Puzzle + Debit & Co.
Puzzle runs the software.
We run the accounting.
Puzzle gives founders real-time books. Debit & Co. is the team that closes them, reports them, and owns the finance function on top — modern software plus expert humans. The Continuous Close Method™ runs on your Puzzle data.
Software gives you the data. It doesn’t own the finance function.
01Modern startup accounting software like Puzzle gives founders real-time data — transactions categorized as they land, a ledger that updates live, dashboards that are always current. For a founder choosing a stack, that is the right foundation.
02But software doesn’t own the monthly close, apply the judgment calls, talk to your board, or handle your tax. A live dashboard is not a closed month, and real-time data is not the same as someone accountable for the numbers a controller will read.
03Debit & Co. is the human layer that runs on top of Puzzle. We close the books, interpret the data, report to your board, and coordinate tax — running the Continuous Close Method on your real-time Puzzle ledger. You get modern software and an expert team, not one or the other.
You’ve got Puzzle but still need…
Real-time software solves the data problem. These eight gaps are where founders still need a team.
- No one actually owns the monthly close.
The ledger updates live, but the month never formally closes. - The data is real-time, but no one interprets it.
A dashboard tells you what happened, not what to do. - Your board wants analysis, not a dashboard link.
Investors expect a narrative, not read-only access. - Tax and R&D credits are still unhandled.
Software books the entry; it doesn’t file the return.
- Categorization judgment calls keep piling up.
Automation flags the edge cases; someone has to decide them. - You need GAAP financials for diligence.
Real-time books still need accrual treatment to pass review. - You want a human to ask your questions to.
“Is this right?” has no answer inside the software. - Puzzle is set up, but no one is running it.
A configured tool still needs an operator behind it.
The Financial Clarity™ framework.
Three pillars behind the human layer we run on your Puzzle data. Every engagement maps to them.
01
Clean.
Your Puzzle ledger reconciled to the dollar and formally closed each month. The judgment calls automation flags — deferred revenue, accruals, prepayments — decided by a human, the first time.
02
Compliant.
GAAP treatment on top of your real-time books. R&D tax credits filed. Sales tax nexus tracked. Diligence-ready by default — the work software books but doesn’t own.
03
Communicable.
The interpretation a dashboard can’t give. A board section, an investor update, and a data room a person can read — drawn from your Puzzle data, written by your team.
Staff Accountants and Comprehensive Bookkeepers deliver against each pillar in two distinct engagement models.
The human layer on your Puzzle data.
Every engagement is composed of these six functions, each running on top of your Puzzle ledger. The mix of Staff Accountants and Comprehensive Bookkeepers depends on your stage.
Monthly Close on Puzzle
Your Puzzle ledger formally closed every month — in 5–7 days, not left open. A live dashboard becomes a closed P&L, balance sheet, and cash flow an investor can rely on.
Pillar: Clean · Delivered by: Comprehensive Bookkeepers
Reconciliation & Review
On top of your Puzzle data, every account reconciled to the dollar and the categorization edge cases automation flags decided by a human — so the real-time numbers are also correct.
Pillar: Clean · Delivered by: Staff Accountants
Board & Investor Reporting
On top of your Puzzle data, the interpretation a dashboard can’t give — a board section and investor update written each cycle, so your board reads analysis, not a read-only link.
Pillar: Communicable · Delivered by: Both
GAAP & Diligence-Ready
On top of your Puzzle data, GAAP treatment and a maintained data room — revenue recognition memo and audit trail to source documents — so real-time books survive a controller’s review.
Pillar: Compliant · Delivered by: Staff Accountants
Startup Tax Coordination
On top of your Puzzle data, the tax work software books but doesn’t file — R&D credits, sales tax nexus, and the annual return coordinated against your real-time ledger, not a year-end scramble.
Pillar: Compliant · Delivered by: Staff Accountants
A Dedicated Team
On top of your Puzzle data, a named team that runs the tool for you — the human you ask “is this right?” A configured tool still needs an operator; this is the operator.
Pillar: Communicable · Delivered by: Both
Featured case · Founder · Series A, Puzzle user
“Puzzle gave us the real-time books. Debit gave us the team to actually run them. By month 3 we had a clean monthly close and someone to ask — software and a real finance function, not a tool I had to operate myself.”
Founder · Series A, Puzzle user
Month 3
Clean monthly close on Puzzle
6-day close
From a live ledger to a closed month
Software + team
Both, not one or the other
Where Debit & Co. fits.
Specificity is a service. The list below is honest.
A good fit:
- A venture-backed startup already on Puzzle, or choosing it now.
- You want humans owning the close, reporting, and tax — not just software.
- A founder who wants modern software and an expert team, together.
- Real-time books that still need someone accountable for the numbers.
- Reporting a board and investors can read, not a dashboard link.
Not the right fit:
- An established, non-startup SMB — see our small business accounting services.
- A founder who only wants software, with no human help.
- You need a tool to buy and run yourself, not a team to run it.
- No board or investors, and no plan to raise.
Frequently asked.
Do we have to use Puzzle to work with Debit?
No. Puzzle is the software stack we run best on, and most founders who find us here are already on it. But Debit & Co. is the human accounting team — we can run your close on the real-time stack you have, and Puzzle is what we recommend if you’re still choosing.
What does Debit do that Puzzle doesn’t?
Puzzle keeps your ledger live and your data current. Debit owns the work software can’t: formally closing the month, deciding the categorization judgment calls, applying GAAP, writing board and investor reporting, and coordinating tax. Software gives you data; we own the finance function on top of it.
Can you set up Puzzle for us?
Yes. If you’re choosing your stack, we configure Puzzle for your business — chart of accounts, integrations, and revenue setup — then run it for you. A configured tool still needs an operator, so setup and the ongoing close come from the same team.
Do you replace our bookkeeper?
We become the finance function. Comprehensive Bookkeepers handle the day-to-day on your Puzzle ledger, Staff Accountants own the close, GAAP, and tax coordination, and a named team is accountable for the numbers — so you have one dedicated team on the software, not a patchwork.
How does pricing work?
Pricing is a flat monthly fee scoped to the mix of functions you need and your stage — the human layer that runs on your Puzzle data, separate from your Puzzle subscription. We scope it on a discovery call and send a custom proposal, so the work is priced before you commit.
Ready for Financial Clarity™?
Book a 30-minute discovery call. Tell us your situation, we’ll be honest about fit, and you get a custom proposal in 48 hours.