“Take all customer feedback seriously, even if it doesn’t validate your original thesis. Try not to have biases!”
Meet Michelle Liao, co-founder of Day Zero, on a mission to deliver the simplest accounting platform for eCommerce brands and small businesses. Let’s just call her The QuickBooks Killer…!
Michelle Liao knows firsthand the financial challenges eCommerce brands face. As a Wharton alumna with a background in investment banking, private equity, and financial operations for eCommerce brands, she saw a major gap in the market: small businesses struggling with outdated accounting systems. While managing finance and operations for 15 Shopify brands at an aggregator, Michelle encountered constant frustrations with QuickBooks — its poor integrations, lack of granular financial data, and manual reconciliation made it difficult to get the numbers needed for budgeting and decision-making. After speaking with over 300 Shopify business owners facing the same challenges, she saw a clear opportunity to create a better solution.
That realization led her and co-founder and fellow Wharton alumna Julia Talmachyov to build a better alternative, one that could eliminate accounting bottlenecks and empower business owners with instant access to their financial data.. In 2023 they launched DayZero, a cutting-edge vertical software platform designed to streamline accounting for small and medium-sized businesses.
Today, DayZero is helping founders take control of their finances with automated accounting, real-time reporting, and collaboration features that make financial management seamless. For Michelle, the goal is simple: give founders the tools they need to make smarter financial decisions, scale their businesses, and focus on growth without getting bogged down by bookkeeping.
When she’s not revolutionizing eCommerce finance, Michelle is likely training for her next triathlon or exploring new destinations. Her resilience and problem-solving mindset make her a standout entrepreneur, and her journey with DayZero is just getting started.
Tell us a bit about your company
DayZero is a clean, modern and automated accounting general ledger (Quickbooks replacement), built specifically for small businesses. DayZero’s AI tags and routes transactions for a fraction of the price of a human bookkeeper and gives small businesses three statement financials that update 5x / day in a simple, modern format.
What is your funding stage?
Angel / crowdsourced / pre-seed
What inspired you to start your business — what opportunity in the market are you seeking to address?
I experienced the pain of small business accounting firsthand when running M&A for an e-commerce aggregator. When I was diligencing small businesses for acquisition, oftentimes their financials in Quickbooks were done incorrectly and outdated. That inspired the need to create a modern, automated accounting ledger that utilized AI to tag and route transactions for small business owners, so they could stay hands free and focus on growth while always having up to date financial information.
In 2024, most small businesses only receive their financials 15 days after month end when their accountant closes their books, which means they are making today’s decisions using yesterday’s outdated information.
DayZero creates financial statements that update and reconcile daily so business owners always have the most up to date information and can run their businesses more effectively.
What is it about your personal background, experience, or perspective that fuels your passion for this venture?
Co-Founder Julia Tolmachyov (W’18) and I both studied finance and accounting at Wharton and worked on Wall Street before starting DayZero. I ran M&A at an e-commerce aggregator, where I was both diligencing small businesses for acquisition as well as managing the finances of her acquired companies. I realized that most small businesses today do not have updated financial information, and that there were many things wrong with existing accounting general ledger softwares.
What are one or two of the biggest wins or most encouraging experiences you’ve had so far?
Raising a round of pre-seed funding over the summer as well as getting our first 50 paying customers!
How can the WAFFA community help you?
We are always looking for new partners as well as customers!
What has been the most rewarding thing about starting your own business?
Getting to work with my best friend everyday!
And more from SuperAngel.Fund:
What piece of advice would you give an entrepreneur starting a business today?
Julia: Don’t try to do everything yourself, even though you are going to want to. Ask for help, and outsource certain tasks that others can do better and faster. Your time is incredibly valuable.
Michelle: Make sure you have intimate knowledge of the pain point and the problem you’re trying to solve. And take all customer feedback seriously, even if it doesn’t validate your original thesis. Try not to have biases!
What do you believe is the most important skill or attribute of a successful founder?
Julia: Being able to distinguish between high value and low value tasks and being able to make fast decisions with imperfect information.
Michelle: Resilience and thick skin. You’re going to hear “no” a lot — from investors, customers and potential employees. You’ve got to have the grit to keep going through setbacks.
Learn more about DayZero here, and connect with Michelle here.
This article is published solely for informational purposes and has no regard to the specific investment objectives, financial situation or particular needs of any person or entity. The information is not intended to constitute, and should not be construed as, investment advice. Please seek your own independent financial advice and do your own research in regards to any partnership or investment opportunities.
