Company· ·

E1pi: three years in the making. Today we release it to all.

It did not start as a product. It started as a problem inside our own battery group: USD 150M+ in turnover, 15 companies in more than 12 countries, and five ERPs that did not speak to each other. We built one AI that sits on the ERPs we already ran, and three years on we still run the group on it. Today, the same E1pi is released to all.

Disha Shah
Disha Shah
Product owner · E1pi

It started as a problem, not a product

Three years ago there was no plan for a product. There was a battery group with USD 150M+ in turnover, 15 companies in more than 12 countries, and five ERPs: Tally Prime, SAP, QuickBooks, Zoho Books and a custom SQL system. Each company kept its own books, in its own currency, under its own rules. Nobody saw the whole group at once.

The group E1pi was built in, and still runs every day
USD150M+ Turnover of the group where E1pi was built, and still runs every day
12+ countries Each with its own financial year, currency and trade licence
15 companies Each with its own books, all read live by one E1pi
5 ERPs Tally Prime, SAP, QuickBooks, Zoho Books and a custom SQL system, all read live
Built for ourselves first. These are the numbers E1pi had to work on from day one. The same group runs on it today.

Books in every country, in every format

Every country had its own rules, and every ERP spoke its own language. Four things made month-end what it was:

  • Every country its own rules. Its own financial year, billing in local currency, a full trade licence with its own tax and customs.
  • Each ERP spoke its own language. A P&L from SAP and one from Tally Prime did not even line up.
  • Month-end lived in a spreadsheet. One login per company, numbers re-typed, and nobody saw the whole group at once.
  • Bills were paid without a real check. A hundred-page warehouse bill, or a transport bill, is something nobody has time to read. So it was paid.

We needed one view of the group. Replacing five ERPs in twelve countries was never an option, so the view had to come from the books where they already were, without replacing a single ERP.

One AI on the ERPs we already ran

So we built one AI that sits on the ERPs we already ran. Four things, and they have not changed since:

  • It reads every ERP live. Nothing migrated, nothing synced; every company side by side.
  • The fundamental reports come out in one format. P&L, balance sheet, stock, receivables, payables, drillable to the voucher, whichever ERP is behind them.
  • The back office moved into one chat. Bank statement to vouchers, every bill checked against a checklist, the full set of trade documents from one customer PO, all on Microsoft Teams and WhatsApp.
  • A person approves every step. The AI drafts and checks; a human holds the pen.

It changed the way we worked. Entry became checking, and checking became compliance. We built E1pi with E1pi, every day, and we still run the group on it.

Entry became checking, and checking became compliance.

Three years on one card

The whole story fits on one card, read left to right: where it started, what we built for ourselves, and what is released today.

Where it started, what we built, and what you get today
Where it started Books in every country, in every format
Every country its own rulesOwn financial year · billing in local currency · full trade licence, tax and customs
Each ERP spoke its own languageA P&L from SAP and one from Tally Prime did not even line up
Month-end lived in a spreadsheetOne login per company, numbers re-typed, nobody saw the whole group at once
Bills paid without a real checkHundred-page warehouse bills, transport bills, no time to verify any of it
We needed one view of the group, without replacing a single ERP.
What we built, for ourselves One AI on the ERPs we already ran
Reads every ERP liveNothing migrated or synced; every company side by side
The fundamental reports, one formatP&L, balance sheet, stock, receivables, payables, drillable to the voucher
The back office in one chatBank statement to vouchers · every bill checked · trade documents from one PO · on Teams and WhatsApp
A person approves every stepThe AI drafts and checks; a human holds the pen
It changed the way we worked. Entry became checking; checking became compliance. Built with E1pi itself.
Now: released to all The same E1pi we run, not a lite edition
The same E1pi we runNot a lite edition; self-installs on a Mac or Windows PC in your office
Your data stays at homeBooks, documents and conversations never leave your premises
No new ERP, no migrationSits on the accounting software you already run
Operate it from the app, Teams or WhatsAppReports, approvals and tasks in the chat your team already uses
Connect the ERP you already use; the first report is minutes away.
Built for ourselves first. Now for every business with books.

Now it is released to all

The E1pi released today is the same E1pi we run, not a lite edition. What that means in practice:

  • It self-installs on a Mac or Windows PC in your office. The app installs it next to your accounting software; you watch every command.
  • Your books and documents never leave your premises. The AI reads them where they are and sends only the text a task needs. What is shared with the AI, and what is not, item by item.
  • It sits on the accounting software you already have. Tally Prime, SAP, QuickBooks, Zoho Books or a custom SQL system; nothing to migrate, nothing to sync.
  • Operate it from the app, Microsoft Teams or WhatsApp. Reports, approvals and tasks in the chat your team already uses.

Everything we wrote about in the posts before this one, the Sales and Finance dashboards, the GST input credit checks, Teams and WhatsApp, Wise, is in it from the first day.

Connect the ERP you already use

Download the app for Mac or Windows at e1pi.com/download, connect the ERP you already use, and ask for the P&L. The first report is minutes away. If you would rather see it on your own numbers with one of us first, register at e1pi.com/register and pick a demo slot.

This note was first published on LinkedIn.

Run the business. Let E1pi run the back office. Read more at e1pi.com or open the app at ai.e1pi.com.

In this post