BACKGROUND
Product History
Product History
Product History
Sourcing Ally is the product of Scaleup, a B2B that originated at AWS and went independent in 2023. By the time we landed on Sourcing Ally, Scaleup had gone through two major pivots, both in direction and design.
Sourcing Ally is the product of Scaleup, a B2B that originated at AWS and went independent in 2023. By the time we landed on Sourcing Ally, Scaleup had gone through two major pivots, both in direction and design.
Sourcing Ally is the product of Scaleup, a B2B that originated at AWS and went independent in 2023. By the time we landed on Sourcing Ally, Scaleup had gone through two major pivots, both in direction and design.
Born inside AWS and built to tackle B2B sourcing pain…
VERSION 1 - Supplier Directory
Vision: The original vision was to design a supplier directory layered with project management capabilities. Enterprise users would log in, search through detailed supplier profiles, engage directly with suppliers on the platform, and track projects from a centralized dashboard. It was designed to be part directory and part collaboration tool — giving enterprises visibility into suppliers while managing projects all in one place.
What Didn't Work: User feedback revealed that a directory alone didn't cut through the noise, felt inefficient, and dragged-out the decision process.
What We Learned: Users wanted quality, not quantity. Instead of forcing enterprises to dig through endless supplier lists, the goal was to make the process more simple and custom, which led us to Version 2 - a 'Match.com' for procurement professionals.
VERSION 2 - 'Match.com' for Procurement Professionals
Vision: This shift represented a fundamental change — moving from a static directory model to a dynamic, request-driven experience.
What Didn't Work: User feedback revealed issues with the request form itself. While it captured the basics of what enterprises needed, users found the process to be time-consuming and tedious, which created a barrier early in the experience.
What We Learned: As a result, users felt discouraged right at the beginning of the workflow, which generated a level of mistrust in the value the product could bring in terms of streamlining the supplier sourcing process.
Born inside AWS and built to tackle B2B sourcing pain…
Born inside AWS and built to tackle B2B sourcing pain…
VERSION 1 - Supplier Directory
VERSION 1 - Supplier Directory
Vision: The original vision was to design a supplier directory layered with project management capabilities. Enterprise users would log in, search through detailed supplier profiles, engage directly with suppliers on the platform, and track projects from a centralized dashboard. It was designed to be part directory and part collaboration tool — giving enterprises visibility into suppliers while managing projects all in one place.
Vision: The original vision was to design a supplier directory layered with project management capabilities. Enterprise users would log in, search through detailed supplier profiles, engage directly with suppliers on the platform, and track projects from a centralized dashboard. It was designed to be part directory and part collaboration tool — giving enterprises visibility into suppliers while managing projects all in one place.
What Didn't Work: User feedback revealed that a directory alone didn't cut through the noise, felt inefficient, and dragged-out the decision process.
What Didn't Work: User feedback revealed that a directory alone didn't cut through the noise, felt inefficient, and dragged-out the decision process.
What We Learned: Users wanted quality, not quantity. Instead of forcing enterprises to dig through endless supplier lists, the goal was to make the process more simple and custom, which led us to Version 2 - a 'Match.com' for procurement professionals.
What We Learned: Users wanted quality, not quantity. Instead of forcing enterprises to dig through endless supplier lists, the goal was to make the process more simple and custom, which led us to Version 2 - a 'Match.com' for procurement professionals.
VERSION 2 - 'Match.com' for Procurement Professionals
VERSION 2 - 'Match.com' for Procurement Professionals
Vision: This shift represented a fundamental change — moving from a static directory model to a dynamic, request-driven experience.
Vision: This shift represented a fundamental change — moving from a static directory model to a dynamic, request-driven experience.
What Didn't Work: User feedback revealed issues with the request form itself. While it captured the basics of what enterprises needed, users found the process to be time-consuming and tedious, which created a barrier early in the experience.
What Didn't Work: User feedback revealed issues with the request form itself. While it captured the basics of what enterprises needed, users found the process to be time-consuming and tedious, which created a barrier early in the experience.
What We Learned: As a result, users felt discouraged right at the beginning of the workflow, which generated a level of mistrust in the value the product could bring in terms of streamlining the supplier sourcing process.
What We Learned: As a result, users felt discouraged right at the beginning of the workflow, which generated a level of mistrust in the value the product could bring in terms of streamlining the supplier sourcing process.