This week, I had the incredible experience of attending my first hashtag#ISMWorld in Orlando with Diana Hines from our Sudozi team. When I'm not running demos of Sudozi, I love being out in the field and throwing myself into discussions about best practices, supplier relationships, and of course... AI. One thing that struck me throughout the conference: the procurement landscape is evolving faster than ever. The leaders who are succeeding aren't just managing spend. They are: -Enabling new business and revenue -Becoming true strategic partners to their CFOs and other executives -Driving measurable business impact beyond cost savings -Leveraging data and automation to optimize supplier relationships -Transforming procurement from a cost center into a value driver

The procurement mission is clear - drive strategic value for the business. The reality? You're playing defense against an endless stream of: -"Where did this $50K invoice come from?" -New vendor requests somewhere in your inbox -Card charges that bypass your process entirely -Renewal deadlines creeping up without warning -AI tools and solutions multiplying faster than you can track

In my conversations with enterprise Procurement leaders and CFOs, it's clear that 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐰 𝐀𝐈 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐰 𝐈𝐓 AI tools are multiplying faster than companies can track them. -Marketing bought Claude Pro. -Sales signed up for Salesforce Einstein. -Engineering deployed GitHub Copilot. The result? -Unpredictable usage-based billing -Buried data agreements -Compliance gaps.

Huge congratulations to Mar, Pejman, and the entire Pear VC team. 🎉 It’s an honor to have Mar on Sudozi's board and to work with her regularly (sometimes 𝘵𝘰𝘰 regularly!) Thank you both for your fearless leadership and for believing in my vision to redefine what’s possible with AI in procurement and finance. It’s a privilege to be building with you.

Just wrapped an incredible three days in a rainy NYC with some of the sharpest minds in procurement. 🌧️💼 𝐓𝐨𝐩 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬: -Procurement teams are accelerating data adoption and becoming more strategic than ever. Also, for the first time, I heard a procurement leader say he might want to add an FP&A member to his team! -Clarifying the role of procurement is an ongoing journey. Educating the organization on the difference between strategic procurement and purchasing admin requires continuous work. Keep fighting the good fight! -Stakeholder management is evolving. Procurement leaders are embedding deeper into the business and leading with influence. It’s a win-win for everyone.

⏰ The cost of waiting on AI in procurement is higher than the cost of imperfect implementation. While your competitors automate 40-60% of their sourcing, procurement approvals, and payment workflows, are you willing to maintain the status quo? Begin with a focus in one high-impact area: -Intake -Approval workflows -Tail spend management -Vendor management -Spend Analytics I know so many procurement and finance leaders playing around with 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨.