Meet the winner of the E-Invoicing Award 2023
Cedric, you won this years E-Invoicing Award. Could you introduce yourself?
My name is Cedric Neve. I am the founder and CEO of Digiteal. Most of the companies providing PEPPOL connectivity are either specialised in integration with a large offering linked to transformation and connectivity to multiple networks or they are providing solutions to cover their own needs as a large ERP for example. Digiteal is operating differently. We are a Fintech that provides services to present invoices electronically, a payment service provider and a company enabling real-time access to bank statements. Together, those services can enable a full invoice to cash process through the sending of the invoice, its collection and the reconciliation in the bank statements.
Why did you enter the competition?
We are strong believers of European standards and of the network effect. We felt like we had something different to propose to the market that can speed up the adoption of PEPPOL and enable companies to be more efficient. This competition was a good way to talk about our value proposition and to further promote PEPPOL.
What was the case you entered?
We explained in our case presentation how we are addressing the market through both direct integrations by big invoice issuers but also medium and small companies through partners. Our approach is purely on the standard (PEPPOL) that we wish to become a commodity so that all exchanges can be fully automated from the ordering to the final invoicing. We also believe that what started as a B2G initiative and that is now advancing in the B2B space will then evolve to even include B2C document exchanges.
What had winning the Award meant for you and Digiteal?
We are very grateful to the organisers of the conference and the sponsors for this award. It comes as a recognition of our work to further promote the PEPPOL standard and to accelerate its deployments. We also recognise that through this award, our team, our partners and all the participants in the network are encouraged to improve their e-invoicing processes through more automation.
What advice would you give financial professionals to further their digitisation journey?
Today, the challenge is not digitisation anymore. Most of the invoices are sent through digital channels already. The challenge is improved efficiency and regulatory compliance through electronic channels. My advice to companies of all sizes would be to take advantage today of the solutions that will enable them to spend less time manually processing orders, preparing invoices, processing those invoices and performing the associated payments. There are solutions provided by our partners that they can activate right away. The prices are small and the improved efficiency makes it a great investment with immediate returns. The compliance with the regulatory requirements are just an additional reason but the true reason to get this done now is to start saving now !
Cedric Neve, congratulations to you and Digiteal for winning the E-Invoicing Award 2023. We will return on 22 October 2024 to host and present the E-Invoicing Award 2024. If you would like to enter the competition, sign up for our newsletter below to be kept informed. Untill next year!