How Dryad Networks Achieved Investor Readiness With Planful

Dryad Networks is building the “Internet of Trees” — a global, solar-powered IoT sensor network that detects wildfires in less than five minutes and uses AI-driven analytics to predict and prevent them. As a rapidly growing startup with subsidiaries in the U.S. and Australia, Dryad protects forests, infrastructure, and communities worldwide, from Southern Europe to Brazil and Indonesia.

Operating at the intersection of environmental technology and global IoT infrastructure, Dryad faced all the opportunities — and pressures — of rapid international growth.

Yet its finance and controlling processes weren’t built to handle that speed or complexity. A lack of transparency slowed decisions, made scaling across borders difficult, and left leadership without a clear, real-time view of performance.

At the same time, investor expectations grew. They demanded reliable, comparable data across multiple entities and geographies, a complex challenge for a fast-expanding startup. CFO Dr. Stephan Beyer summed it up: “If you don’t have your numbers under control, growth will kill you. Cash slips through your fingers like sand.”

With more than two decades of experience as a founder, CFO, and investor, Stephan knew exactly where tech startups often fail: insufficient transparency, weak control, and unclear accountability. “Many startups underestimate how critical reliable numbers are for building both growth and trust,” he recalls.

For Dryad, the path forward was clear. To remain in control, the company needed a flexible, scalable financial performance management system and a data-driven culture where numbers empower decisions rather than merely track them.

To support its global expansion while keeping financial control, Dryad chose Planful, implemented by trusted Planful partner PRYZM.

For Stephan, the decision to choose Planful came down to more than technology. It was about finding a partner who understood his team’s vision and stood by them through the process.

“What we do is very vision-driven, and we’re not perfect. Sometimes it’s a bit chaotic. You need a partner who understands that and still stands by your side. That’s been my biggest takeaway with Planful and PRYZM — it worked.”

The implementation was remarkably smooth. Within just six weeks, Planful was fully operational with a structured, collaborative process supporting all teams. The result marked the beginning of a new management culture. Project controlling, reporting, and scenario planning were unified on one platform, enabling precise, data-driven management across countries and time zones.

Stephan illustrates how crucial this control is: “Take project controlling: we have projects ranging from €100,000 to €100 million. If you miscalculate or overlook something, it’s not just the project that fails — the entire company is at risk. That’s how important control is for us.”

Today, Planful plays three vital roles within Dryad’s financial management:

• As a navigation system, it provides transparency into costs, revenues, and resource allocation, giving management a single source of truth for decisions.
• As an early warning system, automated dashboards identify financial risks and operational bottlenecks before they escalate.
• As a strategic planning engine, it supports investment decisions through data-driven scenario analysis and forecasting.

Planful now forms the backbone of Dryad’s financial performance management processes— flexible enough to support the pace of a startup, yet robust enough to sustain its global growth for years to come.

By implementing Planful, Dryad fundamentally transformed its business steering, evolving from a reactive, manual operation to an agile, data-driven organization. Planful now serves as the company’s central management platform: Real-time data, transparent dashboards, and clearly defined accountabilities enable fact-based decisions, tighter cost control, and proactive action.

The impact is measurable across the business:

• 30% faster decision-making: With real-time data and automated reporting, decision cycles have shortened dramatically. Leaders now manage the business based on current insights rather than historical figures.
• 25% cost savings: Greater transparency around cost centers has led to smarter resource allocation. “Cost savings come simply because people understand what they spend. They don’t want to spend more than they need to,” says Stephan.
• 40% higher employee satisfaction: An open data culture fosters trust and ownership. Teams now understand how their work contributes to company success, and they’re more motivated as a result.

Dryad’s finance team has evolved into a true strategic partner to management. Risks are identified earlier, investment decisions are better informed, and international projects are planned with greater precision.

“Modern FP&A isn’t self-serving — it’s the key driver of growth,” concludes Stephan.

With Planful, Dryad has strengthened control of its financial processes and established a culture where data provides direction, laying the foundation for sustainable, global growth.

What’s next? Expanding into Planful for Workforce

Dryad plans to bring its entire budgeting process into Planful and activate the platform’s workforce planning capabilities. This will further enhance Planful’s role as the backbone of an integrated, globally scalable financial performance management system, empowering Dryad to unite technology, sustainability, and data-driven growth worldwide.