“We are transforming an entire industry”
After two decades in procurement, working in roles such as Head of Purchasing and Product Manager, Johan Kahn had seen just how little the processes had changed. When he came across Speya (formerly Find My Factory), he realized everything was about to change. He left his secure management position to join the journey. Today he is Sales Executive at Speya, helping reshape the future of an entire industry.
Johan, who are you?
– I have worked in procurement for 20 years in many different roles, mostly as Head of Purchasing and Product Manager within retail. The work has looked the same throughout my entire career: repetitive tasks, Excel, emails, meetings. At its core, it is the same way of working as a hundred years ago, only now you type on a screen instead of on paper.
How did you first come into contact with Speya?
– I read an article about the company in Dagens Industri and got curious. At first, I only wanted to try the tool for my then-current job, but pretty quickly I understood this was something bigger.
And you decided to change job completely?
– Yes. I had lunch with the company’s CFO Marcus Frankelius, and after that, it was clear to me. I got to test the latest features of the platform, follow the development up close, and saw how fast everything was moving forward. In the end, leaving my role as Head of Purchasing to join Speya felt obvious. I have not regretted it for a second.
What makes Speya so unique?
– That we actually free up time for procurement teams. The monotonous, time-consuming work is replaced by AI that does research, vetting, and soon even the dialogue with suppliers. That means buyers can focus on strategy, innovation, and other value-creating activities. I see it as a paradigm shift.
Now you are heading to London for Supply Chain Digital Live – what does that mean to you?
– I have been to many trade fairs in my life, but this one feels different. Now I represent a company that is not just following the development, but driving it. And we also have a new release to launch – one that I think will make people wake up and take notice.
Can you reveal more?
– It is about a whole new level of automated communication, including how the dialogue with suppliers can be managed. We will share more soon, but it is something that simply has not been possible before.
Finally, looking ahead, what do you expect to see happening over the next few years?
– That Speya becomes the standard tool for buyers worldwide. We are only at the beginning of this journey, but the direction is crystal clear: sourcing should be fast, data-driven, and proactive. And we are building that future now.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does agentic AI reduce procurement cycle times?
Agentic AI reduces procurement cycle times by automating supplier discovery, qualification, and risk assessment simultaneously. Instead of weeks of manual vetting, AI agents deliver pre-qualified supplier shortlists in hours. Speya’s agentic search handles report building and compliance checks autonomously, allowing procurement managers to focus on strategic decisions.
What makes Speya different from other sourcing platforms?
Speya combines agentic AI search across millions of global manufacturer profiles with continuous risk monitoring and real-time supplier intelligence. Unlike traditional databases that rely on self-reported profiles, Speya’s autonomous agents crawl and verify supplier data continuously, reducing sourcing cycles by up to 80% while uncovering 15x more qualified suppliers.
How does Speya help procurement teams save time?
Speya’s agentic AI search autonomously scouts, evaluates, and shortlists suppliers from millions of global profiles. This reduces the traditional research-to-quotation timeline from months to hours, an 80% reduction in sourcing cycle time. The platform handles report building, compliance verification, and risk assessment automatically, freeing procurement managers to focus on strategy.