Start Me Up: MVK’s Guide to "Start Small, Fail Fast" with AI

11/12/2025 47 min

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Episode Synopsis

"Don't let IT select the technology." 🛑That is just one of the hard-hitting pieces of advice from Michael Van Keulen (MVK), Chief Customer Officer at Green Cabbage and former CPO at Coupa, Lululemon, and VF Corporation.In this jam session, MVK joins the Proc & Roll team to break down the explosion of the procurement tech market. With thousands of solutions now available, how do you choose the right stack? MVK argues that the days of the 500-question RFP are over and that tech selection must be treated as a business project, not a procurement one.In this episode, you’ll learn:The "Platform vs. Point Solution" Verdict: Why MVK believes you need a core "single source of truth" augmented by best-of-breed apps—and why trying to stitch together 10 different solutions is crazy.How NOT to Buy Tech: Why running a massive RFP is a mistake, and why you should focus on defining the business problem (like store visibility) rather than feature lists.The IT Trap: Why IT should be a partner, but never the decision-maker for your technology roadmap.AI Predictions: Why MVK and the team believe AI will eventually automate 50-80% of tactical procurement work, freeing us to finally focus on strategy.Implementation Secrets: The three top "Do's" for a successful rollout: Involve stakeholders early, prioritize people/process over tech, and treat it as a cross-functional business project.If you are navigating a digital transformation or struggling to get budget for new tools, this episode is your playbook.About Proc & RollProc & Roll is your guide to practical procurement, where we make procurement rock and roll. Hosted by industry veterans Natasha Gurevich, Conrad Smith, and Zachary Bachir, we tackle the biggest topics and trends to help you level up your procurement game.

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