98% of sponsors have told their portfolio company CFOs to prioritize the use of AI in the finance function, but many don’t know where to begin.
Portfolio company CFOs need to accelerate their adoption of AI.
In fact, 99%of PE sponsors say AI adoption within the finance function will be critical to value creation. And the time for AI is now – at least according to sponsors, who have largely been frustrated by portfolio CFO’s slow pace of adoption.
Accordion’s 2025 AI survey report highlights this in three key areas:
- The why behind AI: Sponsors view AI adoption as critical to value creation and exit, with the potential to boost EBITDA, accelerate processes (e.g., reducing days to close by 20–30%), cut costs through automation, and free finance teams to focus on higher-value strategic priorities.
- The what of AI: CFOs have been slow to adopt AI, but 91% of sponsors agree the best current approach is to target market-ready, practical applications—such as close acceleration, cash flow forecasting, liquidity management, and invoice-to-cash—while preparing for AI’s near-term potential to enhance more strategic functions like predictive analytics.
- The when of AI: Sponsors believe the time to invest in AI is now—using market uncertainty and longer hold periods to prepare for future value creation—but many CFOs are unaware of this urgency and remain unsure how or with whom to invest.
Download our 2025 AI survey report to:
- Bridge the AI gap between sponsors and CFOs to drive portfolio value
- Deploy high-impact, market-ready AI use cases for immediate ROI
- Position your finance function to win in a volatile market