8020 Consulting and Invoke Announce Exclusive Partnership to Bring AI-Powered Finance Transformation to Market

New model combines deep finance domain expertise with AI and automation to deliver measurable ROI from day one while building toward enterprise scale

LOS ANGELES, May 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- 8020 Consulting, a finance and accounting advisory firm, and Invoke, an AI and automation company, today announced an exclusive partnership to address a widespread AI implementation hurdle in finance: the lack of finance domain expertise in AI technology and solutions. This disconnect leaves CFOs and finance leaders struggling to pursue successful AI strategies that deliver measurable ROI while managing financial and operational risk.

The 8020 Consulting-Invoke partnership brings together consultants with extensive finance domain knowledge and real-world operational experience, along with professionals with deep technical expertise in automation and AI. This unique blend of talent enables the team to work alongside clients from strategy through execution, providing an unprecedented understanding of the operational and technological complexities facing today's organizations and driving tangible business outcomes. 

"Finance teams aren't looking for another technology vendor. They're looking for a partner who understands their world—the close, the audit, the operational KPIs. One who can advise them on their AI and automation strategy and then work alongside them on execution, driving results that move the needle," said Kellen Smith, CEO, 8020 Consulting. "That's what we built this partnership to be, and we built it to show results quickly, not just eventually."

The best of both partners

The strength of the partnership lies in the combination of core competencies. 8020 Consulting brings a team of expert finance and accounting consultants with a wide range of real-world technical and operational expertise, along with the institutional judgment to understand what a CFO, controller, or FP&A team needs from an AI solution. Invoke delivers deep technical expertise in AI and automation: designing the architecture, building the integrations, and deploying the workflows that empower CFOs and their teams to make better, data-driven, real-time decisions that drive organizational growth.

Johnny Ramondino, President of Invoke, said, "The benefits of this partnership for the office of the CFO are twofold. 8020 delivers exceptional domain knowledge spanning month-end close, financial systems, monthly reporting, and business analytics. Invoke has the technical depth to not only build the tools but also recognize the meaningful distinctions among technologies. Together we create solutions that deliver value immediately and at scale."

The business benefits of empowered finance teams

• Strategy plus execution. Most solutions in this space force clients to choose one or the other: an advisory firm that delivers a strategy without the technical execution or a technology firm that builds a solution without understanding the finance function. This partnership delivers both. Clients get the diagnosis, the design, and the delivery from a tenured consultant base that understands both sides.
  
  
• Deeper tech knowledge: Many finance tech implementations don't account for the distinction between automation and AI. Automation excels at reconciliations, transaction matching, close checklists, and data movement. AI adds value when the work involves pattern recognition, variance interpretation, anomaly detection, or synthesizing inputs. Deploying them deliberately in the right context yields the best results.
  
  
• Reduced time-to-value: Unlike typical large implementations, which require significant investment before anything useful is in production, the 8020 Consulting-Invoke model is designed differently. Engagements are structured to deliver real, measurable value at each stage—not deferred until a future go-live date. That value can include a reconciliation that runs in minutes rather than hours, a variance analysis that writes itself, and more. The ROI compounds as the engagement progresses, and each component is built to integrate into the broader enterprise architecture rather than stand alone.
  
  
• Impactful progress: A rapid, abrupt technology transformation can actually slow the rate of change. Instead, the 8020 Consulting-Invoke approach is to start with focused projects that give teams time to learn, react, adapt, and buy into the new technology. This incremental process helps users build confidence and knowledge, enabling them to identify additional implementation opportunities and compound the impact of automation and AI over time.

Learn more about the partnership
Organizations interested in learning how the 8020 Consulting-Invoke model applies to their environment can reach out to either firm at [email protected]. Initial engagements are structured as focused, scoped assessments designed to identify the highest-leverage opportunities and produce a clear path forward.

About 8020 Consulting
8020 Consulting is a finance and accounting advisory firm that helps companies empower finance teams to drive organizational efficiency and performance. The firm combines deep technical accounting knowledge with a practical focus on process and systems—helping finance teams operate more effectively at every stage of growth. For more information, visit www.8020consulting.com.

About Invoke
Invoke is an AI and automation company that helps organizations design and implement intelligent workflows. Invoke specializes in translating AI and automation capability into real, operational outcomes—building solutions that deliver value from the start and scale with the business. For more information, visit www.invokeinc.com.

Media Contact
Ann Warren
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SOURCE 8020 Consulting