EPISODE SUMMARY

Dheev Arulmani, COO and co-founder of Valdera, joins James to unpack one of procurement tech's most underserved areas: chemicals and raw materials sourcing. He explains why this $6 trillion, hyper-fragmented category breaks generic source-to-pay suites, and how Valdera's verticalised, AI-native approach handles infinite spec permutations, regulation and supplier data. Essential listening for direct materials buyers and anyone weighing up whether to choose a horizontal suite over a specialist platform.

GUEST BIO

Dheev Arulmani is co-founder and COO of Valdera, the AI-native sourcing platform for chemicals and raw materials he launched in 2021 with his sister Sruti. Previously an Engagement Manager at McKinsey in its chemicals and agriculture practice, he led supply chain and procurement transformations for large manufacturers. He holds a BS in Chemical Engineering and Economics from MIT and earlier worked in electrochemistry research and venture investing.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

1. Why chemicals can't be sourced like finished goods, infinite spec permutations demand purpose-built data infrastructure
2. How verticalised platforms beat one-size-fits-all suites for complex categories
3. Why "start small, prove value, scale up" beats boiling the ocean
4. How storytelling across stakeholders unlocks procurement's real value

TIMESTAMPS

[00:02] Meet Dheev and Valdera

[05:11] The upstream data problem

[07:19] Where legacy suites fall down

[32:55] Key skills that direct procurement teams need

[34:15] The future of source-to-pay suites

[38:14] Where to find Valdera

RESOURCES & LINKS

1. Connect with Dheev Arulmani on LinkedIn
2. Book a demo of Valdera
3. Download our Tech Map for Mid-Market
4. Download our Tech Map for SMEs
5. Find your perfect procurement tech solution in our Software Finder App
6. Sign up for the EntProc Newsletter
7. Book an Intro Call and let's talk all things Digital Procurement!
8. Connect with James on LinkedIn