How Multiples Cut Investment Reporting Time from 3 Weeks to Minutes with an Automated Data Portal

Client

Multiples is an India-based private equity firm with a focus on helping high-net-worth individuals and institutional investors navigate investments in high-growth startups and emerging companies. The firm’s value proposition is built on expertise, precision, and responsiveness — qualities that require accurate, timely financial reporting. Prior to engaging Ajackus, Multiples relied entirely on manual Excel-based processes for all investor reporting, a model that had become a structural bottleneck as the firm’s portfolio and client base grew.

Challenge

Report Generation Taking 2–3 Weeks

Every investor report at Multiples began with manual data collection from multiple sources, followed by consolidation into Excel, formula application, formatting, and review. From start to finish, a single report cycle took 2–3 weeks — an unacceptable lag for a firm whose clients expect timely, accurate performance data, particularly during active investment periods or market events.

Delayed Response to Client Data Requests

When clients requested specific data — performance summaries, distribution calculations, portfolio snapshots — Multiples could not respond in real time. The manual process meant that even urgent client requests required approximately one week to fulfil. In private equity, where client confidence is directly tied to perceived operational sophistication, this delay posed a reputational risk alongside an operational one.

Heightened Risk of Human Error

With every report passing through multiple manual steps — data entry, formula construction, cross-referencing, and review — the risk of error was structural. A single incorrect cell in an Excel model could cascade into inaccurate portfolio summaries or miscalculated returns. For a firm managing high-value investments, any error in investor reporting carries both financial and reputational consequences.

Goals

The project focused on replacing a manual Excel reporting process with an automated, error-free data portal.

Journey

Ajackus built Multiples’ automated reporting portal across four structured phases, from data audit to dynamic linking implementation.

Phase 1: Data Audit and Requirements Mapping

The Ajackus team began by conducting a thorough audit of Multiples’ existing Excel-based reporting process — documenting every data source, transformation step, report category, and output format in use. This audit mapped not just what was being produced, but why each report was structured the way it was, ensuring that the automated system would produce output that matched the analytical judgements embedded in the existing process.

Phase 2: ETL Pipeline Design and Build

Using Extract, Transform, Load (ETL) methodology, the Ajackus team designed a customised data pipeline that ingests raw data from Multiples’ source systems, applies the firm’s specific transformation logic (including filtering, categorisation, and calculation rules), and produces clean, structured data ready for reporting. Intermediate data formats were created with appropriate filters to ensure that the right data reached the right report type — without cross-contamination or duplication. The ETL pipeline was built to Multiples’ specific portfolio taxonomy and investor reporting requirements, not to a generic finance template.

Phase 3: Data Portal and Reporting Layer Build

On top of the ETL pipeline, the Ajackus team built a data portal interface that enables Multiples’ team to generate any supported report type on demand — without any technical knowledge or developer involvement. The portal supports: Profit and Loss statements, portfolio sample reports, portfolio summary views, investor performance analyses, and distribution reports. Power BI was used for the reporting and visualisation layer, providing Multiples’ team with interactive dashboards and export-ready report formats aligned with their client communication standards.

Phase 4: Dynamic Linking and Version Control Resolution

A persistent challenge with Excel-based reporting is version proliferation — multiple copies of the same report at different points in time, with no clear indication of which is current. The Ajackus team implemented dynamic linking across the data portal, ensuring that all reports always reflect the most current underlying data. When source data is updated, every connected report updates automatically — eliminating version conflicts and the need for manual reconciliation.

Results

Multiples transformed from a manual Excel-dependent reporting process to an automated, on-demand data portal that generates reports in minutes.

What went well:

Operational Achievements

• Report generation time reduced from 2–3 weeks to minutes — across all supported report types
• Client data requests now fulfilled on demand, without manual data preparation
• Version control issues eliminated through dynamic data linking across the full reporting suite
• No human data entry required in the automated reporting pipeline

Technical Achievements

• Fully customised ETL pipeline built to Multiples’ specific portfolio taxonomy and reporting logic
• Five distinct report types automated: P&L statements, portfolio samples, portfolio summaries, investor performance analyses, and distribution reports
• Power BI reporting layer integrated for interactive dashboards and export-ready output
• Dynamic linking implemented to ensure all reports reflect live data at all times

Business Impact

• Multiples’ reporting capability now scales with portfolio growth without requiring additional analyst headcount for report production
• The firm can respond to client data requests within minutes — a capability that directly supports client retention and competitive positioning in private equity
• Human error risk in the reporting process has been structurally eliminated through automated calculation and transformation logic
• Multiples’ team can focus analytical attention on investment decisions rather than data preparation