The $1 Trillion Blind Spot: How Zinit's AI Is Revolutionizing Global Procurement

Forbes

2 days ago

https://zinit.com/
zinit.com
In a world where digital transformation has revolutionized nearly every aspect of business operations, procurement — particularly in emerging markets — has remained stubbornly analog. Across industries worth, collectively, trillions of dollars, spreadsheets, emails, and manual processes still dominate the procurement landscape. With its AI-powered B2B procurement platform, which is already showing impressive early adoption across Asia, Dubai-based Zinit aims to change that.
The company focuses on tail spend — representing approximately 30 percent of procurement value and 80 percent of transactions — which is often ignored by major platforms like SAP and Coupa. By targeting this underserved segment, Zinit's platform helps enterprises reduce costs by 15-30 percent while dramatically improving efficiency.
The numbers speak for themselves. In just six months since launching, the company has onboarded 83 enterprises across multiple countries, including India's Vinati Organics, Piramal, and Quantela, each with $1–2 B in revenue. Indonesia's JD Group ($155B) and Amcor ($13B), as well as Malaysia's top packaging manufacturer GSPP, have published their tenders on the Zinit platform.
Behind Zinit are co-founders Anton Buzdalin and Andrey Chernogorov, entrepreneurs who previously built Bidzaar into Eastern Europe's leading procurement automation platform. That venture connected over 1,000 private enterprises — including 43 Forbes 200 companies — and processed an annual GMV of $15 billion.
"Suppliers are no longer just vendors. They're strategic partners, a core part of your support system, and often the first layer of risk management. In the $1 trillion markets where Zinit operates, companies still rely on email and Excel for procurement. We're changing that by embedding best practices and scalable systems into fast-growing emerging economies. What keeps us moving is how quickly our clients start seeing real, measurable results," says Anton Buzdalin, Co-Founder of Zinit.
His partner Andrey Chernogorov adds: "Transparent procurement doesn't just drive efficiency, it's fostering a new culture of B2B relationships built on transparency, rapid technology adoption, and access to enterprise partnerships."
With over 350 successful tenders already completed on the platform and growth at 50 percent month-over-month, Zinit is quickly gaining traction in the procurement automation space. The company's global team now numbers 63 professionals, supporting operations across multiple countries.
Zinit's AI-powered platform enables one-click cross-border tendering, reducing tendering time by 80 percent while helping companies refresh their supplier databases by bringing in new qualified vendors. For Chief Procurement Officers (CPOs), the technology serves as a procurement AI co-pilot, completely reshaping how they manage tail spend.
Zinit stands out through both its business model and its next-generation tech platform powered by integrated AI. While most competitors focus on internal process automation, Zinit is building an open supplier network that leverages network effects and transparent, competitive sourcing.
This shift from closed systems to open collaboration delivers faster results, greater savings, and a more dynamic vendor ecosystem. 'Our edge is in the model. We're not just digitizing processes, we're building an open supplier ecosystem that thrives on competition and transparency,' says Andrey Chernogorov, Co-Founder of Zinit.
The platform offers a low-risk, results-driven partnership — an essential quick win for CPOs — delivering an average 15 percent cost reduction on tail spend while helping modernize and future-proof procurement operations.
The company has just opened a new office in Brazil and is set to expand further with upcoming launches in MENA and Turkey over the next year — marking a significant step in strengthening its global footprint. Its country-agnostic model enables rapid, profitable scaling, positioning Zinit as the first truly digital-first procurement platform in these markets.
In 2025, the company will invest $2 million into India's economy, reinforcing its commitment to one of the world's fastest-growing economies. Moreover, through partnerships with companies like Uflex, L&T Financial Services, and Compass Group, Zinit is further driving procurement modernization and reshaping how businesses operate.
Zinit's innovative approach has already earned notable recognition. The company was named First Runner-Up at AIM Congress 2025, selected from 3,200 applicants and over 100 global startups by the UAE Ministry of Economy, and recognized as a future unicorn under the We the UAE 2031 initiative.
This acknowledgment underscores the potential impact of Zinit's platform on global procurement practices, particularly in emerging markets where the transition from manual to digital processes represents a significant opportunity for efficiency gains and cost savings.
Now the team is pursuing a dual fundraising strategy. First, in each of the core markets, the team engages local investors who bring not only capital but also strategic value for localization and market access.
At the same time, Zinit is in the process of closing a Series A round at the holding level (based in Dubai), intending to finalize it by the end of August.
'Fundraising isn't just about capital, it's about local alignment. That's why we bring in strategic investors in every region we enter,' noted Anton Buzdalin, Co-Founder of Zinit.
https://zinit.com/
Zinit.com
The outdated nature of procurement in many enterprises presents both a challenge and an opportunity for Zinit. The majority of companies still rely on outdated tools like Excel or closed platforms that restrict competition. By bringing AI-powered automation to this space, Zinit is addressing a gap that has long existed in the market. The competitive landscape varies by country. In most of the active markets, it's still a "blue ocean" — with few or no directly comparable players. For example, in India, Malaysia, and Indonesia, there are no true equivalents. There, the main competition is not another platform, but the continued reliance on outdated processes like email and spreadsheets.
In Brazil, there is a strong regional player, but even they are operating on legacy software and traditional business models that don't match the scale or agility of Zinit's approach.
For enterprises still using traditional procurement methods, the platform offers an opportunity to modernize operations without major disruption. The company's focus on delivering measurable results — specifically the 15-30 percent cost reduction — provides a compelling value proposition for potential clients.
As digital transformation initiatives continue to accelerate globally, platforms like Zinit stand to benefit from increased adoption across industries. By focusing specifically on emerging markets where digital procurement adoption is just beginning, the company has positioned itself to capture significant market share as these economies continue to grow and modernize.
With successful implementations already underway at dozens of enterprises across multiple countries, Zinit appears well-positioned to continue its expansion. The company's background — building on the founders' experience with Bidzaar — provides a solid foundation of industry knowledge and proven execution ability.
For the procurement industry, Zinit represents a new wave of specialized solutions designed to address specific pain points that broader enterprise platforms often overlook. By focusing exclusively on tail spend management and bringing modern AI capabilities to this niche, the company exemplifies the trend toward targeted solutions that deliver immediate, measurable value rather than comprehensive but complex enterprise systems.
As Zinit continues its global expansion, the procurement industry will be watching closely to see if this Dubai-based startup can truly transform how businesses manage tail spend across international borders and diverse regulatory environments.