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: Why meeting suppliers where they are matters more than forcing new logins: SMEs typically have little leverage with 80% of their supply base, so solutions must operate via email (the lowest-friction communication layer) rather than requiring suppliers to adopt portals they'll never prioritise.How plugging into ERPs as a boundary layer beats building standalone platforms: ERPs are your system of record. Leverage AI sits as middleware between your internal workflows and external suppliers, enriching data without ripping-and-replacing, which is why it actually gets adopted.Why AI works best in the invisible layers, not the interface: The real value of agentic workflows is automating data collection, email processing, and research, leaving humans to make decisions with perfect information rather than replacing human judgment entirely.How supplier scorecards powered by real-time data change negotiations forever: Live performance metrics (on-time delivery, change requests, cost trends, benchmark comparisons) give you fact-based leverage in supplier conversations instead of gut feeling or quarterly surveys.Why surfacing hidden errors is a feature, not a bug: Customers often see more problems when they first implement visibility, but those are mistakes that have been costing them cash for years. The software finally makes them visible.How procurement elevates from order-taker to strategic adviser: When AI handles PO admin, your team moves from data entry to supplier negotiations, working on relationships and alternative sourcing. That's the work that actually moves the needle on cost and risk. 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: Connect with Andrew Stroup on LinkedInCheck out Leverage AIDownload our Tech Map for EnterpriseDownload our Tech Map for Mid-MarketDownload our Tech Map for SMEsFind your perfect procurement tech solution in our Software Finder appSign up for the Entproc NewsletterBook an Intro Call and let’s talk all things Digital Procurement!Connect with James on LinkedIn
