Crown, the Paris-based firm reworking procurement negotiations with progressive digital public sale (‘eAuction’) expertise, has raised €2 million in its first funding spherical.
This pre-Seed spherical was led by Heartfelt, with participation from Kima Ventures, Spine Ventures, One other.vc, Apok Make investments, ZAS Ventures, Prequel VC and Bpifrance. The spherical additionally included contributions from notable enterprise angels equivalent to Dr. Marcell Vollmer, former COO of SAP Ariba; Christophe VIllain, World Head of Provide Chain & Procurement Expertise at Nestlé; and Mario Götze, skilled athlete and enterprise angel.
“For almost 30 years, eAuctions have been used solely to drive down costs, typically in ways in which lack transparency and ethics. At Crown, we see auctions not as a weapon, however as a software—one which, when used ethically, creates win-win outcomes for consumers and suppliers. We consider auctions are probably the most highly effective negotiation software when their core function is reaching equity, worth, and mutual success,” mentioned Mykyta Voytenko, Founder & CEO of Crown.
Based in 2024, Crown’s founder, Mykyta Voytenko, has over 15 years of expertise in worldwide provide chain and procurement. Having led strategic initiatives at firms equivalent to Nestlé, Engie, and Sanofi, Mykyta has carried out greater than 300 eAuctions for top-tier FMCG firms.
After coaching over 2,500 procurement professionals, who repeatedly emphasised the necessity for contemporary, technology-driven instruments to switch outdated strategies, Voytenko recognised a transparent hole within the business.
In response to Crown, procurement represents as much as 60% of an industrial firm’s turnover, making it a key lever for price discount and revenue era. Negotiation, a central a part of procurement, can instantly influence financial savings and profitability. Digital auctions simplify this course of by enabling suppliers and consumers to finalise negotiations in simply 20 minutes through Crown’s platform.
“At Heartfelt, we hunt down distinctive founders with unparalleled experience and a daring imaginative and prescient for reworking their industries. Mykyta’s deep understanding of procurement, coupled along with his capacity to translate business challenges into progressive options, is strictly what units Crown aside. By reimagining negotiation by way of expertise, Crown is not only optimising processes however basically altering how procurement groups ship worth. We’re excited to assist their mission to reshape the way forward for procurement,” mentioned Joerg Rheinboldt, Founding Companion at Heartfelt.
In lower than one 12 months since its 2024 inception, Crown has reportedly outpaced conventional public sale programs and achieved vital milestones:
- Applied eAuction programmes with 4 shoppers, enabling them to route almost 50% of their spending by way of eAuctions.
- Organised dozens of eAuctions involving lots of of suppliers.
- Delivered 9% financial savings on common for its shoppers.
Whereas eAuctions are Crown’s first step, the corporate’s mission is to construct a full AI-powered suite for procurement, reworking the way in which companies obtain effectivity, transparency, and leads to their negotiations.
“Embracing superior eAuction options permits companies to realize unmatched effectivity and transparency, driving aggressive bidding and vital price financial savings, thereby reworking Procurement groups right into a strategic benefit,” added Christophe Villain, World Head of Provide Chain & Procurement Expertise, at Nestlé.
