Persefoni as Carbon ERP
Ryan Miller, VP & GM of Private Markets at Persefoni, on building an ERP for carbon
This frames Persefoni less like a niche compliance tool and more like a new system of record for a business metric that is moving into the CFO stack. The analogy to NetSuite or SAP matters because the real job is not a one time report. It is collecting messy operating data from facilities, procurement, travel, and portfolios, converting it into standardized emissions numbers, and turning that into auditable reporting and recurring management workflows.
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The workflow already looks a lot like financial close. Companies gather data from many departments, map each input to the right emissions factor, and roll it into a governed number. Persefoni explicitly pushes customers toward monthly or quarterly carbon closes, not annual spreadsheet scrambles.
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The buyer is also shifting toward finance. Carbon accounting historically sat with sustainability teams, but the clearest owner is increasingly the CFO because finance already controls reporting systems, audit processes, and cross functional data collection. That is the same organizational move that made ERP and accounting software durable categories.
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The broader carbon stack is separating into layers, much like financial software did. Persefoni focuses on the accounting ledger, audit trail, and financed emissions logic, while partners like Patch handle offset procurement. That makes the core carbon accounting layer look more like foundational infrastructure than a bundled sustainability app.
The next step is carbon data becoming part of ordinary operating rhythm, alongside revenue, margin, and cash. As disclosure rules, lender requirements, and customer procurement standards keep pushing companies to produce defensible emissions numbers, the winners will be the platforms that become the default place where finance teams close, review, and act on carbon performance.