Coupa Software has acquired Croatia-based Cirtuo, a provider of AI-enabled category management software. The acquisition aims to strengthen Coupa’s position in enterprise e-procurement by expanding its tools for strategic sourcing and supplier planning.
Coupa is based in San Mateo, California. It offers a cloud-based platform for business spend management. Enterprises use its software to manage procurement, invoicing, contract compliance, and supplier payments. Coupa also serves a global customer base and facilitates the management of billions of dollars in corporate spending annually. In 2023, private equity firm Thoma Bravo acquired it in an $8 billion transaction.
Coupa’s platform is used primarily in B2B ecommerce and procurement functions. It connects buyers and suppliers, automates purchasing processes, and provides analytics around cost control and supplier performance. Common use cases include sourcing raw materials, managing indirect spending, and monitoring supplier compliance within large organizations.
Cirtuo develops software that helps procurement teams build and manage category strategies. These are long-term plans that define how an organization approaches sourcing for specific categories, such as IT services, logistics, or raw materials. Cirtuo designed its tools to help teams organize supplier data, set goals, and manage initiatives related to cost savings, risk mitigation, and supplier relationships.
Coupa acquisition of Cirtuo
Cirtuo’s software uses structured workflows and AI-based recommendations to guide users through the process of developing sourcing strategies. It also includes features for tracking the execution and results of these strategies. Current customers include Walmart, Johnson & Johnson, Novartis, and BT Sourced.
Coupa’s acquisition of Cirtuo reflects an increasing demand in B2B procurement for systems that go beyond transactional processing. Many organizations are seeking tools that allow them to connect strategic planning — such as supplier segmentation or risk analysis — with day-to-day procurement actions like issuing RFPs or placing purchase orders.
By integrating Cirtuo’s planning tools with Coupa’s procurement platform, users will be able to link sourcing strategies more directly with operational tasks. This includes developing supplier plans and monitoring outcomes within the same system used to manage purchasing and payments.
The e-procurement sector has grown steadily as organizations digitize supply chains and shift purchasing to centralized platforms. And software providers like SAP Ariba, Oracle, and Jaggaer offer overlapping capabilities with varying focus on strategy, transaction processing, and analytics. Coupa’s addition of category management tools also bring it more in line with the broader set of functions companies expect from end-to-end procurement systems.
Coupa and Cirtuo did not disclose terms of the acquisition. Coupa stated that the integration of Cirtuo’s software will expand its sourcing and supplier management capabilities. Additionally, Cirtuo’s existing customers will continue to be supported as the company transitions into Coupa’s product suite.
This move is one of several recent acquisitions in enterprise software that aim to bring long-term planning and short-term execution into a single system, particularly in procurement and supply chain functions.
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