Aurora (NASDAQ: AUR) is a publicly traded technology company building the future of autonomous freight and transportation. With a mission to deliver the benefits of self-driving technology safely, quickly, and broadly, Aurora combines advanced software, hardware, and AI to develop scalable solutions for autonomous vehicles. As the company accelerated its commercialization efforts, Aurora’s finance function needed to mature alongside it.
Transportation, Software Development
3000+
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Four years ago, the FP&A team at Aurora, began with a blank tab in Google Sheets. As one of the company’s first finance hires, Justin Victor, the Senior Manager of FP&A had the monumental task of building everything from scratch: actuals processes, budgeting and forecasting cycles, executive reporting, and operational dashboards.
“We were stitching everything together manually—across whatever tools other departments were using,” Victor explained. “We built a system that worked, but it was duct-taped. Eventually, it couldn’t keep up with the pace or complexity of the business.”
As Aurora prepared for commercialization and increased reporting obligations as a public company, it became clear that FP&A needed a modern planning platform—one that could unify financial data, scale with the business, and unlock more strategic work.
Aurora embarked on a formal vendor evaluation process, considering solutions like Planful and Pigment. Planful presented a lower price point, but feedback from trusted advisors raised red flags about its legacy limitations and declining investment.
Pigment introduced the team to TwinSix, and the impact was immediate. “Pigment wasn’t just a better tool—it was on a completely different level.”
In Victor’s words: “Planful was like a wrapper on a spreadsheet. Pigment was like going from a car to a helicopter.”
Led by a former head of FP&A and top-tier implementers, TwinSix helped Aurora transform their finance function by replacing manual processes with a powerful, connected Pigment solution.
“They gave us the A-team,” said the Victor. “We finished on time, on budget, and I was able to train the rest of my team myself.”
One key to success? Focus.
“The biggest mistake companies make is assigning implementation as a side project. I was dedicated full-time—and that made all the difference.”
The learning curve was real but worthwhile: “Once you push through the hard part, the power you unlock is incredible. Pigment lets you do things you just can’t do anywhere else.”
Before Pigment, consolidating forecasts or refreshing dashboards could take anywhere from one to eight hours. With Pigment, it’s instant.
“It’s just live. You open it, and the data’s there. That alone saved us countless hours.”
The results: Real-time FP&A, better business partnership, and time to think. With Pigment fully adopted, the FP&A team now operates at an entirely new level:
The time savings have enabled the team to shift from reactive reporting to proactive business partnering. “We’re no longer locked away in the shadows. We’re out engaging with teams, helping them solve problems, guiding strategic decisions.”
Today, 100% of FP&A operations at Aurora run through Pigment—from headcount planning to cash forecasting and reporting to investor relations. “We feel like a real company now,” said the FP&A lead, quoting messages from their President and CEO. “That was the biggest proof of value.”
Business partners have taken notice too. “They’re surprised by what we can now show them: job level mix, geography mix, forecast versus budget—all sliced and diced in real time.”
Perhaps most impressively, Aurora managed this transition while simultaneously improving upstream data quality from systems like Netsuite and Workday. “Pigment gets a lot of credit, but it’s part of a broader finance transformation. The difference is: Pigment allows us to scale that transformation efficiently and visibly.”
Throughout the implementation and beyond, TwinSix stood out not just for their technical expertise, but for their strategic partnership. TwinSix didn’t just deliver a functional tool. They unlocked a future-ready FP&A team. With deep Pigment expertise, real-world finance experience, and a track record of execution, TwinSix has become a trusted partner.
“Working with TwinSix was incredible—super professional, always accessible. The team helped us make the right decisions upfront. We’d absolutely work with TwinSix again.”
Asked what they would tell another company evaluating Pigment and TwinSix?
“It was the right tool, the right team, and the right moment for us.”
Whether you’re moving off spreadsheets, legacy platforms, or just looking to elevate your finance strategy—let’s talk.
Get in touch with us at TwinSix
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