “We are thrilled to announce VenaNOLA and can’t wait to host a top-notch event that’s both compelling and fun-filled,” said Don Mal, CEO of Vena Solutions. “New Orleans is a world-class destination and as the Big Easy, it’s a fitting location given Vena’s renowned ease of use.” “We’ve been an enthusiastic Vena client for a couple of years now, and we’ve really been looking forward to an opportunity like this,” said Jessica Karsies, financial analyst at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices. “It’s shaping up to be a great forum to share ideas and learn from each other… and to get even more value from Vena.” The VenaNOLA agenda consists of keynotes, CPE-accredited educational seminars, customer panels, one-on-one strategy sessions and more. The conference kicks off with an optional day of training on May 17, with two distinct tracks for new and power users. For the full agenda, visit www.venausersconference.com. “We’ve carefully designed the program with all our users in mind,” added Mal. “With opportunities to network and learn from peers and industry influencers, participants will walk away with best practices and lessons they can apply as soon as they return to the office.” Details at a glance: What: VenaNOLA 2017 (Vena Users’ Conference) When: May 17-19, 2017 Where: Royal Sonesta New Orleans How: Register online at www.venausersconference.com Early Bird Prize: Register by Jan. 31 for a chance to win an Apple Watch For more information visit: VenaNOLA 2017 #VenaNOLA on Twitter Vena on LinkedIn Vena Voice Blog About Vena Solutions Vena turns Excel into an enterprise-class business solution with a centralized database, workflow, detailed audit trail and more. With Vena, hundreds of leading global brands now get trusted numbers and insights — fast — without sacrificing their favorite spreadsheet software. Our customers use Vena for corporate performance management (CPM) applications including budgeting, financial close management and reporting, and automating other spreadsheet-driven processes beyond Finance. Vena is the fastest growing cloud CPM vendor, and the only one to embrace – not replace – Excel spreadsheets. Visit us at www.venasolutions.com.

“Today, when every organization can be a tech company, the most effective businesses not only foster… Continue Reading Deloitte Names Vena Solutions One of North America’s Fastest Growing… “Today, when every organization can be a tech company, the most effective businesses not only foster the courage to explore change, but also encourage creativity in using and applying existing assets in new ways, as resourcefully as possible,” said Anders McKenzie, Technology, Media and Telecommunications Managing Partner for Deloitte. November 16, 2016 (Albany NY) — Vena Solutions, the fastest growing provider of cloud-based corporate performance management (CPM) software, is proud to announce it has been named one of North America’s fastest growing technology companies in the 2016 Deloitte Technology Fast 500 awards program. Deloitte’s Technology Fast 500 program celebrates fastest-growing technology, media, and telecommunications companies in the United States and Canada based on percentage revenue growth over three years. Vena’s CEO Don Mal attributes Vena’s growth to the company’s commitment to its customers, and its ‘embrace Excel’ approach that targets a rapidly growing market for CPM solutions. “Our success stems from a customer-first approach, and a solution that works the way our customers think,” said Mal. Vena’s Excel-based approach to financial, accounting and other mission-critical processes helps organizations eliminate the risks and inefficiencies of using Excel as a standalone application. The company leverages companies’ existing Excel investments with the addition of enterprise-grade functionality including: Workflow automation Version control A centralized database of performance data Detailed audit trails Dashboard reporting, and more “We understand the importance of meeting our customer’s business needs and – just as critically – making their lives easier,” added Mal. “Today, when every organization can be a tech company, the most effective businesses not only foster the courage to explore change, but also encourage creativity in using and applying existing assets in new ways, as resourcefully as possible,” said Anders McKenzie, Technology, Media and Telecommunications Managing Partner for Deloitte. “This ingenious approach to innovation calls for the encouragement of curiosity and collaboration both within and outside the office walls.” About Deloitte’s 2016 Technology Fast 500™ Technology Fast 500™ provides a ranking of the fastest growing technology, media, telecommunications, life sciences and energy tech companies – both public and private – in North America. Technology Fast 500 award winners are selected based on percentage fiscal year revenue growth from 2012 to 2015. About Vena Solutions (www.venasolutions.com) Vena turns Excel into an enterprise-class business solution with a centralized database, workflow, detailed audit trail and more. With Vena, hundreds of leading global brands now get trusted numbers and insights – fast – without sacrificing the investments they’ve made in Excel templates, models and reports. Our customers use Vena for corporate performance management (CPM) applications including budgeting, financial close management, reporting, and automating other spreadsheet-driven processes across and beyond finance. Vena is the fastest growing cloud CPM vendor, and the only one to embrace – not replace – Excel spreadsheets. Media Contact Michael A. Corcoran mcorcoran@venasolutions.com (416) 529-5709 The post Deloitte Names Vena Solutions One of North America’s Fastest Growing Companies appeared first on Vena Solutions.

Scores in usability, cohesiveness and cloud/SaaS strategy criteria help Vena earn a “Strong Performer” status in latest top-tier analyst report This release originally appeared on PRWeb. Scores in usability, cohesiveness and cloud/SaaS strategy criteria help Vena earn a “Strong Performer” status in latest top-tier analyst report October 6, 2016 (Albany, NY) – Vena Solutions, the fastest growing provider of cloud-based corporate performance management (CPM) software, is proud to announce that Forrester Research has named it a Strong Performer in The Forrester Wave™: Enterprise Performance Management report for 2016. Forrester surveyed more than 40 enterprise performance management (EPM) user companies for the report. The company identified the 10 most significant providers and then evaluated them based on 36 criteria. Forrester named Vena a Strong Performer and gave it the highest scores possible in criteria including: Usability: based on consistency, simplicity, clear navigation, visual elements, task guidance, Excel compatibility and home screen; Cohesiveness: a seamless product set built on a single architecture; Cloud/SaaS Strategy: based on making SaaS the business strategy for all EPM offerings, with SaaS driving product development and innovation without the coexistence constraints of legacy products. “More than anything, we’re delighted to receive the highest possible scores from our customer references,” said Don Mal, CEO of Vena Solutions. “Following reports from Nucleus Research, BPM Partners, Trust Radius and other impartial sources, it’s clear to us that we’re setting the standard for an intuitive, easy to use and well-supported business solution based on everyone’s favorite spreadsheet software.” “Vena is a SaaS-only EPM platform that leverages the ubiquity of Microsoft Excel as its primary user experience…,” explained the report. “A recent round of funding should help the company strengthen its market presence and execute its product and technical road maps more quickly.” “Vena is a good choice for medium-size and large companies looking for a flexible SaaS finance-driven EPM solution with rapid time-to-value,” the Forrester report added. To learn more, download the full Forrester Wave report. About Vena Solutions (www.venasolutions.com) Vena turns Excel into an enterprise-class business solution with a centralized database, workflow, detailed audit trail and more. With Vena, hundreds of leading global brands now get trusted numbers and insights – fast – without sacrificing the investments they’ve made in Excel templates, models and reports. Our customers use Vena for corporate performance management (CPM) applications including budgeting, financial close management, reporting, and automating other spreadsheet-driven processes across and beyond finance. Vena is the fastest growing cloud CPM vendor, and the only one to embrace – not replace – Excel spreadsheets. Media Contact: Michael Corcoran (416) 529-5709 mcorcoran@venasolutions.com

Centana Growth Partners leads latest round of funding to sustain Vena’s triple digit growth rate. This release originally appeared on PRWeb. Centana Growth Partners leads latest round of funding to sustain Vena’s triple digit growth rate. July 25, 2016 (Toronto, ON) – Vena Solutions, the fastest growing provider of cloud-based corporate performance management (CPM) software, is proud to announce it has raised approximately $30 million in funding led by Centana Growth Partners. Vena is an award-winning company – recognized for its rapid growth and consistent leadership in customer satisfaction – that turns Excel into an enterprise-class platform to automate financial and other spreadsheet-driven processes across organizations. Centana is a growth equity firm based in Silicon Valley and New York that invests in sustainable, high growth firms serving the financial services ecosystem. “We’ve accomplished more in five years than our competitors took a decade or more to do,” said Don Mal, CEO of Vena Solutions. “Having just wrapped up our largest sales quarter to date, we’re well on our way to meeting our growth plans for 2016.” “Vena fits squarely into our sweet spot for investments, combining an impressive track record of rapid customer growth – including many financial institutions and other enterprises – with solid, sustainable growth opportunities,” said Eric Byunn, Partner at Centana Growth Partners. “What’s more, we believe they have just scratched the surface by automating not just financial, accounting and regulatory reporting functions, but any spreadsheet-driven process across enterprise organizations.” Vena will use the proceeds of this round to accelerate its industry leading growth rate, including: Building on a five-year track record of more than 100% yearly growth in global customers and annual recurring revenue (ARR); Investing general operating capital in product development, partnerships, professional services, sales and marketing, and more; Significantly expanding its team across its worldwide offices – already spanning four continents. “Our bread and butter has traditionally been automating budgeting, planning and forecasting processes, but the long term opportunities for Vena are immense,” said Mal. “Just think of the vital role spreadsheets continue to play in virtually every department, company and industry today.” KPMG Corporate Finance served as exclusive financial advisor to Vena for this round of funding. About Vena Solutions (www.venasolutions.com) Vena turns Excel into an enterprise-class business solution with a centralized database, workflow, detailed audit trail and more. With Vena, hundreds of leading global brands now get trusted numbers and insights – fast – without sacrificing the investments they’ve made in Excel templates, models and reports. Our customers use Vena for corporate performance management (CPM) applications including budgeting, financial close management, reporting, and automating other spreadsheet driven processes across and beyond finance. Vena is the fastest growing cloud CPM vendor to embrace – not replace – Excel spreadsheets. About Centana Growth Partners (www.centanagrowth.com) Centana Growth Partners is a growth equity firm that provides capital to rapidly growing companies in the financial services ecosystem, including businesses which operate in the financial services, financial technology and related enterprise technology areas, in order to accelerate or sustain their growth. Centana’s principals have decades of experience working with successful companies in these sectors, as well as a strategic network ideal for helping companies seeking to sell into the financial services ecosystem. Centana Growth Partners has offices in New York and Menlo Park. Media Contact: Michael Corcoran (416) 529-5709 mcorcoran@venasolutions.com

Emerg Master wins Kiss My App contest sponsored by Vena Solutions. June 28, 2016 (Toronto,… Continue Reading High School Students Nab $10,000 in National Mobile App Contest The post High School… Emerg Master wins Kiss My App contest sponsored by Vena Solutions. June 28, 2016 (Toronto, ON) – Vena Solutions, the fastest growing provider of cloud-based corporate performance management (CPM) software, is proud to congratulate the team of two 15-year olds behind Emerg Master, the winner of this year’s Kiss My App national mobile healthcare app contest for students. A panel of expert judges from the healthcare and technology sectors named Emerg Master the winner of the contest, open to high school, post-secondary and post-grad students from across the country. Now in its third year, Kiss My App is hosted by the Central West Community Care Access Centre, Headwaters Health Care Centre and William Osler Health System. As the presenting sponsor, Vena Solutions will present the winning team with their $10,000 grand prize at the official app launch today at Etobicoke General Hospital. “We’re very proud to support the contest and especially the winning team,” said Don Mal, CEO of Vena Solutions. “If these students produced this app in high school, I can only imagine what they’ll be doing in the next 3-5 years.” Emerg Master was developed by grade 9 students Caius Dobson and Jacob Luxton from Grey Highlands Secondary School in Flesherton, Ontario. Featuring interactive characters and gaming elements, the app was designed to help patients more easily navigate through emergency departments and community care services. “The ingenuity, determination and passion demonstrated by our winning team is nothing short of inspirational,” said Susan deRyk, Joint Vice-President, Service Quality and Community Relations with the hosting organizations. “We look forward to using the app to help transform the patient experience across our organizations.” “At Vena, we know first-hand how valuable and influential our youngest team members can be,” added Mal. They’re clearly not just the leaders of tomorrow, but already the innovators of today.” Emerg Master will be available for free download on Google Play as of today’s launch. For more information on the contest, including news releases, photos and videos, please visit www.kissmyapp.ca. About Vena Solutions (www.venasolutions.com) Vena turns Excel into an enterprise-class business solution with a centralized database, workflow, detailed audit trail and more. With Vena, hundreds of leading global brands now get trusted numbers and insights – fast – without sacrificing the investments they’ve made in Excel templates, models and reports. Our customers use Vena for corporate performance management (CPM) applications including budgeting, financial close management, reporting, and automating other spreadsheet driven processes across and beyond finance. Vena is the fastest growing cloud CPM vendor, and the only one to embrace – not replace – Excel spreadsheets. Media Contact: Michael Corcoran (416) 529-5709 mcorcoran@venasolutions.co The post High School Students Nab $10,000 in National Mobile App Contest appeared first on Vena Solutions.

Excel interface drives highest customer satisfaction ranking for solutions administrators. June 14, 2016 (Albany, NY) – Vena… Continue Reading Vena Solutions Earns Top Marks for Customer… Excel interface drives highest customer satisfaction ranking for solutions administrators. June 14, 2016 (Albany, NY) – Vena Solutions, the fastest growing provider of cloud-based corporate performance management (CPM) software, is proud to announce that BPM Partners has named the company a Core Vendor and leader in customer satisfaction in the CPM market. In its 2016 Pulse of Performance Management Survey, the renowned research firm gave Vena top marks for customer satisfaction, and the highest satisfaction score (4.5 out of 5.0) for solutions administrators. The BPM report comes on the heels of the 2016 CPM Value Matrix from Nucleus Research, which named Vena a market leader alongside industry giants including IBM, Oracle and SAP. Combined, the two reports illustrate Vena’s growing reputation for customer satisfaction, industry-leading growth and the functionality and usability of its performance management solutions. “With our success a direct function of our customers’ satisfaction, we’re delighted to receive such high scores from those very customers,” said Don Mal, CEO of Vena Solutions. “Given the importance of administrators in the performance management process, we’re particularly thrilled that Vena got their top stamp of approval.” The primary driver behind Vena’s leadership – and its main competitive advantage – is its use of native Excel as an interface into companies’ performance management data. The company credits Excel’s familiarity, flexibility and widespread use for the high adoption and rapid implementation of its solutions. “These results clearly validate our decision to embrace Excel as the best way to drive user satisfaction and adoption,” added Mal. “We’ve been watching Vena’s rapid growth trajectory over the past few years so we’re not surprised at their high satisfaction ratings,” said Craig Schiff, President and CEO of BPM Partners. “By building a cloud-based performance management solution around Excel, it was inevitable that users – and especially administrators – would find Vena easy-to-use, both inside and beyond the finance department.” About Vena Solutions (www.venasolutions.com) Vena turns Excel into an enterprise-class business solution with a centralized database and features including workflow, version control and a detailed audit trail. With Vena, hundreds of leading global brands now get trusted numbers and insights – fast – without sacrificing the significant investments they’ve already made in Excel templates, models and templates. They use Vena for corporate performance management (CPM) applications including budgeting, forecasting, financial close and reporting, in addition to managing business drivers and KPIs outside of finance. Vena is the fastest growing cloud CPM vendor, and the only one to embrace – not replace – Excel spreadsheets. About BPM Partners (www.bpmpartners.com) BPM Partners is the leading independent authority on business performance management (BPM) and related business intelligence solutions. The company helps organizations address their budgeting, planning, financial reporting, regulatory compliance, profitability optimization, key performance indicator (KPI) development, and operational performance challenges with vendor-neutral experts who can guide companies through their BPM initiatives from start to finish while both reducing risk and minimizing costs. Follow BPM Partners on Twitter @BPMTeam. The post Vena Solutions Earns Top Marks for Customer Satisfaction in BPM Pulse of Performance Management Survey appeared first on Vena Solutions.