Matchory at the ProcureTech Leaders Summit 2025: From Buzzwords to Real Autonomy in Procurement

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Earlier this month, the Matchory team joined leading innovators, CPOs, and technology experts at the ProcureTech Leaders Summit 2025 in Frankfurt: a gathering focused on shaping the future of procurement through digital transformation, AI, and data-driven decision-making. The event brought together some of the most forward-thinking minds in the field to explore one big question: What does “autonomous procurement” really look like in 2025?

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Our Co-Founder & CEO, Aiko Wiegand, and Sales Team Lead, Benjamin Freitag, participated in multiple panel discussions, contributing Matchory’s perspective on how AI and data are transforming supplier discovery and category management. Here are a few key takeaways from the conversations:

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1. Autonomous Procurement: Still a Work in Progress

When asked to rate how autonomous procurement is today on a scale of 0 to 10, the room agreed: we’re not quite there yet. Benjamin pointed out that “2025 still feels like 2015 in many companies.” The fact that some purchase orders are still sent via fax says a lot about the digital maturity gap.

While AI tools are emerging, most supplier searches still happen through Google and Excel, tools that limit visibility and create bias. Google is the gatekeeper: it decides who shows up on page one and who gets lost on page ten.

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The opportunity lies in better data: knowing which suppliers are above benchmark prices, where risks exist, and where replacement opportunities lie. With smarter search tools and automated risk alerts, procurement can move several points closer to real autonomy.

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2. AI in Action: From Hype to Value

The discussion on AI use cases was particularly insightful. We shared a recent success story where a DAX-listed client in a traditional market used Matchory’s AI platform to identify new suppliers 25% cheaper than their previous base. This discovery not only made their pricing competitive again but also improved margins.

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The message was clear: AI delivers value when it’s built on reliable, domain-specific data. Validation and trust are crucial: no one wants hallucinated results or data leakage from public models. Specialized, secure procurement databases are the key to making AI both powerful and safe.

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3. Data Ownership and Trust Come First

Another hot topic was data rights and compliance. Procurement data is among the most sensitive corporate assets, it exposes pricing, supplier networks, and sourcing strategy.

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Companies must ensure their data:

• Remains their property,
• Is never used to train external models, and
• Is stored and processed transparently.

Only with these assurances can AI adoption move from experimentation to trust-based scaling.

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4. Building the Foundations for Scale

Technology alone can’t drive autonomy: data quality and governance are the true enablers. Many organizations still struggle with fragmented or incomplete supplier data, which makes AI unreliable.

“If the data is messy, AI will just amplify the noise.”

The advice? Fix the foundation first. Once data is connected and clean, integration and scaling become realistic.

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5. Measuring What Really Matters

Cost savings are just one piece of the puzzle. The true value of AI lies in speed, resilience, and risk visibility. As discussed in the closing round, procurement teams should measure both:

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• Efficiency – how much faster and smarter they operate, and
• Resilience – how quickly they adapt to disruption and avoid risk.

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6. Culture Over Tools

The final message of the summit summed it up best: “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.”

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Procurement transformation is ultimately about people: blending experienced buyers with digital natives who aren’t afraid to experiment. When strong data meets a strong culture, technology becomes an accelerator rather than a barrier.

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Looking Ahead

The ProcureTech Leaders Summit 2025 showed that while procurement’s journey toward autonomy is ongoing, the direction is clear. At Matchory, we believe that data quality, transparency, and human curiosity will define the next era of supplier discovery.

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We’re proud to have shared our perspective, and even prouder to see the industry moving from buzzwords to real, measurable impact.

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