Building Tomorrow Together: Coupa Named a Top Workplace for Innovators by Fast Company!

We're delighted to share some exciting news: Coupa has earned the No. 16 spot on Fast Company’s seventh annual Best Workplaces for Innovators list! This isn't just a number; it's a powerful recognition of our collective commitment to fostering a culture where groundbreaking ideas don't just happen — they flourish.

Fast Company’s prestigious list celebrates 100 companies across a wide spectrum of industries — from entertainment to healthcare to cutting-edge technology — that actively build environments where innovation is more than encouraged, it's woven into the very fabric of daily operations. The assessment team dives deep into a company's investment in innovation, internal programs, and unique culture, with their editors and a distinguished panel of judges making the final selections.

Where brilliant ideas come to life: Our culture of driving success for #AllOfUs

At Coupa, we truly believe that the very best ideas emerge when diverse perspectives, backgrounds, and lived experiences come together. It’s our philosophy that "differences make the difference," and we actively cultivate an environment where every single voice can contribute.

One of the longest-standing pillars of our innovation strategy since 2010 has been the Coupa Hackathon. These events have brilliantly adapted to our remote-first world, becoming vital opportunities for our teams to connect, get creative, and innovate. Just last year, in 2024, our hackathons produced over 175 unique project demos, bringing together hundreds of participants from every department and level across the globe.

Internal innovation and Coupa Navi's inception

Our commitment to internal innovation isn't just talk; it's demonstrated by game-changing initiatives like our Coupa Navi™ AI agent portfolio. Kiran Ratnapu, the leader of Coupa’s AI Center of Excellence, saw the immense potential of large language model-driven AI to transform how our customers work — allowing them to become more efficient and up-level their decision-making. He spearheaded a special multi-week hackathon — leveraging Coupa’s historical strength in data — gathering a global team to tackle some of Coupa’s customers' most pressing challenges, like intake and querying data tables.

Incredibly, within just two weeks, this dedicated team successfully demonstrated their innovations in a development environment. Coupa’s Product and Engineering leadership recognized the transformative potential, leading directly to the introduction of the first Navi AI agent in 2024. The impact was immediate and profound! Now, our Navi AI agent portfolio provides real-time support and guides users to smarter, faster decisions with more than two dozen new agents being continuously rolled out and continually expanded.

Fueling our future innovation

At Coupa, we see innovation holistically — it's intertwined with self-improvement, business growth, and making a positive impact on society. We strive to lead with integrity, innovate with purpose, and build trust within our community. Over the past year, we've made significant investments, including dedicating a significant portion of our annual revenue to R&D. This fuels the programs and technology crucial for businesses to operate successfully and sustainably.

Here are a few of the initiatives we’re particularly proud of:

• Coupa Ecosystem Labs, designed to incubate and accelerate innovative strategic partner initiatives. This has led to high-impact collaborations and scaled programs like our Private Equity Program to over $24 million in ARR.
• The Coupa Climate Working Group, in collaboration with Thoma Bravo, promotes vital knowledge-sharing on ESG and climate strategy, and aligns with our industry-leading sustainability program.
• Inventor Recognition, providing a structured pathway for employees to submit new product ideas and assistance submitting for patents, offering financial rewards and recognizing inventors. And we’re incredibly proud that 50% of our patents last year were invented or co-invented by women!
• Coupa DevCon — next year at Inspire Las Vegas, Coupa will host the procurement software industry’s first developers conference, where attendees will be able to build their own AI agents and services on top of Coupa’s open platform!

Creating a culture of belonging and growth

As Coupa grows, the company is leading with a strong emphasis on the transformative power of empathy to shape a positive culture and drive innovation. Our Coupa Speaks Survey helped us pinpoint key areas to boost employee morale and engagement, leading to enhanced communication and programs to overcome barriers to execution.

The survey also directly influenced the revision of our company values. Shaped by over 3,000 employee responses and focus group feedback, our new values are: Drive Success for #AllOfUs, Own Our Results, Cultivate Belonging, and Build Tomorrow Together.

At Coupa, we believe in a workforce where diversity expands, equity accelerates performance, and inclusion unlocks the full potential of every single employee. Our Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) play a significant role in accelerating that vision. Our highly engaged ERGs hosted 75 events in 2024 with 33% of our workforce participating — significantly higher than the industry average. We introduced two new ERGs: ABLE (Disabilities) and EnCourage (Veterans), with a strong focus on intersectionality.

Additionally, in 2024 Coupa hosted its first ERG Leadership Academy in September, which brought together 18 leaders from all six of our ERGs to boost collaboration and leadership, fostering an even more inclusive workplace.

Brendan Vaughan, Editor-in-Chief of Fast Company, puts it perfectly: “Each year, we’re inspired by the companies and leaders who prove that innovation doesn’t happen by accident — it’s the result of intentional choices to empower people at every level. The organizations on this year’s Best Workplaces for Innovators list show that when you build a culture where creativity and risk-taking are valued, breakthrough ideas inevitably follow.”

We couldn't agree more! This recognition truly validates our unwavering commitment to empowering our people, fostering a culture where groundbreaking ideas are encouraged from every corner, and making intentional choices to build a future of innovation for our customers and employees.

And last but not least, thank you to every Coupa employee, partner, and customer who contribute to making us a truly innovative workplace! This is your award just as much as it is ours.

At Coupa, your ideas matter, your expertise counts, and your passion fuels our collective journey. Help us build tomorrow together at https://careers.coupa.com/.