How Aboard Saved Thousands In Banking Fees And Eliminated Branch Visits With Venn

Company: Aboard

Interviewee: Lee MacDonald, Founder and CEO

Location: Canada, fully remote team

About Aboard

Aboard is a workflow automation platform serving healthcare companies in the United States. The company operates with a small, fully remote team and charges customers in USD while paying expenses and employees in CAD.

As founder and CEO, Lee manages product, operations, and finance. That meant his banking setup needed to work without delays, in person visits, or added admin as the company grew.

The problem

Basic banking tasks required branch visits, approvals, and unnecessary overhead

Before switching to Venn, Lee relied on a combination a Big Bank and competing Fintech to manage Aboard’s finances and expense management. Two issues stood out quickly:

1. Access: Any time Lee needed to do something through his bank, it required going into a physical branch or being passed between account managers. Even simple requests meant waiting, follow ups, or in person visits.
2. Day to day expense management: Employees had to use personal cards and submit expense reports, which created delays, reimbursements, and extra admin work for a small team.
   

On top of that, Aboard charges customers in USD while paying people in CAD. Managing foreign exchange added another layer of cost and complexity that Lee had little control over.

The solution

Multi currency accounts, prepaid cards, and full control without a bank branch

Lee moved Aboard to Venn after looking for a way to accept euros and manage foreign currencies without booking meetings or visiting a branch.

Setup was fully online, and Lee could immediately access CAD, USD, and EUR accounts in one place. FX became easier to manage because balances could be held directly and converted only when needed. The biggest operational change came from prepaid cards. Once Lee could issue cards directly through Venn, he eliminated Float entirely.

“New employee, boom, here’s your card. One for discretionary spend. One for learning. It’s extremely simple.”
- Lee MacDonald, Founder and CEO at Aboard

Instead of reimbursements and expense reports, employees could spend directly from company funds with clear controls in place. Receipts could be uploaded instantly by text, removing the need to set aside time later for admin.

Here is what changed once Aboard switched to Venn:

• FX became easier to manage by holding multiple currencies in one place
• Branch visits were no longer required to move or manage funds
• Prepaid cards replaced reimbursements and manual expense reports
• Receipts could be captured instantly by text
• Employees could spend without routing every task through the founder

Lee regained direct control over his company’s finances without relying on account managers or in person banking.

Why Venn

Full control over your finances without intermediaries

For Aboard, the biggest difference was control. With traditional banking, Lee had to ask someone else to act on his own money. With Venn, that dependency disappeared. Venn allowed Lee to manage accounts, issue cards, and move money directly, while also extending controlled access to his team. Financial tasks stopped routing through one person, and everyday operations stopped interrupting real work.

“I don’t ever want to go into a bank again.”
- Lee MacDonald, Founder and CEO at Aboard

Lee estimates he saved thousands per year in banking fees, while also removing the time and frustration tied to branch visits and reimbursements.

Who Venn is for

Canadian companies earning revenue across borders

Venn works well for Canadian businesses that charge customers in foreign currencies, operate remote teams, or manage international expenses.

For Aboard, switching to Venn removed branch visits, replaced reimbursements with prepaid cards, and simplified how foreign currencies are handled. The result was a setup that worked as the business grew without adding overhead or forcing workarounds.

Create your Venn account and see how modern teams manage FX, cards, and expenses without branch visits or unnecessary fees. Get started today!