Twenty Years After an Attic Startup, TydeCo Brings "HR & Finance Walk Into a Bar" Home
After becoming a hit in Cape Town and Johannesburg, the event makes its US debut in Maryland with Sage on September 24
FREDERICK, Md., Sept. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- In 2006, two college students started a bookkeeping practice from the attic of a rented house in Maryland. They had $1,500 in the bank and no clients, so they placed an advertisement on Craigslist. One of them was Matt Lescault, now CEO of TydeCo.
That practice became Lescault & Walderman, moved to a fully virtual model in 2010 and expanded from outsourced accounting into software implementation, integration and data.
Twenty years later, the company is TydeCo, operating in four countries with teams across 10 time zones.
This September, TydeCo will bring an idea shaped through that global growth back to the state where the business began. "HR & Finance Walk Into a Bar" makes its US debut September 24 after successful events in Cape Town and Johannesburg, with Sage joining TydeCo for the afternoon.
The complimentary event takes place from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Charley's Chesapeake Chophouse, Rio Lakefront in Gaithersburg. Designed for finance, HR and payroll leaders, owners and senior decision makers, it combines business conversations with four courses, paired drinks and live magic woven into one continuous story.
The concept was influenced in part by what happens when people leave the structure of the working day. Although TydeCo has operated virtually since 2010, Director of Marketing, Becky Clawson and Lescault occasionally meet at Charley's when a conversation needs more room than a scheduled video call allows.
"When you sit down at your desk, you are automatically thinking about emails and everything that needs to be checked off," Clawson said. "When you step outside that environment and talk face to face, your mindset opens. The best conversations and brainstorms happen when you are no longer in that preprogrammed thought process."
The name "HR & Finance Walk Into a Bar" borrows from one of comedy's most recognizable setups. And TydeCo put HR and finance at the center because the two functions make decisions about the same organization while often working with different information and separate systems.
"When the right people are part of the conversation, the outcome is better because everyone hears it firsthand and creates the answer together," Clawson said.
That idea carries through the format. Speakers from finance, HR and payroll share real business experiences, while food, drinks and live magic develop alongside the conversation.
"This is not a business card exchange. This is not a 30-second elevator pitch. This is an experience," Clawson said.
TydeCo first introduced the format in Cape Town before taking it to Johannesburg. The response established it as one of the company's signature events and led to the decision to bring it to the US.
"We used South Africa as the test bed and asked whether the concept had legs. Resoundingly, it did," Clawson said. "What stayed with me was the curiosity. People were willing to step outside the box and consider a business problem in a completely different way."
During one South African event, guests entered different calculations into their phones. Each followed a different sequence, but when everyone pressed equal, every screen displayed the same number.
"That same number represents the core mission and vision we show up for every single day," Clawson said. "We may come at the problem differently, but ultimately we are working toward the same outcome."
The event's move from South Africa to the US mirrors TydeCo's own growth. In 2022, Lescault & Walderman acquired a majority stake in AWCape, a South African Sage Platinum Partner, and a minority stake in Applico, a Sage training specialist. The businesses began collaborating across US and African projects before coming together under the TydeCo name, chosen in reference to the tides connecting the continents.
Today, the teams work together across finance, HR and operational technology, supported by TydeCo's Better Together value.
That value will be reflected in Maryland through TydeCo's relationship with Sage and integrating them into to the same story rather than appearing as separate sponsor. Representatives from Sage will be attending.
Sage has been part of TydeCo's evolution from an accounting practice into a global business systems partner. Sage Intacct will bring the financial management and enterprise resource planning perspective to the conversation, alongside human capital management technology.
The Maryland event will explore reporting clarity, accountability and connected data through contributions from Sage and TydeCo.
For TydeCo, however, the real measure of the event comes after the final performance.
"Where the real magic happens is seeing teams move from a conversation with their HR or finance counterpart into actually implementing new technology, new processes and more efficient ways to work together," Clawson said.
"HR & Finance Walk Into a Bar" takes place from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. on September 24, 2026, at Charley's Chesapeake Chophouse, Rio Lakefront, Gaithersburg. Attendance is complimentary and limited.
Registration is available at tydeco.com/event/maryland-event-september. A Boston edition will follow in October.
About TydeCo
TydeCo is a global business transformation partner helping organizations connect finance, people and operational systems. Its services include software implementation and support, integration and automation, data and analytics, and outsourced bookkeeping, controller and CFO services. TydeCo operates in four countries, with teams working across 10 time zones.
SOURCE TydeCo
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