Step into the spotlight for the first-ever ProcureCon Trailblazer Showdown! Companies that are less than 5 years old will have 5 minutes to showcase a recent procurement innovation project spanning AI and tech to sustainability, processes, or anything that's pushing the boundaries. The audience will hear all the presentations and crown the project that made the biggest impact

• Companies must be operating for less than 5 years 

• Company Founder/CEO must give presentation 
• Each company has 5 minutes to present (Max of 1 PowerPoint slide) 
• Must present one client-oriented innovation project; focus on the problem, solution, and impact/results 
• Client co-presenter strongly recommended
• No company pitches, keep it project-specific
• Participants must send an outline of their presentation two weeks before the event for review 

Take part in casual, roundtable-style discussions designed for real conversation, not presentations. Hear firsthand stories from industry leaders, contribute to your own point of view, and learn how others are tackling today's challenges. Come ready to listen, participate, and leave with new connections and a fresh perspective.

1) Agentic Intake: Eliminating the Friction Between Request and Resolution

Mike Pierson, Head of Sales Engineering, Coupa 

2) Humans vs. AI Agents: Who Runs Procurement in 2026? 

Jared Petras, Vice President US Partnerships, Lio

3) Beyond N-Tier Visibility: Building Product-Centric Supply Chain Resilience  

Simone Lichtmann, Solution Engineer, Sphera 

4) Outcomes Over Output: Rethinking the Role Of AI In Procurement

Ali Soomro, CEO, HolmesAI 

5) The New Rules when Negotiating A Microsoft Enterprise Contract in the Era of AI

Stan Hoogeboom, FinOps Consultant, 2Data

Edward Sinjorgo, Director, US, 2Data 

6) Do More With Less: Where Smart Procurement Teams Are Winning Today

Andrew Turner, Head of US Commercial Sales, Amazon Business
Stephanie Lanza, Senior Strategic Business Development Executive, Amazon Business