Coupa Invests in Interos: Driving Supply Chain Security

Over the past 18 months, many of us have experienced the effects of supply chain disruptions first-hand with items we use in our daily lives. Whether it be cars, kitchen appliances, groceries, or even diapers,¹ a litany of goods have become more expensive, more scarce, or simply unavailable.

While this has caused frustration and inconvenience to consumers, many businesses have seen supply chain issues upend their operations in significant ways. These impacts are not only a result of disruptions in physical supply chains, but are increasingly linked to digital supply chains as well — the SolarWinds attack alone impacted more than 18,000 companies.²

Now more than ever, executives are acknowledging that business resilience requires visibility that extends well beyond the operations of their own company. They must also closely monitor the network of suppliers that fuel their operations. At the same time, customers and policymakers are demanding that businesses take more responsibility for the environmental and social integrity of their supply chains.

In the context of Business Spend Management, all of this means that companies need to understand more than the “how” and “what” of their business spend. It is now imperative to know much more about “WHO” is on the receiving end of that spend.

Partnering for supply chain protection

That’s why Coupa Ventures is excited to announce our newest investment in Interos, which models companies’ extended physical and digital supply chains. Interos’ platform helps businesses and government agencies understand the most critical elements of supply chain risk: ESG, cyber, financial, geopolitical, operational, and compliance. Importantly, Interos maps these risks to the “nth tier,” so that businesses can monitor their own suppliers and the sub-tier suppliers they depend on. This multi-tier visibility is critical as supply chains have become more interconnected and interdependent.

While some of the recent supply chain disruptions might be unique to COVID or one-time attacks, the lessons to businesses will have long-term effects. Understanding supply chain risk has been elevated to a core C-suite priority, as recent events have highlighted their outsized impact on business resilience and integrity. We’re thrilled to be working with Interos as they help leaders tackle these issues across all vectors of supplier risk.

Sources:

¹ "Diapers Are the Latest Pandemic Shortage," Alyssa Lukpat, The New York Times, 3 Oct 2021.
² "Breaking Down the SolarWinds Supply Chain Attack," Julia Kisielius, SpyCloud, 11 Mar 2021.