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Valdera Secures $15 Million to Help Manufacturers Make the Next Generation of Products – Faster, Safer, and More Sustainably Than Ever Before

Valdera co-founders Dheev & Sruti Arulmani

QUICK TAKE

  • Valdera is an AI-driven raw material sourcing platform used by top household brands, industrial powerhouses, and Fortune 500 manufacturers to improve supply chains, launch new products and keep items in stock.
  • The pioneering platform integrates proprietary AI & ML technology with real-time market data to streamline supplier discovery, qualification, and relationship building. This enables manufacturers to bring products to market faster, safer, and more economically than ever before.
  • Suppliers use the technology to reach new buyers and refine their offerings based on real-time demand signals.
  • The company’s $15 million Series A funding round has been led by Index Ventures, with notable industry leaders – including executives from Procter & Gamble, Estée Lauder, Unilever, Nestlé, Bayer, and SAP Ariba – joining as investors and advisory board members.
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INDEX PERSPECTIVE

By Georgia Stevenson & Jan Hammer

The raw materials and chemicals that go into the products we buy each day are probably not something that many of us think about regularly. But the fact is, most of the things we buy, from clothing to cosmetics, technology to the materials our food is wrapped in, require a complex supply of materials before they ever reach the manufacturer that creates them.

It’s why the market opportunity in sourcing is huge, including a $5 trillion Chemicals industry alone. Speaking to those with decades of experience in manufacturing and supply, it’s clear that the established ways of working simply aren’t going to cut it in the modern world. Supply chains are under constant pressure from economic and geopolitical factors, while consumer expectations are higher than ever.

Through its data-driven, scalable solution, Valdera offers procurement teams a simpler way to find and evaluate supply options, ultimately driving critical cost and time savings in a complex landscape. Sruti and Dheev are approaching this problem with a fresh perspective and deep empathy for customers – we’re excited to be part of their journey ahead.

THE DETAILS

The demands of today’s consumers are evolving faster than ever. Manufacturers’ R&D and procurement teams must act quickly to keep up. Strategic, technology-driven sourcing is a company’s secret weapon to launching products before the competition – and making sure they stay on the shelves.

Valdera is rapidly emerging as manufacturers’ go-to engine to enable this. Underpinned by the world’s most extensive chemical and raw material supplier database, Valdera integrates proprietary AI and machine learning technology with real-time market data to streamline supplier discovery, qualification, and relationship building. This means manufacturers – from leading consumer brands to industrial giants – can bring products to market with greater speed, safety, and cost-efficiency than ever before.

“The old ways of working are gone.”

“After being in this industry for over 30 years, I can confidently say that this is one of the most challenging and exciting times we’ve experienced,” notes Univar Solutions, one of the largest chemical distributors globally. “The old ways of working are gone. Customers are telling us they need help - supply chains are tight, managing inventory is difficult, regulations are changing. That’s why we’re so excited to partner with Valdera. The innovation they bring to the table is exactly what the industry needs right now.”

Valdera’s growing customer base includes some of the world’s largest manufacturers, ranging from Fortune 500 industrial conglomerates to household CPG and beauty names. Its largest multinational producers spend more than $10 billion on raw materials. Many are drawn to Valdera’s ability to widen their aperture of the market and support their goals in supply chain resiliency, localization, diversification, and ESG strategies.

“Prior to Valdera, finding the right suppliers was often a challenge. You never knew what you might find picking a supplier out of a marketplace or cold calling a supplier listed in a database,” explains John Eustis, SVP of Procurement at Toray Industries. “With Valdera, we can quickly get broader market insights and build relationships with vetted suppliers from Europe, South America, China, or the Middle East. The platform also gives us a true global picture of the market for each specific material.”

Transforming supply chains

Valdera can shorten product launch timelines by 30-40%, with average cost savings of 14% across its customers. In a world where trusted, lasting relationships are key, the technology enables both manufacturers and suppliers to reach each other in a streamlined, private way. Manufacturers are able to expand supply networks by 2-3 times, while suppliers can refine their offerings and educate buyers based on evolving customer needs with real-time demand signals.

“With rising geopolitical uncertainty and climate risk, manufacturers are constantly forced to reinvent their supply chain. Traditional sourcing methods, like Googling one supplier at a time, just aren’t enough,” says Sruti Arulmani, Co-founder and CEO of Valdera. “With advancements in AI, I knew we could change that. Valdera helps manufacturers transform their supply chain – be it with speed, resiliency, sustainability, quality, or cost.”

Valdera’s significant growth is set to be accelerated further by $15 million in Series A funding led by Index Ventures. Illustrating the industry’s confidence in the platform, notable leaders – including current and former executives from Procter & Gamble, Estée Lauder, Unilever, Nestlé, Bayer, Henkel, Polycoat, and SAP Ariba – have joined as investors and advisory board members.

In this post: Georgia Stevenson, Valdera, Jan Hammer

Published — Oct. 3, 2024