companies

Keelvar

AI-native sourcing optimization platform that automates RFQs, auctions, and supplier negotiations for procurement teams.

Keelvar was founded in Cork, Ireland, in 2012 by Alan Holland, who left a lecturing post in artificial intelligence at University College Cork to build a company around applying optimization research to procurement sourcing events. The company remains headquartered in Cork with Holland still serving as CEO. Its platform helps procurement teams run RFQs and auctions with mathematical bid optimization rather than manual spreadsheet comparison, weighing cost against constraints like supplier risk, capacity, and ESG factors at the same time. A newer Autonomous Sourcing layer, built around an AI orchestrator the company calls Kai, can take a plain-language sourcing request, build the event, invite suppliers, run the negotiation, and recommend an award for lower-stakes categories, with humans approving outcomes. Customers include Siemens, Microsoft, Coca-Cola, and adidas, and Keelvar says its platform optimizes more than $100 billion in spend annually. The company has raised roughly $45 million, including an $18 million Series A in 2020 and a $24 million Series B in 2022 led by 83North. It employs around 130 people and was named in Gartner's 2026 Market Guide for Sourcing Applications.

Founded

2012

Headquarters

Cork, Ireland

Sector

applications