Sponsored article: Even if accounting, business taxation, and mergers/acquisitions are not your cup of tea, take a few minutes to discover Orbiss; you might be a pleasant surprise.
When we met Laurence Ruiz in San Francisco, one of the founders of Orbiss, we discovered an accounting firm of a slightly different kind.
Created in early 2020 in New York, the company results from the professional encounter between Yoann Brugière, the tax specialist, Laurence Ruiz, the chartered accountant, Marc Trost the specialist in mergers and acquisitions, and Jenny Le Doridour, a specialist in accounting automation.
They met and appreciated each other professionally while working in different companies until they came to the obvious: why not start a firm and work with clients according to clearly articulated common values.
From the beginning of our conversation, Laurence Ruiz mentions:
“All the decisions taken by the partners are made by keeping our values in perspective. It goes from the duration of parental leave for employees to the choice of partners recommended to our customers; our decisions pass through the same filters.”
In a nutshell, this is how the values are articulated in this start-up dedicated to numbers:
- Commitment to quality of service: For instance, Orbiss undertakes to respond to its customers within 48 hours. The firm uses best-in-class accounting and tax monitoring tools to save time and optimize customer relations.
- Transparency in partnerships: There is no question for them of receiving kickbacks from service providers that they could recommend to their customers. Although it is done frequently in the industry, Orbiss only charges their fees and only recommends the services of partners if they have tested and validated them beforehand.
- Respect for employees through horizontal management: Laurence insists, “If we do not find common ground initially, we continue the dialogue and adapt.“
After only two years, this way of working is paying off! The company has 25 employees and offices in New York, Boston, and San Francisco.
Orbiss customers are mainly – but not exclusively – French companies who want to settle in the United States to develop an existing business.
Some set up a subsidiary in the United States; others move their headquarters from Europe or Canada to the USA. Cases vary in both nature and size of business, but Orbiss’ motto is to help its customers grow. Among the companies that work with them are Swapcard, Convelio, EGG Events…
“We help French companies come or grow their business in the United States“
and Laurence adds, “our core target is a start-up that has raised between 5 and 200 million, but we have many other profiles. ”
From a more specific viewpoint, they offer different aspects of accounting, including opening bank accounts, benefits for employees, and above all, processes automation.
As Laurence points out, “We are not doing data entry. Today, accounting also consists of choosing the best tools so that processes are optimized and integrated on a platform that 
can be leveraged by all people involved.”
On the tax side, the company claims to be the best when it comes to advising the management team of a French start-up that intends to raise funds in the United States.
Each situation is unique, and expertise must be at its maximum in this case. If Orbiss has snowballed in two years, it is in particular thanks to word of mouth. Is there any better communication tool than an entrepreneur satisfied with his tax specialist!
Finally, carrying out a merger acquisition requires due diligence. Here is where the cultural and language barrier comes in line. For Orbiss’ clients, speaking the same language as their advisors is a real plus.
In many cases, considering a takeover involves integrating existing teams. The fact that the founding partners of Orbiss are French but have lived in the United States for several years, is a real asset.
Case in point, when we ask Laurence what value is most sought after by the entrepreneurs who call on them, she replies without hesitation, “Although you can’t learn it from the numbers, companies ask our help on apprehending the American culture to manage a business. We help them put things into the local context.”
It seems that Orbiss is helping to dust off the accounting firm’s image.
