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EPISODE SUMMARY:
Tropic co-founder Justin Etkin (newly appointed CEO) and Head of Procurement Michael Shields join James to unpack how AI is upending traditional software buying. They explain why AI-native spend is growing 82 to 127% year-over-year while overall software spend is only up about 20%, and why consumption-based pricing makes the old seat-based approval playbook useless. The conversation covers Tropic's shift from a services business into a data-driven intelligence platform, the launch of its new AI Consumption Management product, and why 2027 budget season will be far less forgiving of AI overspend than 2026 was. For procurement leaders heading into planning season, it's a practical look at where the real risk, and opportunity, now sits.
GUEST BIOS:
Justin Etkin co-founded Tropic in 2019 as COO alongside David Campbell, and was named CEO in August 2026 as the company shifted from a services-led procurement business into a proprietary data and AI intelligence platform. Before Tropic, he worked at Bain. Today Tropic manages over $23 billion in software spend and has delivered $425 million in customer savings, drawing on intelligence from more than 100,000 completed negotiations.
Michael Shields is Head of Procurement & Strategy at Tropic, where he runs procurement for the company that sells procurement software. He built the procurement function from the ground up at Qualtrics, later led procurement at MX, and began his career at Honeywell. He's also taught supply chain management as an adjunct professor at Brigham Young University and is a well-known voice on LinkedIn for making procurement's business value accessible.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
TIMESTAMPS:
RESOURCES & LINKS:
EPISODE SUMMARY
Eshan Jayamanne is the founder and CEO of Krane, an AI-native procurement and material management platform built specifically for construction.
In this episode, he explains why 95% of construction procurement is still run on spreadsheets and email, how that gap costs projects time and money, and why general ERPs and project management tools like Procore or Autodesk were never built to solve it. James and Eshan dig into how Krane's AI agents handle the "grunt work" of tracking bids, materials, and lead times while keeping humans firmly in the decision-making loop. It's a sharp look at how AI is starting to change one of construction's most overlooked cost centres.
GUEST BIO
Eshan Jayamanne is the Founder and CEO of Krane, an AI-powered construction supply chain platform. He combines deep construction industry expertise with a background in engineering, analytics, and technology. Before founding Krane in 2023, he worked on major projects for organisations including Microsoft, Chevron, UCSF, and Caltrans, focused on productivity, supply chain optimisation, and lean construction, experience that exposed the industry's persistent procurement and coordination gaps.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
TIMESTAMPS
[00:00] Guest introduction & Krane's rapid growth to $21B in active projects
[01:50] The construction site problem that sparked Krane
[08:06] Where procurement projects actually fall apart
[11:52] Why ERPs and construction industry software tools fall short on procurement
[16:39] Inside the AI agents: Milo, Chase, and the human-in-the-loop
[28:41] Case studies, the future of AI in construction, and where to find Krane
RESOURCES & LINKS
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
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
EPISODE SUMMARY:
In this episode of The Procurement Software Podcast, host James Meads welcomes Andrew Stroup, co-founder and CEO of Leverage AI, to discuss the massive inefficiency hiding in how procurement teams manage purchase orders and track supplier visibility.
After leading Project N95, the national clearinghouse for PPE during COVID, Andrew identified a critical gap: supply chains still run on email and spreadsheets, and most SMEs and mid-market manufacturers can't force suppliers to sign up and use their new platforms. Leverage AI solves this by meeting suppliers where they already are, integrating directly with ERPs to automate PO workflows without the friction of custom portals.
For procurement leaders managing thousands of supplier relationships, this conversation cuts through the hype around AI and shows what actually works.
GUEST BIO:
Andrew Stroup is co-founder and CEO of Leverage AI, a supply chain visibility platform for mid-market manufacturers and distributors. He brings an unconventional background: aerospace engineer, Pentagon advisor, White House Fellow under the Obama administration, and operations leader across cybersecurity and robotics.
During COVID, Andrew built and scaled Project N95 to 250 people in three months, serving as the national nonprofit clearinghouse connecting healthcare providers with vetted PPE suppliers. This mission-critical experience shaped his understanding of supplier management at scale.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
TIMESTAMPS:
[00:03] Andrew's Background: From Aerospace Engineer to Supply Chain Problem-Solver
[03:15] Project N95 and the Light Bulb Moment: Why Supply Chain Visibility Became Mission-Critical
[06:41] Why Email Still Wins: The Friction Problem in Enterprise Adoption
[13:58] The Dirty Jobs Approach: Why PO Management Is the Wedge to Solve
[22:14] How AI Actually Works in Leverage AI: Automating Data, Not Decisions
[31:06] Industry Profile and ICP: Who Uses Leverage AI and Why It Works
[32:33] Customer Surprises: Time Savings, Scorecards, and Hidden Errors
[37:06] The Future of Procurement in 2030 and Beyond
RESOURCES & LINKS:
In this episode of The Procurement Software Podcast, James Meads welcomes Malin Schmidt, founder and CEO of Kodiak Hub, to discuss what it really takes to build a world-class SRM platform from the ground up.
Malin brings an engineering and operations background to a space most founders enter from procurement itself, and that outside perspective has shaped everything from how Kodiak Hub's product is architected to how the company is run. This episode covers the full arc: from a niche supplier rating tool to a global execution platform, navigating the messy middle of scaling a SaaS company, and why the business case for SRM is finally getting easier to make.
A wide-ranging conversation with a lot of hard-won founder insight, well worth your time whether you're building a procurement tech company or buying one.
You'll learn why geopolitical disruption has shifted the SRM conversation from nice-to-have to business-critical, and how Kodiak Hub is helping procurement teams become truly AI-native.
Key Takeaways:[00:02] Malin's Background and Why She Founded Kodiak Hub
[04:53] From Kodiak Rating to Kodiak Hub: The Rebrand Story
[08:35] Scaling from 3 to 100 People: The Hardest Phases of Growth
[16:37] Why Sweden Produces So Many World-Class Tech Companies
[22:00] International Expansion: DACH, UK, and the US
[29:52] Building the Business Case for SRM Software
[33:34] AI, Bjorn, and What AI-Native Procurement Actually Means
And that wraps up another episode of The Procurement Software Podcast!
Thanks again for listening, and do please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or rate us on Spotify. Every one helps!
We'll be back at the same time next month, so see you there.
If you want to learn more about Procurement Software, check out the useful links below.
Stay in touch!In this episode of The Procurement Software Podcast, James Meads speaks with Jeff Gerber, CEO of Suplari, about the evolution from traditional spend analytics to AI-powered spend intelligence. The conversation explores how procurement teams can move beyond static dashboards and begin leveraging predictive insights and autonomous agents to drive better decision-making.
Can AI-Powered Spend Intelligence Transform Procurement?Jeff shares the story behind Suplari’s journey—from startup to Microsoft acquisition and back to independence—highlighting how an AI-native foundation has enabled faster innovation. The discussion focuses on how modern platforms are shifting from reporting on past spend to actively identifying opportunities and recommending actions in real time.
A key theme is the growing role of AI agents in automating complex procurement tasks, from managing tail spend to improving data quality and accelerating category strategy development. The episode also tackles common challenges such as poor data and limited internal resources, showing how AI can unlock value even without perfect inputs.
There is also a strong emphasis on usability, with conversational interfaces and prompt libraries helping users engage with AI more effectively, regardless of technical expertise.
Key insights include:
Whether you are exploring AI in procurement or looking to enhance existing analytics capabilities, this episode offers a practical view of what’s possible today, and what’s coming next.
[00:00:01] Introduction and Jeff Gerber’s journey.
[00:03:55] Building AI-native spend intelligence platforms.
[00:11:15] Competing with DIY analytics and legacy systems.
[00:15:48] Overcoming poor data quality challenges.
[00:22:02] Managing tail spend with AI agents.
[00:29:02] Prompt libraries and user adoption of AI.
[00:33:38] AI in category strategy development.
And that wraps up another episode of The Procurement Software Podcast!
Thanks again for listening, and do please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or rate us on Spotify. Every one helps!
We'll be back at the same time next month, so see you there.
If you want to learn more about Procurement Software, check out the useful links below.
In this episode of the Procurement Software Podcast, James Meads explores the rise of free B2B procurement software and what it really means for buyers. Joined by Tom Ruello, VP of Sales at SpendHound, the conversation unpacks how removing the price barrier can accelerate adoption—without compromising value.
Can Free SaaS Management Software Beat Existing Tools?Tom explains how SpendHound’s model works: offering a genuinely free SaaS management and benchmarking platform, monetised through aggregated, de-identified market data. The discussion tackles common procurement concerns—data privacy, commercial viability, and long-term product development—while highlighting the importance of transparency and a sustainable business model.
Key insights include:
Whether you’re budget-constrained or simply exploring smarter ways to manage SaaS spend, this episode provides a balanced view of risk, reward and opportunity.
[00:00:01] Introduction to free B2B procurement software.
[00:03:09] The origin of SpendHound’s free model.
[00:08:08] Monetisation through aggregated data.
[00:17:41] Mid-market vs enterprise adoption.
[00:20:05] AI-driven contract analysis and benchmarking.
[00:29:18] How to get started and implementation timeline.
And that wraps up another episode of The Procurement Software Podcast!
Thanks again for listening, and do please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or rate us on Spotify. Every one helps!
We'll be back at the same time next month, so see you there.
If you want to learn more about Procurement Software, check out the useful links below.
In this episode of The Procurement Software Podcast, James Meads welcomes Mike Cargiulo, founder of MJC Sourcing, for a conversation that challenges the tech-first narrative in procurement transformation.
Mike shares how MJC Sourcing supports mid-market organisations with hands-on, execution-focused procurement expertise. Rather than leading with slide decks, Mike and his team roll up their sleeves — delivering rapid results in complex sourcing, stakeholder engagement, and supplier negotiations. With a focus on flexible, expert resourcing, his firm fills capability gaps where internal headcount is stretched thin.
We explore how smaller, agile procurement teams — armed with the right mindset, strong processes, and modern tools — can deliver more value per head than traditional enterprise setups. Mike also shares why he believes process and people come before tech, and how AI is supercharging productivity without replacing human judgement.
Also discussed in this episode:
A compelling conversation on transforming procurement through smart resourcing, sharp execution, and a realistic view of technology’s role.
[00:01:09] Why MJC Sourcing was founded.
[00:03:05] Execution vs presentations in consulting.
[00:04:22] On-demand procurement expertise.
[00:07:36] Upskilling internal teams through collaboration.
[00:10:23] People, process and tech – in that order.
[00:13:45] Productivity gains with AI in procurement.
[00:16:10] Value creation beyond savings.
[00:21:02] Driving procurement influence in tough cultures.
[00:25:15] Data’s role in enabling procurement.
[00:29:21] Can small teams outperform enterprise procurement?
[00:30:30] What’s next for MJC Sourcing.
And that wraps up another episode of The Procurement Software Podcast!
Thanks again for listening, and do please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or rate us on Spotify. Every one helps!
We'll be back at the same time next month, so see you there.
If you want to learn more about Procurement Software, check out the useful links below.
In this episode of The Procurement Software Podcast, James Meads is joined by Gregory Vider and Markus Sinz, co-founders of apadua, recorded live at their Indirect Procurement Days event near Frankfurt, Germany.
Drawing on their backgrounds as procurement practitioners and founders, Gregory and Markus share a grounded, thoughtful perspective on what AI really means for procurement. Rather than hype or job-replacement narratives, the discussion focuses on AI as an enabler that amplifies human capability, improves decision-making, and removes low-value administrative work.
The conversation explores apadua’s journey from a conventional sourcing platform to rebuilding an AI-native product from scratch, driven by deep user research rather than surface-level feature injection. James and the apadua team unpack why “human in the loop” remains critical, how procurement roles may shift towards more generalist and strategic profiles, and why differentiation in an AI-first world will come from people, not models.
Also discussed in this episode:
A reflective, pragmatic conversation on the future of procurement in an AI-enabled world.
[00:00] Podcast introduction and episode setup
[01:05] Final episode of 2025 and IPD event context
[02:45] Introduction to Gregory Vider and Markus Sinz from apadua
[03:20] Why AI creates confusion in procurement teams
[04:25] How to tell real AI capability from marketing hype
[05:45] AI as an enabler, human-in-the-loop vs automation
[12:15] Rebuilding apadua as an AI-native procurement platform
[15:50] How AI will reshape procurement roles and skill sets
[27:40] The future size and structure of procurement teams
[33:00] Cybersecurity, ISO 27001, and what buyers should ask
And that wraps up another episode of The Procurement Software Podcast!
Thanks again for listening, and do please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or rate us on Spotify. Every one helps!
We'll be back at the same time next month, so see you there.
If you want to learn more about Procurement Software, check out the useful links below.
In this episode of The Procurement Software Podcast, James Meads welcomes Matthew Spencer, procurement veteran and founder of FlockScore, a newly launched startup rethinking how supplier performance is captured and shared across industrial supply chains.
Matthew brings a rare perspective as a procurement practitioner-turned-founder, having led SRM and sustainability at Bekaert Group before identifying a critical market gap: supplier scorecards were siloed, static, and lacked ecosystem-level insight. FlockScore aims to change that, offering a collaborative, AI-powered model for tracking supplier performance.
Can we really crowdsource Supplier Performance Data?We unpack how FlockScore’s “open contribute-to-access” model lets procurement teams upload anonymised supplier performance data in exchange for aggregated, comparative insights. Matthew explains how AI agents enrich these insights by scanning public sources for issues like recalls, shutdowns, or delivery disruptions, without exposing contributor identity.
Also discussed in this episode:
[00:01] Intro to Matthew Spencer, FlockScore
[01:14] Matthew’s background
[02:18] FlockScore analogy
[03:44] The “aha” moment and data gap externally
[06:02] Why supplier performance management is underrated today
[11:27] Engaging stakeholders effectively
[13:04] Open contribute-to-access model and credits
[18:50] FlockScore’s AI and difference to traditional tools offerings
[23:37] Cultural and category differences, flexible taxonomy and future vision for procurement
And that wraps up another episode of The Procurement Software Podcast!
Thanks again for listening, and do please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or rate us on Spotify. Every one helps!
We'll be back at the same time next month, so see you there.
If you want to learn more about Procurement Software, check out the useful links below.
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