How to migrate from Excel and Google Sheets to Reuben AI
A practical guide for emerging managers, family offices and small VC or PE teams running the fund on spreadsheets. Every deal tracker, portfolio KPI sheet, capital account and IC memo doc carries across into Reuben AI, and the manual reconciliation work between them is retired.
Most sub-$100M funds start on Excel or Google Sheets. It works until it does not: three tabs for pipeline, one for portfolio KPIs, a folder of IC memos, another folder of LP capital accounts, and a growing risk that the numbers do not agree with each other. Reuben AI consolidates all of it into one live data layer with an audit trail on every change.
This guide covers exactly which sheets to hand over, how each is mapped, and how to verify that no data is lost before archiving the spreadsheets.
Estimated time
2 to 3 weeks
Before you start
- Access to every spreadsheet in active use (pipeline, portfolio, LP capital, valuations, expenses)
- The last quarterly LP report as the reconciliation baseline
- Named migration owner inside the fund
- Access to email accounts for reconnection
Field mapping from Excel & Google Sheets to Reuben AI
| Excel & Google Sheets | Reuben AI | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Deal pipeline sheet | Deals with stages | Each row becomes a Deal. Stage column maps to Reuben AI investment stages. |
| Portfolio company KPI sheet | Portfolio Company with KPIs | One row per company becomes a Portfolio Company record. KPI columns become recurring metrics with history. |
| LP capital account sheet | LP records with capital accounts | Commitments, called, distributed and NAV carried across. Reconciles against the last quarterly report. |
| Valuation workbook | Valuation entries per position | Each valuation cycle becomes a dated entry with method and inputs preserved. |
| Expense tracker | Fund expenses | Category and vendor preserved. Feeds fund-level financials. |
| IC memo docs | IC memo records | Attached to the relevant Deal with author, date and outcome captured. |
| Founder contact list | Contacts | Linked to the relevant Company. Duplicates merged during import. |
Step by step
- Step 1
Freeze the source sheets
On day one, snapshot every spreadsheet and freeze edits for the two-week parallel run. New activity is entered into Reuben AI from that point.
- Step 2
Hand over the sheets
Share the frozen versions with the migration team. Any bespoke columns, formulas or colour coding that carry meaning are documented up front.
- Step 3
Import into a staging tenant
Reuben AI loads every sheet into a staging environment. Deduplication and column mapping are reviewed with the fund team.
- Step 4
Reconcile against the last LP report
The last quarterly LP report is the source of truth. Every fund-level, position-level and LP-level number in Reuben AI must match, to the dollar.
- Step 5
Reconnect email and calendar
Each team member reconnects Outlook or Google to bring historical activity into the deal record.
- Step 6
Parallel run for two weeks
Enter new activity in Reuben AI only. Sheets stay archived and read-only. After two weeks of clean operation, retire them.
- Step 7
Turn on the investment layer
Switch on Blueprint scoring, AI diligence, IC memo automation and the LP reporting cadence. This is what a spreadsheet cannot do.
Nothing gets lost checklist
- Every deal in the pipeline sheet has a matching Deal record
- Every portfolio company has a Portfolio Company record with KPI history
- LP capital accounts reconcile to the dollar against the last quarterly report
- Valuation history is preserved with method and inputs
- IC memo docs are attached to the correct Deal with outcome recorded
- Email and calendar sync are live for every team member
- One team member owns the archive of the original spreadsheets
Frequently asked questions
We have complex formulas in our valuation workbook. Do we lose them?
No. The intent of each valuation method is captured and rebuilt inside Reuben AI so the same inputs produce the same output, with the audit trail that a spreadsheet does not provide.
What about the folder of PDF IC memos?
Historical memos are uploaded and attached to the correct Deal record. Going forward, IC memos are generated inside Reuben AI directly from the deal data, evidence and diligence trail.
How long does the migration take?
Two to three weeks for most emerging managers, including the two-week parallel run and the reconciliation to the last quarterly LP report.
Can we still export back to Excel if we need to?
Yes. Every list and dashboard exports to Excel or CSV, so ad-hoc analysis and administrator hand-offs continue to work.
Talk to the team before you migrate
Book a working session with the founder and a senior engineer. We will map your Excel & Google Sheets export against a live Reuben AI environment.
Book a demo