SWARM Engineering saved a full headcount with Brex automation

Managing an inefficient, fragmented tech stack

Michael Robinson serves as COO at SWARM Engineering, managing finance, accounting, legal, HR, banking, treasury, tax, and insurance. When he joined the company a couple of years ago, he inherited a chaotic financial infrastructure that was costing the company time, money, and efficiency. "We relied on several disconnected platforms,” Michael explains. “One for bill pay, another for employee reimbursements, two separate banks, and an additional accounting system. None of them integrated seamlessly, and we lacked any treasury or vault-like capabilities. This fragmented setup created substantial operational headaches and limited our ability to manage funds efficiently."

The fragmented setup created significant operational friction. "Managing all these systems separately meant repeatedly navigating different approval processes and login requirements, and none offered a unified workflow," says Michael. The company was using Bill.com for bill pay, Expensify for employee reimbursements, banking relationships with Chase and FRB, and QuickBooks for accounting while trying to make these systems work together seamlessly.

The complexity was particularly challenging for month-end close processes and vendor management. Michael found himself constantly switching between platforms, managing multiple subscription fees, and dealing with approval workflows that didn't communicate with each other.

A consolidated platform for bill pay, expenses, and banking

After learning about Brex's comprehensive suite of tools, Michael saw an opportunity to consolidate. "Brex just made sense: everything in one place. The onboarding was simple, and the unified platform eliminated complexity.”

SWARM implemented Brex bill pay with AI-powered scanning capabilities, as well as expense management, a treasury account, and banking services. The transition allowed them to eliminate multiple vendor relationships while gaining same-day money movement capabilities. "Moving money same-day is now routine. I used to plan transactions days in advance, but with Brex, everything happens instantly,” Michael notes.

The AI-powered bill pay feature proved particularly transformative. "With the AI bill pay scanning capability, it takes me 30 seconds to input a bill because most of it's pre-populated in Brex. Now I can simply forward emails and manage receipts effortlessly, all within a single platform,” Michael says.

“We no longer need a dedicated accounts payable person — Brex automates those tasks.”

— Michael Robinson, COO at SWARM Engineering

Less time stressing over bill pay, more time generating yield†

The results were instantly impactful. "We no longer need a dedicated accounts payable person - Brex automates those tasks," Michael explains.

A 75% reduction in bill pay time and effort became the new reality for SWARM's financial operations. The consolidation also delivered hard cost savings through eliminated subscription fees and reduced banking costs, including international wire fees and ACH minimums.

Beyond operational efficiency, the yield earned on funds in Brex treasury has significantly increased their working capital. The company also earned thousands of dollars through the Brex rewards and perks program.

Brex expense reimbursements have also led to faster processing times and better employee transparency. “Reimbursements are processed quickly, and employees always know when to expect their payments. Transparent workflows and amazing support have made a significant difference,” Michael notes. He also says SWARM eliminated the "exorbitantly high fees per user" they were paying with their previous solution.

For growing companies like SWARM that need to maximize efficiency while maintaining financial control, Brex’s integrated approach proved transformative. As Michael puts it: “Brex has fundamentally made my job easier. The single login, unified workflows, and smart automation let us focus on higher-value initiatives instead of admin tasks.”

Ready to see how Brex can streamline your financial operations? Sign up for Brex today and discover how our integrated platform can eliminate the complexity of managing multiple financial tools while delivering measurable time and cost savings.