Scaling Smart: How ProcureDesk is Changing How Growing Businesses Manage Spending

I had the pleasure of interviewing Sachin Sharma. He is the founder of ProcureDesk, a platform that empowers small and medium-sized businesses to streamline their procurement processes and manage spending more effectively. With over 20 years of industry experience as both a practitioner and a solution provider, Sachin possesses a deep understanding of the challenges businesses face in procurement. His drive to simplify complex processes and offer affordable, user-friendly solutions inspired the creation of ProcureDesk. Sachin is dedicated to helping businesses grow efficiently and extend their financial runway by promoting better stewardship of resources.

What motivated you to launch your startup?

After spending over 20 years in the industry, both as a practitioner and a solution provider, I had firsthand experience with the complexities of procure-to-pay processes. I noticed that while these systems were essential, they were often cumbersome to implement and use. This inefficiency always left me wondering: why can’t these systems be easier and more accessible?

The idea for ProcureDesk was born from this frustration. As I delved deeper into the market, I realized there was a significant gap — small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) lacked affordable procurement tools. Most solutions were either too expensive or too complex for SMBs to implement effectively. This discovery fueled my passion to create ProcureDesk, a platform designed to be both cost-effective and user-friendly, empowering SMBs to streamline their procurement processes without the typical headaches associated with larger, more complex systems.

What is it that excites you about what you’re building?

What excites me most about building ProcureDesk is the opportunity to help growing companies become better stewards of their business spending. I’ve seen firsthand how inefficient spending can stifle growth and create unnecessary financial stress. By providing companies with the tools they need to manage their procurement processes more effectively, we’re not just saving them time and money — we’re enabling them to grow more efficiently and extend their runway.

It’s incredibly rewarding to see how our solution empowers businesses to focus on what they do best, without worrying about the complexities of procurement. Knowing that ProcureDesk can play a crucial role in helping these companies succeed and thrive is what drives me every day.

What has been your biggest challenge when growing your startup?

While we’ve been fortunate to gain strong initial traction and positive feedback from our customers, the biggest challenge has been scaling the business in a way that creates meaningful impact. Scaling isn’t just about adding more customers — it’s about finding efficient ways to grow while staying true to our core values and ensuring that we continue delivering the quality and value our customers expect.

Just like our customers, we’re very mindful of our spending. We carefully watch where our resources go, making sure to invest where it matters the most. This disciplined approach to growth helps us remain focused on creating a sustainable business that not only meets our goals but also aligns with the philosophy we advocate for our customers — being smart stewards of their business spending.

What are your future plans for your startup?

As we look to the future, one of our most exciting focuses is the integration of AI, particularly generative AI, into the procure-to-pay process. We believe that AI has the potential to significantly speed up and enhance various aspects of this process, especially in areas like requisition management, invoice matching, and processing.

We’re constantly exploring how these advancements in AI can be applied to our product in ways that create meaningful and lasting impacts for our customers. By leveraging generative AI, we aim to streamline and automate processes that are traditionally time-consuming and prone to errors, ultimately helping our customers operate more efficiently and effectively.

In addition to AI integration, we’re also focused on scaling our business, expanding our reach, and continuing to innovate in ways that align with our mission of helping companies become better stewards of their business spending. The future holds a lot of promise, and we’re excited to continue pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in the procurement space.

If you had to share “words of wisdom” with a Founder who’s about to start their own startup, what would they be?

My advice would be to play the long game. If you’re focused on solving the right problem — one that your customers genuinely care about — success will eventually follow. It’s crucial to spend time deeply understanding your customers’ problems. This understanding is the foundation of everything you build.

Don’t rush the process; instead, focus on delivering real value and building strong relationships with your customers. If you stay committed to solving their most pressing issues, you’ll create something that truly resonates with them. Patience, persistence, and a relentless focus on your customers are key. Keep building, keep iterating, and the rewards will come in time.