Employee Stories

Empowering Future Talent Through Digital Access in India

Fri, 10 Apr 2026 14:59:20 GMT

At Coupa, we believe that collective action drives meaningful change. The Coupa Cares program allows us to embody these Coupa Core Values – Cultivate Belonging and Build Tomorrow Together – by creating lasting social value and embedding social impact into how we operate.

Coupa Cares drives global impact through volunteer service, employee and corporate donations, and strategic philanthropic partnerships.

This dedication to social value is rooted in our philosophy of building what's next. That vision goes beyond technology and focuses on creating access, expanding opportunity, and investing in the emerging talent that will shape the future.

We recently put this philosophy into action in our Coupa Pune offices on March 25, 2026, when Coupa kicked off our partnership with Nasscom Foundation , a non-profit organization committed to unleashing the power of technology by providing access and opportunity to those in need.

The partnership focuses on digital empowerment, career readiness, and community impact with students sponsored by the Nasscom Foundation.

As Ankur Goyal , Chief Development Officer and GM India at Coupa, shared: “We believe that ‘giving back’ isn’t just a corporate responsibility, but a core part of who we are. We’re investing in confidence, access, and future opportunity.”

Empowering the Next Generation of Talent

The immersive experience began with an introduction to careers in technology, offering students a real-life sense of life at Coupa and a clear sense of what’s possible. Through interactive tech talks and career masterclasses, Coupanians shared insights on:

Navigating careers in technology
Building a strong professional presence
Preparing for interviews and real-world opportunities

The event concluded with an open Q&A session, where students engaged directly with Coupa employees, asking thoughtful questions about industry expectations, workplace culture, and how to prepare for the future.

“Moments like these reinforce a simple truth that access to knowledge can change the trajectory of a life,” added Goyal.

Bridging the Digital Divide

In the afternoon, the focus shifted from exposure to infrastructure with the inauguration of a new DigiLab at a local school in Pune.

The inauguration of the Pune DigiLab marks the first digital lab established by the Nasscom Foundation—a significant step toward strengthening digital learning environments for students and their communities. This Initiative creates pathways for learning, confidence, and long-term growth.

The DigiLab is more than a physical space. It’s a foundation for long-term opportunity and this gives people the opportunity to learn, grow, and lead.

As Ankur reflected: “We aren’t just donating equipment; we are investing in future talent.”

Scaling Impact Beyond One City

While the Pune DigiLab represents a major milestone, it is part of a broader commitment.

Coupa will support the establishment of additional digital labs in Bangalore where it just opened a new office . Our goal is to extend the reach of this initiative and deepen its impact across India’s growing technology ecosystem.

Over the course of the next year, the program will support:

800+ Students across Grades 6–12
Hands-on training in computer fundamentals
Introduction to digital tools and platforms
Foundational education in cybersecurity and safe digital practices
6+ Teachers
Training in digital pedagogy
Integration of technology into everyday classroom learning
300+ Community Members
Digital awareness sessions
Structured digital literacy programs

The goal is clear: equip individuals to not just participate in the digital world—but to thrive in it.

Building What’s Next—Together

From inspiring students in Pune to expanding digital access across India, this initiative is a powerful example of what happens when purpose meets action. This effort encapsulates our commitment to access and equity—building what’s next, together, for all of us.

Interested in starting your own journey? Visit our Life in India page, explore opportunities at Coupa Careers and join our Talent Community .

Expanding AI Innovation at Coupa

Wed, 08 Apr 2026 14:33:40 GMT

At Coupa, we are very intentional in our global expansion. Locations we choose to operate are designed to unlock innovation, connect us closer to our customers, and build the teams shaping what’s next.

That’s exactly why we’ve just opened a new office in Bangalore, India. We marked this exciting milestone with an official grand opening on April 1, 2026.

Often called the Silicon Valley of India, Bangalore represents one of the most dynamic technology ecosystems in the world and is home to thousands of startups, global enterprises, and a rapidly expanding tech talent base. For Coupa, this move is about more than geography. It’s about capability.

“Bangalore becomes a great addition to our already strong presence in India, joining our locations in Hyderabad and Pune to collectively build what we call ‘The Network Effect’ to power the future of trade,” said Ankur Goyal , Vice President, Engineering & GM Coupa India. “The speed, depth, and quality of talent across India creates a burgeoning AI community that’s setting the bar for our next phase of innovation.”

A Strategic Tech Triangle

Together, Bangalore, Pune, and Hyderabad form a powerful “tech talent triangle,” with each market contributing unique strengths to bring AI capabilities closer to our customers and partners.

As we continue to grow in India, our focus remains clear:

Invest in world-class talent
Accelerate AI innovation
Strengthen customer impact globally

Leading the future of trade requires building it in the places where the future is already taking shape.

Join the Story

Interested in starting your own journey at Coupa in Bangalore? Visit our Life in India page , explore opportunities at Career Careers , and join our Talent Community.

Shaping What’s Next: Talent and Opportunity in India and APAC

Mon, 23 Mar 2026 14:40:01 GMT

Growth happens when the right people connect with meaningful opportunities.

In the latest episode of Shaping What’s Next at Coupa , host Len Abbazia sits down with Christian Le Loux, Director of Talent Acquisition for India and APAC, to talk about the future of hiring, the role of storytelling in building trust with candidates, and why this is an exciting moment for talent in the region.

Originally from Australia and now based in Singapore, Christian has spent much of his career building global talent teams across industries including technology, consulting, and financial services. What drives him most is helping organizations grow by connecting people to meaningful work.

Since joining Coupa, one thing has stood out right away: the culture. “There’s a strong sense of trust here,” Christian shares. “Leaders want ideas, debate, and progress.” That environment creates space for innovation while staying grounded in values, something Christian believes is essential for building strong teams and meaningful careers.

The conversation also explores how the future of talent acquisition is evolving with AI and technology. For Christian, those tools are most powerful when they enable people to focus on what matters most.

“The future of talent acquisition isn’t less human but even more human, supported by smarter tools.” For candidates considering opportunities in India and APAC, Christian says the timing couldn’t be better. “This is a moment of momentum. People joining now have the opportunity to help shape how teams grow and how the region contributes globally.”

Watch Episode 5: Meet the TA Leader - Christian Le Loux.

Ready to help shape what's next? Join our vibrant talent community and explore exciting opportunities to become part of the Coupa Village.

Celebrating Our 2026 SDCE Pros

Thu, 19 Mar 2026 13:13:26 GMT

Three leaders. Three career stages. One shared impact.

Supply & Demand Chain Executive’s Pros to Know awards recognize leaders whose work both keeps supply chains moving and reshapes how the industry thinks, plans, and leads. This year, Coupa is proud to celebrate Mark Schenecker, Nari Viswanathan, and Lucas de Brito. These three pros are at different points in their careers but united by a common thread: turning complexity into clarity and impact.

Mark Schenecker - VP, Direct Materials

Leaders in Excellence Award

Mark Schenecker’s career has been defined by one simple belief: supply chains win on efficiency and collaboration. With more than a decade of experience shaping direct materials strategy, Mark connects deep operational insight with executive-level vision. He has been instrumental in expanding how organizations manage direct spend, helping customers move beyond transactional sourcing to integrated, resilient supplier ecosystems.

What sets Mark apart isn’t just his expertise but how he shares it. Over the past year, he has spent much time in conference rooms, webinars, and one-on-one conversations with supply chain leaders, helping them navigate tariffs, geopolitical volatility, fraud risk, and AI adoption. His work has helped organizations translate uncertainty into informed action, often delivering measurable savings and risk reduction within weeks.

For Mark, leadership doesn’t thrive in slide decks or frameworks alone. It lives in the field, listening to customers, pressure-testing ideas, and turning real-world insight into solutions that move the entire profession forward. Mark has been guiding business leaders on how to balance technology investments in AI along with process changes.

Nari Viswanathan - Senior Leader, Direct Procurement & Strategic Sourcing

Top Procurement Pros Award

Nari Viswanathan has spent his career working across the depth and breadth of the supply chain spanning S&OP, Demand Planning, Supply Planning, Transportation Management and now Procurement. Nari's strength is his ability to bridge the divide between cross-functional areas of the supply chain and striving to unlock value through digitization.

Over the last five years, he has redefined direct procurement as a strategic lever for resilience, growth, and financial performance. Through his work with global manufacturers and industry groups, Nari has consistently elevated direct spend conversations, from unit cost to resiliency, supply assurance, and risk-adjusted decision-making.

Nari’s influence continues to expand. His Direct Spend Maturity Model has become a practical roadmap for procurement leaders looking to benchmark capabilities and prioritize transformation in an agentic AI world. His Direct Materials Masterclass, developed in partnership with the Sourcing Industry Group, reflects his commitment to practitioner-led education that meets leaders where they are and helps them navigate the rapid pace of change of technology, especially AI.

What makes Nari a true Pro to Know is his ability to bridge the worlds of supply chain, procurement, finance, and the C-suite, helping organizations see direct spend as a powerful driver of enterprise performance.

Lucas de Brito - Principal Solutions Advisor, Supply Chain Design & Planning

Rising Stars Award.

Lucas de Brito represents the next generation of supply chain leadership—grounded in experience, fluent in technology, and deeply human in how he leads. Before joining Coupa, Lucas was already solving complex supply chain challenges as a practitioner, delivering large-scale network redesigns approved at the board level. That hands-on foundation now informs how he partners with customers—earning trust quickly by speaking their language and understanding the realities behind the data.

Lucas has emerged as a top global performer in Supply Chain Design & Planning, contributing millions in revenue while helping reshape how teams sell, demo, and articulate value. Yet, his colleagues consistently point to both his performance and also his presence. Lucas is known for simplifying complexity, mentoring peers, and raising the bar for the entire team.

As a Rising Star, Lucas isn’t just executing at a high level, he’s actively shaping what the future of AI-driven, decision-centric supply chain leadership looks like.

One Recognition. Many Stories.

Together, Mark, Nari, and Lucas reflect the full spectrum of supply chain leadership, from seasoned excellence, to category-defining thought leadership, to rising impact at scale. Their recognition as 2026 SDCE Pros to Know is a testament to their accomplishments, but equally important to the way they lead with clarity, curiosity, and an unwavering focus on real-world outcomes.

We’re proud to celebrate them, and even more excited to see how they continue shaping what’s next for the industry.

Feeling inspired by our SDCE winners? Explore opportunities at Coupa Careers and join our Talent Community to stay connected.

Two Months In: Two Coupa India Campus Interns Share What They’ve Discovered So Far

Thu, 19 Mar 2026 02:00:00 GMT

For our Coupa India campus interns, they don’t just observe innovation but get to experience it firsthand.

From collaborating with engineers to contributing to real projects, interns gain a deeper understanding of how technology, teamwork, and culture come together to build solutions that matter.

We recently asked a group of our Coupa India campus interns a simple question: “What is something you discovered about Coupa while working on your project?”

Their responses highlight what makes the Coupa experience unique.

A Culture That Encourages Learning

For Santosh Yadav , the biggest surprise wasn’t the technology. It was the openness of the people around him. “Initially, I was hesitant about approaching senior managers, but they made sure I always felt comfortable reaching out. This supportive and open environment made learning very smooth.”

In just a few months, Santosh discovered how a collaborative culture can accelerate learning and confidence.

Engineering Excellence Through Collaboration

For Katta Sravya Reddy , the experience revealed how deeply collaboration is embedded in Coupa’s engineering culture.

“When I refactored my backend code based on my mentor’s comments, I realized how much the team values clean, maintainable, and scalable code versus the approach of just making things work.”

Through code reviews, mentorship, and open communication, interns gain exposure to real-world engineering practices that strengthen both their technical and professional skills.

Building the Future Together

At Coupa, innovation is a team effort, and our interns are an important part of that journey.

Their experiences reflect what we believe makes Coupa special: a culture where people are encouraged to ask questions, share ideas, and grow together.

Interested in starting your own journey? Visit our Life in India page, explore opportunities at Coupa Careers and join our Talent Community

Celebrating Employee Appreciation Day: Taking Time to Recharge Together

Tue, 17 Mar 2026 16:00:08 GMT

At Coupa, appreciation is built into the way we work and spend time with friends and family.

As organizations around the world recently recognized Employee Appreciation Day, Coupanians across the globe marked the moment in a meaningful way: by stepping away from work to recharge during our Spring Wellness Day.

Everything innovation, milestone, and customer win at Coupa is powered by our people. Wellness Days are one way we recognize that truth, giving employees the time and space to rest, reset, and invest in the well-being that makes long-term success possible.

Appreciation That Goes Beyond Words

For Susan Tohyama, Coupa’s Chief Human Resources Officer, Wellness Days reflect a deeper commitment to putting people first. “Our Wellness Days are more than just a break in the calendar; they are a reflection of our people-first culture. True well-being isn’t just about the absence of work. It’s more about the presence of self-care, family and friends, and the things that refuel your soul and let your brain breathe.”

It’s a reminder that appreciation doesn’t always come through big announcements or awards. Sometimes, the most meaningful way to recognize people is to give them the time they need to pause and recharge.

Across the Coupa Village, employees used the day in their own ways by reconnecting with family and friends, spending time outdoors, pursuing hobbies, or simply stepping away from the constant pace of work.

Recharging in Motion

For Erik Visser, Wellness Day meant getting outside and doing something that helps him reset both physically and mentally. Living in the Netherlands, Erik took advantage of the day to cycle 160 kilometers around the Markermeer along the Zuiderzeeroute, enjoying the open landscapes and quiet moments that come with a long ride.

“It was a perfect reminder to recharge and balance body and mind,” Erik shared. “A long ride, stunning views, and a great way to clear the head before heading back into the busy weeks ahead.” For Erik, wellness is about more than physical activity. “Wellness is not just about physical health, but also about energy, resilience, and showing up for yourself, your team, and our customers.”

After the ride, he reflected on how meaningful it is to work for an organization that recognizes the importance of stepping away to recharge. “I’m grateful to work at a company that values wellbeing and encourages us to invest in it.”

The Gift of Time

For Lucy Day, this year’s Wellness Day carried special meaning as it was the first time in her career she had experienced a day like it. “Today is my first Wellness Day at Coupa. In fact, it’s the first wellness day kindly gifted to me by an employer,” Lucy shared. Reflecting on her early career, Lucy said there was a time when spare time didn’t seem like something to think much about.

Lucy chose to spend the day doing something meaningful with a close friend who had recently experienced a loss. The two went for a run together before planning to unwind at a spa, a reminder that sometimes the most valuable thing you can give someone is simply your time.

Lucy is also training for a half marathon to raise money for charity, making the run part of a bigger personal challenge. “Time spent with a friend who needs support is time well spent. I’m grateful to Coupa for giving the Coupa Village this gift of time to breathe, rest, and recharge.

The Power of Community

For Jordan Gross, a creative leader and storyteller at Coupa, the day also highlighted something else that makes the Coupa Village special — the people. “The Coupanions I get to work alongside are some of the most creative, resilient, and dedicated people I’ve ever met,” Jordan shared. “Day after day, I see colleagues stepping up, supporting one another, solving tough problems, and pushing boundaries.”

In a work environment where teams are often asked to move quickly and do more with less, Jordan believes moments like Wellness Day are essential. “Even the best teams need a moment to pause,” he said. “Step away from the laptop, get outside, spend time with family, take a breath, and recharge.”

Building Tomorrow, Together

Employee Appreciation Day was a chance to recognize the dedication, creativity, and collaboration that drive progress forward.

At Coupa, celebrating that appreciation through global Wellness Days reflects a belief that supporting people’s well-being isn’t separate from success but an essential part of it.

When people feel supported, valued, and energized, they return ready to continue building tomorrow, together.

Ready to recharge your career? Check out Coupa Careers and join our vibrant Talent Community

Shaping What’s Next: Celebrating the Unsung Heroines of Coupa

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 15:58:18 GMT

As we celebrate Women’s History Month , we’re recognizing the women who help shape Coupa every day, not only through leadership roles, but through mentorship, advocacy, collaboration, and the many contributions that often happen behind the scenes.

In this special episode of Shaping What’s Next at Coupa , guest host Kiri Christensen , representing Coupa’s Empower Employee Resource Group , sits down with Cindy Yi, Senior Vice President of Global HR Business Partners , to explore the theme of this year’s celebration: Leading the Change.

Their conversation goes beyond titles and career paths to talk about the people and moments that shape leadership.

Cindy reflects on the leaders who influenced her journey and shares a perspective that resonates across organizations: when people feel supported, challenged, and connected, businesses perform better.

The episode also shines a light on the idea of “Unsung Heroines,” the mentors, problem-solvers, and team builders whose impact may not always be visible but is foundational to a strong culture.

As Cindy explains, recognizing those contributions matters because it expands how we define leadership and impact. “Leadership doesn’t always come from titles or visibility. When we celebrate mentorship, collaboration, and quiet leadership, we reinforce the behaviors that make organizations great.”

The conversation also explores the importance of thoughtful courage, the willingness to ask important questions and contribute perspectives that move conversations forward, regardless of title or tenure. And at the heart of it all is a simple but powerful truth: when people feel their voices and contributions matter, they’re empowered to do their best work. That’s what helps organizations grow, innovate, and shape what’s next.

Watch Episode 6: Women’s History Month: Unsung Heroines.

As we mark Women’s History Month at Coupa, we invite everyone to take a moment to recognize the unsung heroines in their own lives — the people who quietly make others stronger, more confident, and more successful.

When we recognize and empower people to grow, Coupa grows too.

Ready to help shape what's next? Join our vibrant talent community and explore exciting opportunities to become part of the Coupa Village.

Recognizing Excellence in India: December 2025 Standout Performers

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 16:17:45 GMT

Meaningful progress is driven by people who take ownership, collaborate deeply, and consistently raise the bar for what’s possible.

Each month, Coupa’s India Leadership Team recognizes individuals who exemplify our values through the Standout Performer Award . This recognition celebrates Coupanians whose contributions make a tangible impact on our teams, our customers, and the business while living our values to Drive Success for #AllOfUs, Own Our Results, Cultivate Belonging, and Build Tomorrow Together.

We’re proud to spotlight our December 2025 India Standout Performer Award winners, whose work reflects the heart of Coupa’s culture: proactive, innovative, and people-centered.

Meet the winners:

Vivek Sharma, Senior Site Reliability Engineer | Pune, India

Proactive Reliability

Vivek Sharma has been a driving force behind several proactive reliability and optimization initiatives that have strengthened Coupa’s systems and helped prevent incidents before they occur.

From leading key rotations and infrastructure optimizations during major upgrades, to improving monitoring practices and reducing legacy dependencies, Vivek’s work has directly contributed to increased platform stability and operational efficiency. His ability to anticipate risk and act early has made a measurable difference across teams and time zones.

Beyond the technical impact, Vivek plays a key leadership role in coordinating work across global shifts, ensuring clear ownership, asking the right questions, and helping teams move work forward efficiently. His collaborative approach, strong relationships, and commitment to continuous learning make him a trusted partner and a motivating presence within the organization.

Amir Khan, UX/UI Designer | Pune, India

Strengthening Operational Efficiency

Amir Khan delivered exceptional design leadership through two major initiatives that are reshaping how Coupa scales design and enables sales teams.

Under a highly accelerated timeline, Amir led the end-to-end redesign of Coupa’s Value Discovery Tool, replacing a costly third-party platform with a modern, in-house solution. The result: significant cost savings, greater roadmap control, and a more flexible, intuitive experience for teams in the field. His work included designing hundreds of screens, building a robust Figma component library, and creating interactive prototypes that dramatically reduced development ramp-up time.

In parallel, Amir developed a scalable design system for Coupa’s Industry Advisory Booklets, starting with the Airlines industry. This reusable framework saves significant time across future releases, improves consistency, and equips teams with high-quality, executive-ready materials.

Amir’s work strengthens operational efficiency, elevates Coupa’s brand experience, and delivers long-term value across the organization, and he’s a powerful example of design thinking in action.

Celebrating Impact That Matters

At Coupa, recognition is about more than results — it’s about how we work, how we support one another, and how we build for the future together.

Congratulations to Vivek and Amir on this well-earned recognition, and thank you to our teams across India who continue to bring Coupa’s values to life every day.

Interested in a career where your contributions are recognized and your growth is supported? Visit our Life in India page and join our Talent Community.

Celebrating Excellence in India: Q4 2025 Extra Mile Award Winners

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 14:59:06 GMT

At Coupa, we believe that progress happens because of people who go beyond what’s expected to drive impact, support others, and help shape what’s next. That’s why recognition is such an important part of our culture.

As part of our continued commitment to celebrating standout contributions across the business, Coupa’s India Leadership Team recognizes employees each quarter through the Extra Mile Award . This award honors individuals who exemplify our values: Drive Success for #AllOfUs, Own Our Results, Cultivate Belonging, and Build Tomorrow Together through meaningful, real-world impact.

We’re proud to spotlight our Q4 2025 India Extra Mile Award winners , whose dedication and leadership continue to raise the bar for excellence at Coupa. Meet the winners:

Yash Kadam, Senior Software Engineer, Cloud | Pune, India

Playing a Pivotal Role

Yash Kadam played a pivotal role in one of Coupa’s most critical engineering initiatives this quarter: the Taskflow migration. His work helped shape the overall migration strategy, transforming complex upgrades into clear, executable steps that could be safely deployed across environments.

What truly set Yash apart was his ability to combine deep technical expertise with strong cross-functional collaboration. He worked closely with development, quality engineering, SRE, and cloud operations teams to proactively identify risks, close gaps, and ensure the migration approach was both scalable and reliable.

Beyond execution, Yash documented best practices, validated edge cases, and supported early pilot runs, accelerating adoption across teams and increasing confidence in production rollouts. His ownership mindset and commitment to quality exemplify what engineering excellence looks like at Coupa.

Jeevan Siddareddigari, Senior Technical Support Engineer | Pune, India

Stepping Up in a Time of Need

Jeevan Siddareddigari stepped up during a critical period of customer escalation, quickly expanding his role beyond initial case ownership to become a key driver of resolution and stability.

By partnering closely with internal engineering teams and customer stakeholders, Jeevan demonstrated exceptional accountability and empathy. He consistently supported high-priority and aging cases, often stepping in to assist teammates even when he wasn’t the assigned owner, simply because he knew it would help move the process forward.

Jeevan’s deep expertise, proactive mindset, and ability to build trust strengthened customer confidence and reinforced Coupa’s commitment to exceptional support. His willingness to lead through action and collaboration makes him a valued partner to both customers and colleagues.

Recognition That Reflects Our Culture

At Coupa, awards like the Extra Mile are more than recognition, and really a reflection of how we work together, support one another, and deliver meaningful outcomes for our customers and communities.

Congratulations to Yash and Jeevan for their outstanding contributions, and thank you to all our Coupanians in India who continue to make Coupa a place where people grow, innovate, and thrive.

To learn more about life at Coupa India and how you can be part of our growing tech team, visit our Life in India page and join our Talent Community.

2026 Women’s History Month: Unsung Heroines

Thu, 05 Mar 2026 18:01:20 GMT

Leading Change Through Everyday Impact

As we kick off Women’s History Month , our Coupa Empower employee resource group is honoring the women whose leadership, influence, and care move our teams, culture, and communities forward — often in ways that aren’t always visible.

This year’s theme, Leading the Change , recognizes the builders, mentors, problem-solvers and quiet leaders whose impact shapes how we grow and work together. The Unsung Heroines program highlights employees whose journeys, advocacy, and influence create lasting progress — not just for Coupa, but for the people around them.

These are the stories that remind us that recognition isn’t a single moment. It's something we build into our culture every day.

The Power of Quiet Execution: Marisela Parra — Marketing

During her 13 years at Coupa, Marisela Parra, Principle Customer Marketing Manager, has helped shape the company’s growth from disruptor to global leader — not from the spotlight, but from the engine room where momentum is built.

She calls it the “quiet executor” model of leadership. In a world that often equates leadership with volume and visibility, Marisela’s impact is measured in trust, consistency and results that enable others to succeed.

She serves as a steward of customer stories, transforming individual success into global credibility. By scaling Coupa’s reference program from seven advocates to more than 1,000, she has built a powerful foundation of social proof that helps teams close business, build confidence and strengthen relationships across industries.Her influence reaches three critical communities:

Customers , whose voices she elevates to analysts, media and peers
Sales and marketing teams , who rely on the credibility she builds
Teammates across the organization , who turn to her when something must be done right

From stepping in to deliver a last-minute Spanish demo for Latin America to sourcing the perfect quote for a midnight launch, Marisela leads by removing friction so others can shine.

Her journey is defined by resilient adaptability. She anticipates needs and evolves her role to meet them.

At the heart of it all is trust.

Managing relationships with more than 1,000 customer advocates requires empathy, inclusion and goodwill. As Marisela puts it, customers don’t say yes to a program — they say yes to a person. Her work ensures they always feel like partners.

Recognizing an Unsung Heroine in Engineering:

 Sugandha Kumari

— Nominated by Shirish Hatwalne

For Shirish Hatwalne , Lead Site Reliability Engineer-Cloud Operations, recognizing an Unsung Heroine was simple: look for the person whose ownership turns high-pressure moments into seamless outcomes.

That person is Sugandha Kumari , Sr. Site Reliability Engineer-Cloud Operations.

Her work across critical initiatives has helped the team deliver complex migrations ahead of schedule, resolve bugs proactively and optimize deployment timelines to align with Coupa’s release cadence. The result: strengthened platform stability and accelerated team execution.

But her impact goes beyond execution.

She steps in to unblock colleagues, provides end-to-end support for upgrades and ensures compatibility across evolving workflows. Under tight deadlines, her attention to detail and consistency create calm, clarity, and momentum for everyone around her.

She also brings creative energy — producing engaging video updates for senior leadership and finding unconventional solutions through her interest in emerging technology. Sugandha blends technical excellence with imagination, strengthening both performance and culture.

In Shirish’s words, her ownership and dedication set a gold standard for the entire organization.

When Recognition Becomes Culture

The Unsung Heroines program also honors those who take the time to recognize others.

Across Coupa, employees are sharing their own tributes. Hear from Kiri Christensen and Fernanda Faustino (above) as they recognize the Unsung Heroines who have shaped their journeys and inspired their growth.

These moments of appreciation build connection. They reinforce belonging. They make impact visible.

Leading the Change — Together

What connects Marisela and Sugandha is how they lead:

Creating trust
Removing obstacles
Taking ownership
Turning pressure into progress
Building the foundation others rely on

They represent the everyday leadership that powers Coupa forward.

Real change doesn’t always happen on a stage. Often, it’s those behind the scenes — in the systems that scale, the relationships that last and the people who elevate everyone around them.

Celebrate and Recognize an Unsung Heroine

Women’s History Month is an invitation to make impact visible. That is further explored in our special Shaping What's Next: Unsung Heroines episode and features guest host, Kiri Christensen, and Cindy Yi, SVP or HRBPs.

Who is the builder, mentor, problem-solver or quiet leader who has shaped your journey?

And, if you’re looking to grow your career in a place where leadership shows up in everyday moments — explore Career opportunities at Coupa and see how you can help lead the change.

�� Learn more about Empower and our employee resource groups on Coupa Careers.

Welcoming the Year of the Fire Horse: A Season of Renewal, Movement, and Connection

Fri, 20 Feb 2026 16:44:00 GMT

As we welcome the Year of the Fire Horse, our global village comes together to celebrate Lunar New Year — a moment for renewal, reflection, and bold forward momentum for #AllOfUs.

This year’s celebration is led by our Coupa Exceed Employee Resource Group, whose leadership continues to create space for cultural connection, shared learning, and deeper belonging across our communities. Through its programming and storytelling, Exceed ERG helps turn moments like this into meaningful global experiences for all Coupanians.

In the lunar zodiac, the Horse symbolizes energy, progress, and determination. The Fire element brings passion, visibility, and transformation. That spirit comes to life in how Exceed leads this celebration:

Moving with purpose
Amplifying voices and traditions
Bringing our global community closer together

From red envelopes and reunion dinners to travel, lanterns, and time with loved ones, Lunar New Year reminds us that while our backgrounds may be different, the values that connect us are shared.

Traditions That Keep Us Connected

Across regions and roles, Lunar New Year is carried by traditions centered on family, togetherness, hope, and new beginnings. For Gigi Rong on our Customer Success team, the season is about slowing down and being present. “During the New Year season, everything slows down just a little, and we focus on the family and being together.”

That value shows up in how she works every day.

“It reminds me that success is collective. It motivates me to be dependable, supportive, and invested in people — not just results.”

For Carol Chiu on our Product Management team, Lunar New Year’s Eve reunion dinner is the emotional center of the celebration. “It’s far more than a meal. It’s a symbol of togetherness. Every dish is chosen because its name represents prosperity, wealth, health, or joy.”

Foods like these can turn the table into a wish for the year ahead:

Black Moss (Fat Choy) → wealth
Dried Oysters (Ho Si) → good business
Whole Fish (Yu) → surplus and abundance
Shrimp (Ha) → laughter and happiness

A Year of Bold Movement — Powered by Community

The Fire Horse energy is already inspiring how our people think about the future. Gigi is focused on expanding her impact. “Beyond achieving goals, I want to uplift others, share knowledge openly, and help create an environment where everyone can thrive.”

Carol is channeling that same momentum into both innovation and personal growth. “This is a year of positive movement — building stronger foundations in my work and broadening my horizons through travel.” That forward motion reflects what makes Coupa special: progress powered by collaboration.

“I’m really proud of how our team came together to navigate challenges and deliver meaningful results,” Gigi shared. “Being part of that collaboration has been incredibly rewarding.”

Carol echoed the same cross-functional spirit.

“Working with four different teams to transform the supplier payment experience was an incredible learning journey.”

One Global Community, Many Stories

Lunar New Year is also a powerful reminder that belonging grows when we share who we are.

“Seeing colleagues share pieces of their culture makes our global community feel more human and connected,” Gigi said. “Our differences are something to celebrate and they make us stronger.”

For Carol, the traditions carry a message that extends far beyond the holiday.

“Every new year is a fresh start. We sweep away the old and welcome the new. It teaches resilience — there is always a tomorrow.”

That mindset of renewal, learning, and moving forward is at the heart of how we grow together as a company.

The Spirit of the Fire Horse at Coupa

This year calls us to:

Take bold steps
Lift each other up
Build across teams and regions
Create shared impact

“It makes the global part of Coupa feel more connected,” Carol shared.

“Seeing colleagues share who they are builds understanding and respect,” Gigi added.

A Fresh Start for #AllOfUs

Lunar New Year teaches us something we carry into our work:

We can begin again.
We can grow.
We can move forward, together.

This celebration becomes more than a cultural moment. It becomes a reflection of who we are as a company.

Every story adds to the strength of our global village. Let’s welcome the Year of the Fire Horse with energy, purpose, and progress for #AllOfUs.

Explore opportunities and learn more about Exceed at Coupa Careers and join our Talent Community

Engineering What’s Next: Celebrating Engineers Week 2026

Fri, 20 Feb 2026 00:29:32 GMT

Engineers at Coupa are shaping what’s next, through code, curiosity, impact, and a shared commitment to building better systems for people and businesses.

In celebration of Engineers Week 2026, we asked a few of our engineers how they’re transforming the future: their own, Coupa’s, and the communities we serve.

Their answers reflect a profession grounded in purpose, growth, and possibility.

From Curiosity to Customer Trust: Abhishek Pandey, Software Engineer

Abhishek’s engineering journey began by experimenting with modded apps in school and trying to understand how systems worked beneath the surface.

“That early spark still drives me today, whether I’m digging into a complex issue or collaborating across teams to solve real customer problems.”

At Coupa, Abhishek owns a microservice responsible for inbound invoicing for a government client, a critical component of compliant invoicing.

During the implementation, he helped resolve integration challenges by focusing on root causes and aligning the right teams quickly.

For Abhishek, engineering goes beyond functionality. “When systems work seamlessly, customers can focus on growing their business instead of fighting technology. What we build isn’t just code, it’s trust.”

Joining Coupa as a newcomer to Ruby on Rails, Abhishek was given the time and trust to deeply understand the platform. That ownership changed his perspective.

“Engineering stopped being about making things work. It became about building systems that are reliable, secure, and scalable.”

His advice for aspiring engineers: “Stay curious. Learn by building. Focus on understanding why something works — not just how.”

From Hardware Roots to System Design: Nitin Salunke, Senior Lead Engineer

Nitin’s path into engineering started with hardware and a fascination with how physical components worked together. Over time, that curiosity evolved into a passion for software architecture.

“Hardware provides the skeleton. Software provides the soul.” Today, as a Senior Lead Engineer, Nitin oversees architecture within the Sourcing Module, an infrastructure that supports millions of RFQs and auctions globally.

“At Coupa’s scale, even small optimizations create real-world impact. We’re building infrastructure for global trade.”

Nitin is currently helping integrate AI Agents into sourcing workflows, moving beyond traditional UI toward intelligent systems that reduce cognitive load and enable more strategic decision-making.

“We’re implementing AI in real-world environments where accuracy and reliability are non-negotiable.”

His growth at Coupa mirrors that evolution. Starting as a “team of one” in India, he expanded into architectural stewardship, mentorship, and global collaboration.

“An engineer’s value isn’t just in the code they write but it’s in the standards they uphold and the teams they help build.”

His advice: “Focus on the problem you want to solve. Keep building. Engineering is a craft — and your perspective is an asset.”

More Engineers Shaping What’s Next

Engineers Week is also an opportunity to revisit the stories of Coupanians whose journeys continue to inspire.

From Relocation to Belonging: Mehnaz Bano, Lead Software Engineer

In her first year at Coupa, Mehnaz relocated from Berlin to Pune and discovered more than professional growth. She also found belonging. Her story reflects how engineering excellence and human connection go hand in hand. Read more: #My1stYearatCoupa: Four Stories of Growth, Purpose, and Community .

From Problem Solver to Inventor: Chien-Yi Tsai, Patent Holder

Chien-Yi wasn’t thinking of earning a patent but set out to solve meaningful problems. His curiosity about smarter supply chain route modeling led to U.S. Patent No. 12481936, demonstrating how innovation happens when curiosity meets opportunity. Read more: The Power of Curiosity: How Chien-Yi Tsai Turned an Idea into a Patent at Coupa

Engineering Simplicity at Scale: Anand Deshpande – Smart Intake & Orchestration

Anand helped lead the development of Smart Intake & Orchestration (SIO), transforming complex request workflows into intuitive, human-centered experiences across the Coupa platform. His work exemplifies innovation rooted in empathy. Read more: Building Simplicity Through Smart Intake & Orchestration

Scaling the Cloud with Precision: Krati Bansal – Sr. Cloud Software Engineer

A Standout Performer award winner, Krati has led critical frontend containerization efforts that make Coupa’s cloud infrastructure faster, more resilient, and more scalable. Beyond technical excellence, she’s a mentor and force multiplier for her peers. Read more: Shining Bright: Meet Coupa India’s Standout Performers

Engineering the Future, Together

At Coupa, engineering isn’t just about technical skill:

It’s about curiosity that drives deeper understanding.
Ownership that accelerates growth.
Architecture that scales with intention.
Innovation that serves real businesses.

And above all, it’s the impact that extends beyond code.

As we celebrate Engineers Week 2026, we honor the engineers who are transforming their futures while shaping ours.

If you’re inspired by these stories and ready to build systems that power global commerce, explore Coupa Careers and join our Talent Community.

At Coupa, the future isn’t just imagined, it's engineered!

Innovation Through Impact, Continued: Human-Centered Voices Shaping Tech

Wed, 11 Feb 2026 16:32:35 GMT

As we continue our Black History Month celebration, Coupa’s Engage employee resource group is proud to spotlight more voices whose journeys reflect the lasting impact of Black innovation in technology.

Building on our first feature, this blog highlights Coupanians whose paths into tech weren’t always linear but whose perspectives are shaping how technology, people, and possibility intersect at Coupa. Through the stories of Elise Huggins, Rashida Jones, and Johnny White, we’re reminded that innovation is strongest when it’s grounded in imagination, inclusion, and human purpose.

Innovation Through Human-Centered Insight: Elise Huggins

For Director of Benefits Elise Huggins, technology was more of a discovery than a pursuit. Her passion lies in both the systems and the human outcomes: connection, clarity, and superior experiences for people.

As part of Coupa’s Human Resources team, Elise champions technology's ability to translate complex workforce data into actionable insights, driving smarter organizational decisions and better employee support. This powerful intersection where innovation directly meets real human impact is what continually draws her in.

As she puts it, "Technology can take raw data and transform it into clearer decisions, simpler processes, and better employee experiences. That’s the part that hooked me.”

Looking ahead, Elise is excited by AI's potential to boost access, efficiency, and decision-making across industries, provided it remains thoughtful and human-centered. Her work focuses on shaping solutions that serve both organizations and the people who power them.

Her message to the next generation is grounded and empowering: invest in learning technology, take calculated risks, and trust that you belong. She reminds us, “Diversity in tech isn’t just about background. It’s about diversity of thought, experience, and perspective. That’s where better problem-solving and more inclusive innovation come from.”

Innovation Through Culture and Leadership: Rashida Jones

For Rashida Jones, innovation sits at the intersection of culture, leadership, and technology. Her career began in the entertainment industry, working closely with artists and creatives, a path that eventually led her into entertainment technology at a company whose platform was built to empower independent artists through transparency, data, and scale.

Seeing how technology could fundamentally shift access, ownership, and opportunity was a turning point.

“That’s when it clicked for me,” Rashida reflects. “Technology isn’t just a tool. It’s the future of how industries evolve, the power shifts in the process, and the people who are enabled to do their best work.”

Today, Rashida is most excited by AI’s ability to drive smarter, faster decisions while freeing people to focus on higher-value, more human work. Through her role in Human Resources at Coupa, she’s focused on ensuring that as technology scales, leadership, culture, and people practices scale with it, creating environments where clarity, accountability, and innovation coexist.

Her advice to her younger self is a reminder many can relate to: trust your instincts sooner and take up space earlier.

“You don’t need every answer to have a valuable perspective,” she says. “Ask the questions others hesitate to ask, stay curious, and don’t underestimate how transferable your skills really are, even when entering a new industry.”

To Rashida, diversity in tech is essential because technology reflects the assumptions and experiences of the people who build it. “When different voices are in the room,” she says, “the work is better, the culture is stronger, and the outcomes serve more people.”

Innovation Through Imagination: Johnny White

For Johnny White, innovation started with imagination. As a child, science fiction cartoons, movies, and novels sparked a fascination with spaceships, superheroes, and limitless possibility which set him on a lifelong path toward technology.

That early sense of wonder still drives how Johnny thinks about the future of tech today.

“One definition of technology is the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes,” Johnny shares. “What excites me most is its ability to help solve real-world problems that benefit all of us.”

In his work within Customer Success at Coupa, Johnny brings that imaginative lens to practical challenges, focusing on solutions that create meaningful impact for customers and teams alike.

His advice is simple, but powerful: never stop imagining, and don’t let others limit your vision of what’s possible.

To Johnny, diversity in tech means recognizing that the most effective creativity doesn’t come from a single profile or perspective. “There’s no one-size-fits-all solution,” he explains. “Collaboration across diverse experiences leads to better, more practical solutions, and that leads to stronger innovation overall.”

Shaping What’s Next, Together

The stories shared here reinforce a powerful truth: innovation thrives when imagination meets intention, and when diverse perspectives are not just included, but valued.

As we continue to celebrate Black History Month, we honor the Black innovators at Coupa who continue to challenge assumptions, expand what’s possible, and help shape technology with purpose, today and into the future.

�� Learn more about Engage and our employee resource groups on Coupa Careers.

Owning Results Through Connection: Sukhada's 10-Year Journey

Mon, 09 Feb 2026 16:18:37 GMT

As Coupa celebrates 20 years of innovation, growth, and impact, it’s the people who’ve grown alongside the company who best reflect what that journey really looks like. For Sukhada Bardapurkar, Partner Success Manager, the last 10 years at Coupa have been shaped by curiosity, connection, and a deep sense of ownership in the results she helps deliver.

“At every stage of my career here, I’ve genuinely cared about the impact of my work and how it enables both me and the team to move forward,” Sukhada shares. “Owning results motivates me and it pushes me to stay curious and solve problems proactively.”

Where Collaboration Meets Competitiveness

Over the past decade, Sukhada has experienced Coupa’s evolution firsthand. What has remained constant is the balance her role brings by working closely with partners while staying focused on winning for Coupa as one unified ecosystem.

“I’m a people person,” she says. “The partner ecosystem lets me build real relationships, read the room, and influence outcomes in meaningful ways.”

That relationship-driven mindset is paired with structure and momentum. Leading with her Coupa Colors allows Sukhada to bring both energy and focus to her work, showing up authentically while driving impact that scales with the business. Coupa Colors is a simple framework and shortcut for efficient communication and understanding preferred work styles. Best applied in general situations, this is a tool for self-reflection and learning about our teams. For Sukhada, “Leading with red helps me to take bold decisions, maintain sharp focus, and drive results urgency. Followed by Yellow, I naturally create alignment, encourage collaboration, and bring positive energy into team dynamics.”

Growth Happens Outside the Comfort Zone

Similar to Coupa, Sukhada’s career has evolved through change, growth, and new pathways. Changing teams throughout her 10-year journey pushed her outside her comfort zone, challenged her to adapt, and strengthened her resilience.

“Each move taught me how to work with different personalities and styles,” she reflects. “Looking back, those transitions are what helped me grow the most, not just professionally, but personally.”

That willingness to evolve mirrors Coupa’s own story, continually learning, adapting, and building for what’s next.

A Decade of Ownership, and Still Looking Forward

As Coupa marks its 20th anniversary, Sukhada’s journey is a reminder that longevity is built on intention. For her, Own Our Results means showing up with purpose, staying curious, and taking ownership of the future she wants to help create.

Her advice for those early in their Coupa journey: Don’t wait to figure things out. The faster you plug into the ecosystem, the faster you grow.

Ten years in, and with the next chapter ahead, Sukhada continues to shape what’s next at Coupa, proving that when people are empowered to grow, the impact compounds over time.

This story is the first in our #Coupa20 series, celebrating the careers, impact, and growth journeys that have shaped Coupa over the past two decades.
Inspired by Sukhada’s journey? Explore opportunities at Coupa Careers and join our Talent Community

India Standout Performer Award Winner – November 2025

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 15:52:30 GMT

At Coupa, we believe great work deserves to be recognized, not just for outcomes but for the commitment, ownership, and impact it brings. From weekly wins to milestone achievements, celebrating excellence is part of how we show up for one another.

As part of our evolving rewards and recognition program, the Coupa India Leadership Team introduced the Standout Performer Award (Monthly) and Extra Mile Award (Quarterly) to spotlight Coupanians whose contributions drive individual, team, and business success.

We’re proud to recognize our Stan dout Performer Award winner for November 2025 and invite you to join us in celebrating his achievement.

Ajay Kothalkar

Technical Support Engineer | Pune, India

Standout Performer Award Winner – November 2025

Ajay Kothalkar has become a cornerstone of Coupa’s APAC Support organization, consistently delivering exceptional outcomes for some of our most strategic, high-value customers.

Known as a trusted problem-solver, Ajay plays a critical role in supporting our VIP customers, many of whom operate in highly complex technical environments. His ability to quickly diagnose issues, partner deeply with customers, and deliver accurate solutions has made him the go-to engineer during high-stakes situations.

In November alone, Ajay directly owned 34 complex, high-impact customer cases, most tied to large enterprise customers in critical implementation and go-live phases. In addition, he proactively supported 50+ additional cases assigned to other engineers, often stepping in from scratch to help unblock peers and customers alike.

What sets Ajay apart is not just volume, but dedication. During a pivotal period for customers onboarding to Coupa’s SCC product, Ajay took full ownership of ensuring success. Speed and precision were essential, and he consistently delivered — even working through weekends to ensure customers remained unblocked and confident in the product.

As a result of Ajay’s efforts:

Customers experienced faster resolution during critical phases
Confidence in Coupa’s support and platform increased
His work directly contributed to customer satisfaction, renewals, and revenue impact

Ajay’s commitment, technical depth, and willingness to go above and beyond exemplify Coupa’s core value of Drive Success for #AllOfUs.

Congratulations, Ajay!

Thank you for setting a powerful example of what excellence looks like at Coupa. Your impact reinforces why recognition matters — and why people like you help us build tomorrow, together.

Explore Coupa Careers and join our Talent Community.

Innovation Through Impact: Black Voices Shaping the Future of Tech and AI

Fri, 30 Jan 2026 21:42:14 GMT

As we celebrate Black History Month, Coupa’s Engage employee resource group honors the resilience, creativity, and leadership of Black pioneers whose innovation has shaped technology and artificial intelligence.

This year’s theme, “ Innovation and the Impact of Black Pioneers in Tech and AI ,” recognizes trailblazers who challenged barriers, introduced new ways of thinking, and built pathways for future generations. Through the voices of Coupanians across our organization, we celebrate how those legacies continue to inspire us to innovate with purpose, push boundaries, and help shape what’s next at Coupa.

Innovation Through Perspective: Sharif Lewis on Storytelling, Technology, and Impact

Innovation doesn’t always come from new tools. It often comes from new perspectives. For Sharif Lewis, Senior Creative Producer at Coupa, that belief was shaped early by filmmaker Spike Lee, whose unapologetically Black storytelling redefined what innovation could look like.

“Spike Lee didn’t just tell stories. He challenged how stories were told,” Sharif reflects. “By centering Black culture and lived experience, Lee proved that authenticity itself could be disruptive and industry-shaping.”

That lesson carried Sharif into technology, where he sees storytelling as essential to keeping innovation human. As AI and digital experiences reshape how we connect, Sharif believes thoughtful storytelling helps technology feel relatable, intentional, and grounded in real experience.

“As technology moves faster, my goal is to make sure innovation doesn’t feel cold or distant, but human.”

His perspective reflects the legacy we honor this month: Black pioneers who didn’t just advance technology, but transformed how people experience it.

Innovation With Purpose: Ahmadou Sow

For Senior Technical Architect Ahmadou Sow, innovation has always been rooted in solving real problems for real people. Early in his career, while working on an automated document delivery solution, he realized technology’s power wasn’t in the tools themselves, but in how they improve everyday work.

That mindset shapes how Ahmadou views the future of AI today.

“Technology has enormous potential,” he shares. “But it should serve humanity, improving how we live and work, not replace people.”

As a member of a visible minority in tech, representation also plays a meaningful role in his journey. “Seeing people who look like me in positions of responsibility reinforces my belief that nothing is impossible,” Ahmadou says.

His message to the next generation is clear: Be authentic, stay curious, embrace AI, think big, and keep learning. With the right mindset and opportunity, innovation becomes a tool for empowerment, not just progress.

Innovation Through Access: Dr. Fredrick Sijenyi

For Dr. Fredrick Sijenyi, Senior Customer Success leader at Coupa, innovation begins with access, and the belief that technology should be something communities build, not just something they receive.

Growing up in Kenya, technology often felt distant. His first computer class wasn’t seamless or fast, but it was transformative. “In viewing those early slower computer screens, I saw a window to the entire world,” he reflects. That early experience sparked a desire to ensure others wouldn’t experience technology as a “late visitor,” but as something native and thriving within their own regions.

Today, Fredrick sees the future of tech in the democratization of creation, where AI and low-code tools empower anyone with an idea to build solutions that matter. Beyond his work at Coupa, he mentors graduate students in Kenya, helping develop local technical expertise and nurturing the next generation of innovators.

“Diversity in tech isn’t about quotas,” he shares. “It’s about diversity of context. When more voices lead, we shift from being consumers of innovation to being its architects.”

The journeys shared here are a reminder that innovation thrives when curiosity meets courage, and when diverse perspectives are not just welcomed, but amplified.

At Coupa, we celebrate the Black innovators who continue to challenge conventions, push boundaries, and inspire us to build technology with purpose, today and into the future. Check out Coupa Careers to learn more about Engage and our other employee resource groups.

The Power of Curiosity: How Chien-Yi Tsai Turned an Idea into a Patent

Fri, 16 Jan 2026 21:30:01 GMT

Chien-Yi Tsai’s career hasn’t followed a straight line, and that’s exactly what led him to innovation.

Looking back, Chien-Yi doesn’t see a single defining moment that made him an inventor. Instead, he sees a series of questions, challenges, and moments of curiosity that gradually shaped him into the engineer he is today. His focus was never on earning a patent, but on continuous learning, solving meaningful problems, and pushing beyond what felt comfortable.

“I never set out with the goal of becoming a patent inventor,” Chien-Yi shares. “I was focused on learning, solving real problems, and pushing myself beyond what felt comfortable.”

That mindset ultimately led him to Coupa, and to invention.

A Career Built on Curiosity

Like many engineers, Chien-Yi’s early career was about building strong foundations: understanding how systems work, weighing technical tradeoffs, and learning how technology can solve real business challenges. Each role added depth such as stronger technical skills, broader systems thinking, and a growing appreciation for collaboration.

When Chien-Yi joined Coupa, he entered an environment that actively encouraged curiosity. The challenges weren’t neatly packaged; they were complex, evolving, and deeply connected to real-world supply chain operations. That complexity pushed him to think bigger and approach problems more creatively.

Before Coupa, Chien-Yi didn’t consider himself an “inventor.” He saw himself as a problem solver. Over time, he realized the distinction wasn’t as clear as he once thought.

“I didn’t think of myself as an inventor but more of a problem solver,” he says. “Over time, I realized those two things aren’t very different.”

The Spark Behind the Patent

The idea that eventually became a patent began with a simple question: How can supply chains become smarter, faster, and more efficient as new delivery methods emerge?

As delivery models continue to evolve, Chien-Yi became increasingly interested in how emerging transportation capabilities could be thoughtfully integrated with traditional logistics networks. That curiosity led to deeper exploration of how different modes of delivery could operate together within a single system.

As Chien-Yi thought more about the increasing viability of drones, it became clear to him that they could play a meaningful role in logistics. But integrating aerial delivery with traditional ground transportation introduced an entirely new layer of complexity.

What started as informal conversations and rough concepts evolved into a structured exploration of how to model routes that intelligently combine aerial and ground delivery assets, accounting for capabilities, constraints, and user preferences. The challenge wasn’t just technical; it required rethinking how multiple transportation modes could operate as one unified system.

Chien-Yi credits his colleague at the time, Hafiz Hasan, as a key partner in the ideation and patenting process.

“Hafiz played a major role in shaping the idea and writing the patent,” Chien-Yi notes. “I learned a tremendous amount from working with him.”

The Reality of the Patent Journey

Turning an idea into a patent proved to be a marathon, not a sprint.

The process demanded deep research, precision in language, and relentless iteration. Every assumption had to be challenged. Every detail mattered. It pushed Chien-Yi beyond the scope of his day-to-day engineering work and forced him to articulate and defend innovation with clarity and rigor.

There were moments when the process felt daunting, but those moments also drove growth.

“Every assumption had to be questioned,” Chien-Yi reflects. “That’s where the real learning happened.”

Seeing the work culminate in U.S. Patent No. 12481936: Supply Chain Route Modeling with Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Segments was deeply meaningful, not just as a technical achievement, but as a reflection of how far he had come in his career.

Redefining What Innovation Looks Like

The experience reshaped how Chien-Yi views innovation and his role as an engineer. Innovation, he believes, isn’t reserved for specific titles or career stages. It happens where curiosity meets opportunity.

Coupa played a critical role by providing the space, support, and belief that employee-driven innovation matters.

“You don’t need to have everything figured out to start,” Chien-Yi says. “Ask questions. Get involved. Learn from the process.”

For those at Coupa wondering whether an idea is “worth pursuing,” his advice is simple: explore it.

“You never know where it might lead—whether in your career or in shaping the future of the platform.”

Looking Ahead

Innovation at Coupa doesn’t happen in isolation. It’s driven by teams of curious thinkers who are encouraged to challenge assumptions, explore ideas, and grow their careers along the way.

For engineers excited by complex problem-solving and by the possibility that an idea could one day turn into real-world impact, even a patent, Coupa offers a place to do just that.

If you’re inspired by Chien-Yi’s story, explore Coupa Careers and join our Talent Community. You’ll stay connected to opportunities, stories, and teams shaping what’s next.

Because at Coupa, the next great idea could be yours.

From Curiosity to Code: How Keerthi Built Her Way into Coupa AI

Fri, 09 Jan 2026 21:30:39 GMT

Innovation doesn’t always start with a job description. In some cases, it starts with curiosity.

For Keerthi Raghavendra, now an Associate Product Manager on Coupa’s AI & Analytics team, that curiosity turned into a passion project, and ultimately, a career-defining opportunity.

Keerthi Raghavendra | Associate Product Manager | US

While watching Coupa CEO Leagh Turner speak about helping customers navigate the global economy, one idea stood out: the best AI is built on the best data . With Coupa’s community-generated $8 trillion dataset powering smarter decision-making, Keerthi saw an opportunity to explore what autonomous, Agentic AI could unlock for procurement and supply chain collaboration.

Inspired further by CPTO Salvatore Lombardo’s vision for autonomous AI agents, Keerthi didn’t just imagine what was possible but actually built it.

Turning Vision into Action

Approaching the challenge from a product management lens, Keerthi explored how Agentic AI could:

Automate supplier matching
Streamline procurement transactions
Improve collaboration across complex supply chains

She developed a functional prototype t hat brought the concept to life. Along the journey, she documented her feature prioritization framework , tech stack decisions, and product strategy. Her goal: demonstrate how emerging AI concepts could translate into real-world customer value.

What began as a personal exploration quickly gained attention. She posted her work on LinkedIn, and before she knew it, CPTO Salvatore Lombardo and other members of the Product & Technology team commented on her work, praising it.

Fast forward, and 10 months later, Keerthi found herself stepping into her first role at Coupa, joining the AI & Analytics team to help build the futre she once studies from the outside.

A Message for Women in Tech

Reflecting on her journey, Keerthi describes it as serendipity with every experience quietly preparing her for Day 1.

Her story is a reminder that:

You don’t need permission to innovate
Curiosity is a powerful career catalyst
Building something you believe in can open doors you never expected

At Coupa, we believe the future of AI, product, and technology is built by diverse voices willing to lean in, experiment, and lead.

Keerthi is just getting started and so are we.

Learn more about Life at Coupa and join our Talent Community .

#My1stYearatCoupa: Four Stories of Growth, Purpose, and Community

Thu, 08 Jan 2026 22:00:22 GMT

So much can happen in one year, especially in your career journey. We shine the light on four Coupanians across the globe who hit their one-year milestone. In the process, they share stories of learning, impact, and the values that unite #AllOfUs. From Bogotá to Pune to the U.S., this foursome reflects on their first year at Coupa and what it means to Shape What’s Next together.

Testament to our culture, this journey sparked something unexpected. Two Bogota teammates—Lucas and José—started at Coupa as colleagues and ended their first year as close friends. Their story is a reminder that when we Build Tomorrow Together, relationships are often the greatest win.

Let’s meet Lucas, Maddy, José, and Mehnaz and hear what their first year at Coupa has meant to them.

Lucas Reyes | Sr. Customer Value Manager | Bogota

Favorite Coupa Core Value: Build Tomorrow Together

In year one at Coupa, Lucas witnessed the power of community, especially between customers who share best practices and grow together. For him, solving customer challenges is the most rewarding part of the job: “When we help a customer reach their goal, the impact feels real.”

Outside of work, you’ll find Lucas doing CrossFit, hiking, or enjoying a quiet coffee in the mountains. His advice for new hires? “Be open. Ask questions. Don’t be afraid to learn out loud.”

And in a full-circle moment, Lucas also gained something beyond professional growth this year: a friendship. He and fellow teammate José began their Coupa journeys around the same time, and have been pushing, encouraging, and celebrating each other ever since.

Maddy Reilly | Customer Adoption Manager | US

Favorite Coupa Core Value: Build Tomorrow Together

For Maddy, this value comes to life daily. From day one, she’s felt encouraged to share ideas, collaborate, and grow. She loves the blend of technical problem-solving and becoming a trusted partner to her customers.

One of the biggest influences in her first year? Her onboarding buddy, Paige, who never hesitated to teach, support, and cheer her on. Maddy says the most meaningful part of her work is learning something new each day—and being able to pass that knowledge forward.

When she’s not working, she’s training for marathons, triathlons, or her next Ironman. Her message to new Coupanians: Embrace not knowing everything. Curiosity makes the journey.

José Miguel Fragozo | Sr. Procurement Analyst | Bogota

Favorite Coupa Core Value: Drive Success for #AllOfUs

José chose this value because he sees every day how shared effort leads to outsized impact. He loves knowing his work directly helps Coupa reach its goals and credits his mentors for helping him grow with purpose.

A dreamer at heart, José stays grounded through sports, training, and time with his wife. His biggest advice for anyone joining Coupa? Ask every question. Share every idea. Your perspective matters here.

And his year at Coupa came with a bonus. José met Lucas, and the two quickly became great friends, proof that purpose-driven work becomes even more powerful when done alongside great people.

Mehnaz Bano | Lead Software Engineer | Pune

Favorite Coupa Core Value: Cultivate Belonging

For Mehnaz, belonging isn’t just something she values but something she feels deeply. After relocating from Berlin to Pune with no friends or family in the region, she expected a difficult transition. Instead, she found a team that made her feel at home from day one.

She finds reward in knowing her work makes someone’s day easier, and in tackling problems that help her grow as an engineer. Whether debugging with teammates, playing weekly badminton, or taking photos on weekends, Mehnaz stays energized through connection.

Her guidance to new employees: Connect with people. The support here is real, and it’s a game changer.

What One Year at Coupa Really Means

Across these stories, one thing remains true: impact happens here because people feel empowered, supported, and connected. Whether it’s solving customer challenges, pushing innovation, or cheering on teammates from Bogotá to Pune, their first year represents what’s possible when we truly Shape What’s Next, together.

If you’re ready to join our new Coupanians, check out Coupa Careers and join our Talent Community.

AI Use at Coupa in TA

Tue, 06 Jan 2026 19:35:18 GMT

AI Helps. People Hire. How Coupa Keeps Recruiting Human.

At Coupa, transformation is part of who we are. Whether it’s using our platform to help businesses run smarter or how people build meaningful careers with us, integrity is at our core. We also understand that the job search can feel both exciting and overwhelming. Generative AI (GenAI) has emerged as a helpful tool in the job hunt, but we want candidates to know one thing clearly: every hiring decision at Coupa is made by real people.

AI can support your journey. It will never replace real connection, context, or the value of your lived experience. It’s great if AI tools help you feel more prepared. What matters most is you and what you uniquely bring to an opportunity.

Here are a few simple guidelines to help you understand our position on the ethical use of AI throughout your application process.

Tips for Using AI in Your Application Journey

Use AI as a starting point, not the final version.

AI can help brainstorm résumé or cover-letter ideas, but your application should reflect your true experience and voice which is what we care about.

Lean into what makes you stand apart.

AI can refine words, but only you can share the real story behind your work, impact, and growth.

Prep with AI, but don’t script interviews.

AI-generated mock questions can help you practice, but we want your thinking, not rehearsed answers.

Stay truthful.

Using AI to organize your ideas is great. Using it to stretch or fabricate experience isn’t. Show us your authentic self.

Most important: people make the decisions.

While we use tools to stay organized and communicate efficiently, a human reviews every application, interview, and decision.

How Coupa Uses AI in the Hiring Process
We use AI to improve efficiency and candidate experience, not to replace human judgment.

Candidate Discovery

Within our CRM (candidate relationship management) system, AI helps recruiters identify talent for current and future opportunities. It supports efficiency, but decisions are based on human evaluation of skills, experience, and potential.

Job Descriptions

Our talent and business teams craft every job description. Tech may help with clarity or grammar, but the content is built by people who understand the role, team, and business needs.

Assessments

Coupa does not use AI-powered assessments or automated decision-making tools. Every step of your application is reviewed by humans.

Evaluation

We do not—and will not—use AI to make or automate hiring decisions.

Scheduling

Our AI scheduling tools help streamline coordination and reduce time-to-hire by up to 25%, creating a smoother experience for both candidates and hiring teams.

Our Commitment

AI helps us work smarter, but people remain at the center of our hiring process. Our goal is a fair, thoughtful, human-centered experience for every applicant. As technology evolves, we’ll continue to use it responsibly and update our practices with transparency.

Want to learn more? Check out Coupa Careers and join our vibrant Talent Community.

Building Tomorrow Together: A Year in Review for Talent Acquisition at Coupa

Tue, 06 Jan 2026 19:09:48 GMT

Talent isn’t something we simply acquire but it’s more about the humanity of each current and future Coupanian to help people grow, feel supported and recognized for their efforts. Over the past year, our Talent Acquisition team has stayed focused on one core belief: when people come first, innovation, impact, and growth follow.

This year was shaped by transparency, storytelling, and a renewed commitment to building a hiring experience that reflects who we truly are. Here’s a look at the moments that mattered most and how they helped us shape what’s next.

Humanizing the Hiring Experience

One of our biggest priorities this year was pulling back the curtain on the real Coupa hiring journey.

Through our Shaping What’s Next series , we shared authentic, behind-the-scenes perspectives—from first outreach to first day on the job. Rather than focusing on the process alone, we focused on people.

We highlighted:

New Coupanians taking their leap
Recruiters building genuine relationships
Hiring managers seeking curiosity, impact, and values alignment

By showing how Coupa’s Core Values come to life at every stage, we strengthened trust with candidates and reinforced transparency as a true differentiator.

Talent Brand Shaped by Real People

Our talent brand -- Help Shape What’s Next – came alive through the voices of the Coupa Village.

This year, we amplified employee stories across regions, roles, and career stages, from campus hires to senior leaders. Through people spotlights and regional storytelling, we showcased what growth, belonging, and purpose look like in practice.

These highlighted real career journeys. And that authenticity resonated deeply with both employees and future talent.

Innovation, Told Through the People Building It

Innovation is core to Coupa, and this year, we made a deliberate shift to tell innovation stories through the people behind the work.

From engineering breakthroughs to platform evolution, we spotlighted the builders and problem-solvers shaping what’s next. Stories like Stella Lee’s journey highlighted not just technical excellence, but collaboration, leadership growth, and trust.

This was reinforced through Salvatore Lombardo’s Architecting What’s Next with AI perspective , which framed AI not as a replacement for people, but as a powerful force that amplifies human capability. His vision underscored how Coupa is responsibly architecting agentic AI, grounded in real customer needs, trusted data, and human judgment.

Together, these stories sent a clear message: at Coupa, innovation thrives when people are empowered to think boldly and build responsibly.

Responsible AI in Hiring

As AI continues to shape the future of work, Coupa took a clear stance: AI supports hiring and it doesn’t replace the human connection.

This year, TA leader Chris Bartolo shared how we responsibly use AI to enhance efficiency, fairness, and experience, freeing recruiters to focus on relationships, storytelling, and decision-making. Transparency around how AI is used helped build trust and reinforced our commitment to ethical, human-centered hiring.

Investing in Emerging Talent

The future of Coupa is being built by the next generation of talent and this year, we made that visible.

From India campus hires to early-career storytelling tailored for Gen Z, we focused on clarity, learning, and growth. By simplifying expectations and highlighting real career paths, we helped early talent see themselves thriving at Coupa from day one.

Culture in Action

Culture isn’t what we say but it’s in our DNA.

Throughout the year, we amplified moments that reflected Coupa’s Core Values in action, especially Global Impact Week with 500+ employees volunteering more than 1,700 hours by supporting 28 local-led events and 3 virtual events across 18 countries and 6 continents. We truly could not have made such a positive impact on our communities without each and every Coupanian! Stories like this reinforced that belonging at Coupa is a lived experience, grounded in empathy, purpose, and shared impact.

Looking Ahead

As we move forward, our focus remains clear and we’ll keep:

Hiring human
Telling real stories
Building pathways for growth
Innovating with purpose

Every interaction, story, and hire strengthens our ability to innovate and scale. If this year showed us anything, it’s that the future of work is built by people, and here at Coupa, we’re proud of the people building it.

Ready to Shape What’s Next?

Explore opportunities at Coupa Careers

Join our Talent Community

And help build tomorrow—together.

Built on People: Coupa Named a 2026 Built In Best Place to Work

Mon, 05 Jan 2026 17:42:52 GMT

In an AI-driven job market, metrics often lead the conversation. At Coupa, we believe the most meaningful story lives beyond the data, in the people building, collaborating, and growing together every day.

That’s why being named a 2026 Built In Best Place to Work in both Chicago and Boston is especially meaningful recognition as companies shape the future of work.

Built In’s data-driven evaluation, based on compensation, benefits, and culture programs, signals to candidates that Coupa invests meaningfully in its people. To bring this recognition to life, we’re spotlighting two Coupanians, one in Chicago and another in Boston whose career journeys reflect what it truly means to grow, belong, and make an impact at Coupa.

Danielle Campbell | VP, Education & Enablement

Chicago: Scaling Impact Through Trust and Belonging

Danielle Campbell leads Coupa’s Education & Enablement organization, helping customers, partners, and employees build future-ready skills and drive meaningful product adoption.

For Danielle looking back on her Coupa career, joining the company was a matter of trust, not just her next career move.

“I was drawn to Coupa because of its trusted leadership and market momentum,” Danielle shares. Having worked with her manager previously, she knew she wanted to be part of the team he was building. That foundation of trust, paired with Coupa’s reputation as a category leader in AI spend management, made Chicago the perfect place to grow her career.

One of Danielle’s most defining moments came when she scaled her team in alignment with Coupa’s global strategy, redesigning workflows for long-term impact and ensuring the right talent is in the right roles.

Her growth accelerated further when she was included in Coupa’s Executive Operating Committee. “Having a seat at the table has given me visibility into planning and growth trajectories and reinforced that my team’s work truly matters,” she says. This visibility, she notes, has been a masterclass in leadership and an opportunity as a senior leader at Coupa to be part of building and executing the strategy and plan.

For Danielle, Coupa’s culture is more than words on a page. “Our values show up in every decision we make,” she explains. As the Executive Sponsor of Illuminate, Coupa’s LGBTQI+ Employee Resource Group, Danielle experiences inclusion and allyship in action. This culture of support is grounded in gratitude through programs like Coupa Cares, and people-first leadership and creates a workplace where individuals thrive.

Danielle also highlights the energy of the Chicago office, shaped by collaboration between longtime Coupa leaders and newer team members bringing fresh ideas. Coupa’s remote-first flexibility, paired with a vibrant local hub, creates an environment where people can do their best work.

For candidates considering Coupa, Danielle offers simple advice: “If you’re looking for a place where people are trusted, careers are supported, and your work truly matters, Coupa is it. You’ll make an impact from day one, surrounded by teammates who are invested in your growth.”

Kerrin O'Leary | Digital Sales Executive

Boston: Defining Your Own Path

Kerrin OLeary is a Digital Sales Executive and leads channel sales opportunities with Coupa's certified implementation partners.

For Kerrin, Coupa represented opportunity. Initially drawn to a global leader in AI spend management, she was most impressed by the immediate support from leaders and teammates who consistently offered time, guidance, and encouragement.

Kerrin began her Coupa journey as an Account Development Representative. Today, she’s running her own deal cycles—a milestone she credits to mentorship, hands-on learning, and a culture where curiosity and questions are welcomed.

One pivotal moment in her growth came when she joined Coupa’s Channel Team. Working closely with partners expanded her skill set and confidence, from attending Quarterly Business Reviews to meeting prospects and teammates in person. “It helped me grow my network and confidence at the same time,” she shares.

Working out of Coupa’s Boston office adds another layer to her experience. “Being able to collaborate in person, talk through deals, and learn from Account Executives around me has been huge,” Kerrin says. The balance of in-office energy and flexibility has helped her feel supported while continuing to grow.

Her advice for future Coupanians is simple and empowering: “You really can define your own path here. Work hard, communicate your goals, and your leaders will help you get there.”

Join the Coupa Village

At Coupa, careers grow alongside the company, whether you’re early in your journey or ready to lead at scale. Our people-first culture, commitment to growth, and investment in belonging are what make recognition like Built In’s Best Places to Work possible.

Explore opportunities on Coupa Careers and join our Talent Community to see how you can grow, belong, and make an impact at Coupa.

Going the Extra Mile: Meet Coupa India’s Q3 2025 Award Winners

Thu, 18 Dec 2025 03:37:32 GMT

At Coupa, our people make the difference. From optimizing complex systems to driving new ideas that power global innovation, we believe in celebrating those who step up, lean in, and go beyond what’s expected.

To recognize those exceptional efforts, the Coupa India Leadership Team introduced the Extra Mile Award, a quarterly honor that highlights individuals who demonstrate ownership, creativity, and impact. These are the Coupanians who set new standards for excellence and inspire others to do the same.

This quarter, we’re proud to recognize three exceptional engineers—Gyanendra Ojha, Pritesh Mantri, and Akshay Sable—whose technical brilliance and collaborative spirit are helping us build smarter, more resilient systems to shape the future of spend management.

Gyanendra Ojha | Lead Site Reliability Engineer | Pune

Driving performance and efficiency at scale

Gyanendra demonstrated exceptional ownership by leading multiple high-impact initiatives, concurrently. He spearheaded a cost-optimization project saving the company significant budget per month while improving system stability.

His proactive approach not only reduced manual intervention but also enhanced performance monitoring and responsiveness. At the same time, Gyanendra successfully executed CLM upgrades and migrated 14 tasks to Coupa’s task flow, ensuring continuity, scalability, and seamless delivery.

Through precision, innovation, and impact-driven execution, Gyanendra continues to raise the bar for engineering excellence at Coupa.

Pritesh Mantri | Software Engineer | Hyderabad

Innovating for scalability and smarter development

Pritesh played a pivotal role in migrating Coupa’s CI/CD pipeline to a more efficient solution that eliminated licensing costs and created a more efficient, maintainable system. He also improved testing standards that enhanced reliability across the platform.

Beyond process optimization, Pritesh drove innovation in product functionality that enabled faster, more intuitive bulk data creation and led design enhancements for contracts, simplifying user experience and performance.

Pritesh’s forward-thinking mindset and technical versatility showcase how Coupa engineers continuously innovate to make our platform smarter and stronger.

Akshay Sable | Sr. Site Reliability Engineer | Pune

Securing systems, strengthening trust

When it came to the complex project, Akshay’s technical expertise and problem-solving skills proved invaluable. In record time, he led the analysis and implementation of a high-impact, security-driven initiative that had been in progress for months.

Akshay’s work included tackling challenges like global key caching, enabling support teams with training and documentation, and even discovering a critical bug that led to a fix adopted by the open-source community.

Through his deep technical acumen and collaborative approach, Akshay not only ensured zero customer disruption but also strengthened the long-term resilience of Coupa’s infrastructure—truly embodying our value of Building Tomorrow Together.

Congratulations to our Q3 2025 Extra Mile Award winners!

Gyanendra, Pritesh, and Akshay represent the best of Coupa—driving innovation, ownership, and impact that power customer success and global growth.

Their work reminds us that when we go the extra mile, we don’t just solve problems—we help shape what’s next.

Want to be part of a team that rewards innovation, collaboration, and excellence?

To learn more about life at Coupa India and how you can be part of our growing tech team, visit our Life in India page and join our Talent Community.

The Smart Intake & Orchestration Journey: People, Purpose, and Product

Tue, 16 Dec 2025 02:08:52 GMT

In the world of engineering here at Coupa, I’m reminded of one of our core beliefs: powerful systems should still feel simple. Yet as organizations grow, even everyday tasks such as requesting equipment, submitting a purchase, or finding the right workflow can become more complex than they should.

Tracking back to early 2024, our team asked a simple question with big implications: What if we could make the user experience for these requests effortless? What started as one little idea has grown into Smart Intake & Orchestration (SIO), a reimagined way for people to navigate requests across the Coupa platform.

How It All Began

Coupa has been scaling fast. With more capabilities and more global customers, complexity naturally grows too. We realized that incremental fixes weren’t going to be enough.

We needed to transform the entire end-to-end journey.

Our goal was clear: Make every request simple, intuitive, and human, regardless of the user or the workflow behind it.

Building Something New Together

I joined the project early and quickly saw its potential impact. It became one of the most collaborative efforts of my career with Product, UX, engineering, and cross-functional partners all coming together with a shared purpose.

We created a flexible, scalable experience framework that supports users today and grows with them for tomorrow.

This wasn’t just innovation to gain business efficiency. It was innovation rooted in empathy for our customers using our platform every day.

Facing Challenges and Growing from Them

With any ambitious initiative, there were moments where decisions had to be made with limited precedent. We made decisions with limited precedent, tight timelines, and alignment across many teams.

Some key challenges included:

Balancing speed with thoughtful execution
Experimenting while staying grounded
Ensuring teams worldwide rallied around a shared vision
Prioritizing customer needs with long-term strategy in mind

These challenges made us better and reminded us to bring people in early, test ideas quickly, and keep the user experience at the heart of everything.

Launching, Learning, and Iterating

We officially introduced Smart Intake & Orchestration at our Coupa Inspire customer event in May 2025. Since then, we’ve partnered closely with customers to refine, evolve, and expand the capabilities.

Today, many Coupa customers are already using SIO, with more on the horizon. Here is a demo and overview of SIO for those interested in learning more.

It’s just the beginning and the momentum is exciting.

The People Behind the Product

One of the most meaningful parts of this journey has been the people. Guiding teammates, sharing best practices, and welcoming new engineers became a big part of my role.

We built more than a product but created a community where people felt supported, empowered, and encouraged to grow.

The Coupa Core Value of Cultivate Belonging was at the heart of SIO and what makes working here so special and enriching.

A Personal Highlight

This project also marked a pivotal moment in my own career. The trust and support from leadership and my teammates helped me grow, take ownership, and lead confidently.

I’m grateful to have been promoted to Senior Lead Engineer and honored to join Coupa’s Excellence Club (Most Valuable Employee). To me, it represents not just recognition but responsibility to keep learning, elevating others, and delivering impact.

A Message for Future Talent

If you’re someone who loves solving complex problems, building meaningful experiences, and working in teams where innovation and support go hand-in-hand, this kind of work is incredibly rewarding.

Our engineering and product teams partner closely with our Talent Acquisition team to ensure we’re bringing in people who want to make a real impact. SIO is a great example of how one idea can change the everyday experience for thousands of users and how every person on the team contributes to that success.

At Coupa, you’re not just building features but shaping the future of how businesses work.

Smart Intake & Orchestration is only getting started. We’re expanding capabilities, deepening customer partnerships, and exploring new ways to simplify enterprise processes.

There is so much more to build and I’m excited for the path ahead.

Join Us

This journey reflects who we are at Coupa:

Drive Success for #AllOfUs — Ensuring value for our entire community
Own Our Results — Taking proactive action and having accountability
Cultivate Belonging — Fostering an environment of empathy, inclusion, and goodwill
Build Tomorrow Together — Collaborating and innovating to disrupt the industry

If this resonates with you, take the next step:

Explore opportunities at Coupa Careers
Join our Talent Community to stay connected
Join us at Inspire 2026

I’m proud of what we’ve created and even more energized by the people who will help shape what comes next. Let’s build a smarter, more connected future, together.

Shaping What’s Next at Coupa: Inside the End-to-End Hiring Journey

Wed, 03 Dec 2025 19:04:59 GMT

Ever wonder what really happens behind the scenes of a Coupa hire? In Episode 4 of our Shaping What’s Next series, we're pulling back the curtain on the full hiring experience, from initial first outreach to first day on the job.

In this episode, we give you three perspectives in the process: first a recently hired Coupanian, the recruiter who discovered her, and the hiring manager who made the final call. Together, they share the process from each of their vantage points. You’ll hear how curiosity, collaboration, and Coupa’s Core Values show up in every step, from a warm first conversation to that moment when it just “clicks.”

If you’ve ever thought about joining Coupa, or if you're just curious how we approach finding and growing great talent, take a peek at this inside look.

Watch Episode 4: The End-to-End Hiring Journey and see how we’re shaping what’s next, one hire at a time.

Ready to help shape what's next? Join our vibrant talent community and explore exciting opportunities to become part of the Coupa Village.

Passion Meets Purpose: A Leadership Visit that Energized Coupa India

Tue, 25 Nov 2025 18:42:53 GMT

Recently, Coupa India welcomed Chief Human Resources Officer Susan Tohyama and Chief Product & Technology Officer Salvatore (“Salva”) Lombardo for an unforgettable week of connection, collaboration, and culture in full force. They engaged with teams across offices including over 120 employees who have joined Coupa in the Product and Technology organization.

From lively Town Halls in Pune and Hyderabad, to innovation workshops and high-energy demo sessions, the visit celebrated what makes Coupa India a vital part of our global success story: a shared drive to innovate, build, and shape what’s next — together.

Collaboration as a Way of Life

From the moment Susan and Salva arrived, one thing was immediately clear: Coupa India had found the recipe for success.

“The ‘can do’ attitude here is infectious,” said Susan. “The drive to innovate, build, and solve is unmatched, and what truly stood out to me was how much fun runs through it all. Whether it was good conversations at lunch, all kinds of great dancing at the Coupa party, or the general excitement heard during brainstorm sessions.”

That balance of passion and purpose defines Coupa’s culture, where people come together not only to solve big challenges but also to celebrate the journey along the way.

Innovation and Energy at Every Tur n

Salva reflected on the spirit that powered the week. “You could feel the energy in every conversation from our Town Hall with Susan to the collaboration and innovation powering our vision forward. The pride across our Pune and Hyderabad teams truly reflects the best of Coupa’s culture.”

Throughout the visit, teams shared powerful demos, brainstormed ideas for the future of Coupa’s leading AI platform, and connected over how innovation and inclusion continue to move us forward. The conversations were open, the vision was clear, and the excitement was unmistakable.

A Community That Builds Together

For many, the visit was a powerful reminder of Coupa’s culture of connection, belonging, and community. “Moments like these remind us what drives Coupa forward — our people,” shared Susan. “Every conversation reflected deep commitment to innovation, collaboration, and community. I’m so proud of what we’re building together.”

India: Integral to Coupa’s Global Story

Ankur Goyal, VP, Engineering & GM, Coupa India, summed it up perfectly. “The visit reinforced how integral India is to Coupa’s innovation and growth story. We’re not just building products. We’re creating impact. Thank you to Salva and Susan and the Coupa India team for the massive energy and huge turnout!”

Across every conversation, one theme rang true: when passion meets purpose, magic happens.

Join the Story

At Coupa, our teams in India are driving innovation, collaboration, and impact on a global scale from building AI-powered solutions to shaping the future of spend management. If you’re looking for a place where you can shape what’s next, Coupa is the place to be. Follow Susan, Salva and Ankur on LinkedIn where they shared their perspectives on the India visit.

We have more than 70 open roles in India, and are always looking to meet the people who will help shape the future of Coupa. To learn more about life at Coupa India and how you can be part of our team, visit our Life in India page and join our Talent Community.

Making a global impact, together

Tue, 28 Oct 2025 22:12:08 GMT

Coupanians around the world unite to give back during Global Impact Week 2025.

At Coupa, we believe that business is a force for good — and our greatest impact comes from the people behind our technology. During Global Impact Week 2025, employees across the world came together to give back to their local communities, embodying our sustainability and impact commitments and showing what it means to be a purpose-driven, people-first company.

A week of purpose in action

From river clean-up in Tokyo to blood drives in Pune, food bank volunteering in Denver to animal shelter projects in Boston, supporting cancer patients in Dublin, every act of service reflected the same belief: when we care for our communities, we help create a more sustainable, connected world.

Highlights from around the globe::

The Americas

Atlanta, GA and Denver, CO: Volunteers cooked breakfasts at the Ronald McDonald House and supported local food banks, bringing warmth and nourishment to families in need.
Boston, MA: Teams created care packages for shelter animals, combining creativity and kindness.
Minneapolis, MN: Employees volunteered at a women’s shelter, cooking, cleaning, and serving meals to 28 women and children.
Philadelphia, PA: More than 50 bins of clothing for children in need were sorted and packaged by Coupanians with Cradles to Crayons.
San Diego, CA: Volunteers got their hands dirty at the Solana Environmental Center, weeding gardens, planting lavender, and testing rain barrels in support of sustainability.
Bogotá and Medellín, Colombia: Our teams made a powerful impact — from packing essential food kits for local foundations supporting seniors and people with disabilities, to hosting a Life Purpose Talk with Fundación Alma Perruna on compassion and community.

APAC

Tokyo, Japan: Teams joined the Arakawa River Cleanup, removing hazardous waste and protecting their local environment.
Singapore : Volunteers supported Willing Hearts, a soup kitchen, by providing meals to those in need, including the elderly, low-income families, people with disabilities, and migrant workers.

EMEA

Dublin, Ireland: Employees lent their hands and hearts at Friends of St. Luke’s Radiation Oncology Hospital, painting facilities and supporting patient care.
Reading, UK: Our team volunteered at Thrive, helping organize the space, sand, paint, and support client gardeners. Thrive empowers people with disabilities or vulnerabilities through gardening, building skills, confidence, and resilience.
Ettenheim, Germany: Teams rolled up their sleeves for a tree-planting activity in the local forest, helping restore and strengthen biodiversity.
Karlsruhe, Germany: Employees joined a forest restoration effort, removing invasive cherry laurel plants to preserve native growth.

India

Pune, India: More than 60 employees partnered with Mangeshkar Hospital for a blood drive to help save lives — a powerful example of compassion in action. Coupanians also supported an Animal Welfare & Adoption Drive in partnership with Saahas NGO.
Hyderabad, India: Coupanians spent the week organizing a food drive at a government blind school, sharing nourishment, encouragement, and donating sports and learning kits to support education and play. In addition, Coupanians participated in a tree plantation drive and supported animal welfare efforts with Mettu Animal Samrakshan while partnering with local advocates to protect and rescue animals in need.

Virtual

Through a collaboration with SuitUp, employees coached high school students in developing sustainable products — inspiring the next generation of innovators and leaders.
Our annual Coupa Challenge saw 217 Coupanians lace up their sneakers and run 365 miles, walk 454 miles, and cycle/skate 905 miles. In total, employees logged 1,724 miles, raising $17,250 for the N50 Project.

“The best part of Global Impact Week was realizing how small actions can make a big difference — and doing it together,” one Coupa employee said.

Our Social Impact commitment in action

Global Impact Week is more than a moment — it’s part of Coupa’s ongoing journey to advance Coupa’s sustainability & social impact commitments by building stronger communities, fostering inclusion, and promoting sustainability.

Every hour volunteered and every action taken reinforces our belief that doing good and doing well go hand in hand. Together, we’re using our collective power to create lasting, positive change for people, the planet, and the future.

Paid time to give back

At Coupa, making an impact isn’t just encouraged – it’s supported. Every employee receives 40 hours of paid Volunteer Time Off (VTO) each year to dedicate toward community service.

Whether it’s mentoring students, supporting local nonprofits, or protecting the environment, employees can use their VTO hours to contribute to causes they care about. This is just one of the many ways Coupa empowers our people to make a difference both inside and outside of work.

A shared spirit of giving

Across every time zone, one message rang true: impact starts with us. Whether it was a wave from Dublin, a smile from Tokyo, or a cheer from Minneapolis, the energy of our global Coupa community showed what happens when we come together for something bigger than ourselves.

Here’s to continuing to make an impact, every day — as #AllOfUs strive to make a better world.

Want to join a company where purpose and impact go hand in hand?

Explore open roles at careers.coupa.com and discover how you can make a difference with us.

Shaping the Future of Supply Chain — and Her Career at Coupa

Wed, 24 Sep 2025 15:52:25 GMT

At Coupa, we’re proud to celebrate Stella Yen-Chiao Lee, recently named a 2025 Women in Supply Chain Award recipient by Food Logistics and Supply & Demand Chain Executive . Recognized in the Trailblazers category, Stella was honored for her leadership, mentorship, and impact in shaping the future of supply chain.

Her story is also a glimpse into life at Coupa and shaping your career — where your ideas, expertise, and passion can spark real change. We asked Stella to share her thoughts on this amazing recognition.

What does receiving this award mean to you personally and professionally?
It’s humbling to have my work recognized in a field I care deeply about. Personally, it’s inspiring to be celebrated alongside so many talented women who are shaping the future of supply chain.

Professionally, it’s a reminder of how far I’ve come and the impact I can make. It motivates me to keep growing, learning, and supporting other women in the supply chain community.

Looking back, what experiences or mentors shaped your leadership journey?
When I joined Coupa (formerly LLamasoft) in 2011, we were still a small company growing quickly. I was asked to step into a project lead role before I felt ready. That challenge pushed me to stretch beyond my comfort zone, learn fast, and build confidence.

I was also lucky to have leaders who trusted, mentored and encouraged me to speak up. That early trust gave me confidence in my perspective and shaped how I lead today: I believe in staying curious, empowering my team, and embracing growth through new challenges.

What advice would you share with women early in their careers?
Say yes to opportunities, even if they’re out of your comfort zone. Stay curious and ask questions. And remember that supply chain touches everything — the more you connect with people across teams and functions, the stronger you’ll become as a leader.

What excites you most about the future of supply chain?
The pace of change. With AI, real-time data, and optimization tools like Coupa’s Supply Chain Guru, we’re not just reacting — we’re predicting and planning. That creates opportunities to be more efficient, more resilient, and more sustainable. It’s an exciting time to be part of this industry.

How do you see your role — and Coupa — driving the future of supply chain?
For me, “building tomorrow together” is about teamwork. At Coupa, we’re constantly learning from our customers and each other. My role is to stay close to the real-world challenges our customers face and make sure those insights flow back into our products.

That feedback loop means we’re always improving — and that together, we’re shaping what’s next for supply chain.

Why it matters?
Stella’s recognition comes on the heels of Coupa being named #16 on Fast Company’s 2025 Best Workplaces for Innovators . Both honors highlight a common denominator: our people. Coupanians are at the heart of what makes our company a great place to work. From supply chain innovation to employee-led initiatives, we’re helping shape what’s next.

Ready to shape what’s next in your career?

Explore opportunities at Coupa Careers and join our Talent Community to stay connected.

Shaping What’s Next: Women in Tech

Thu, 28 Aug 2025 06:49:47 GMT

At Coupa, belonging isn’t an initiative—it’s a value we live every day in our personal and professional lives. One of our key Coupa Core Values–Cultivating Belonging–reflects a fundamental truth: when people feel seen and supported, they exude confidence, clarity, and the courage to grow. That’s not just good for our people—it’s good for innovation, business, and the communities we serve.

As our Coupa CEO Leagh Turner puts it:

“Cultivating Belonging is about creating the space where growth is possible for every person. That’s how we build a better company—and a better experience for everyone in it.”

This values-based approach drives our Coupa Empower Employee Resource Group, dedicated to unlocking the impact of women in business. One of its most transformative initiatives? A powerful partnership with MEvolution, a science-based energy management program designed to help individuals reclaim their wellbeing, purpose, and power.

From Burnt out to Breakthrough - MEvolution

When “Pam,” a Coupa employee, joined the MEvolution Energy Booster program, she was overwhelmed—balancing remote work, motherhood, and caregiving during the COVID pandemic. Through MEvolution’s eight-week guided experience, she learned to identify energy leaks, set boundaries, and prioritize her needs. The result? A smiling, re-energized woman who said, “Taking care of myself helped me take better care of everyone else—and thrive in my career.”

Inspired by this impact, the program was extended to 20 women across time zones and functions. These participants didn’t just learn to manage their energy—they transformed how they show up at work and in life. They reported better focus, reduced anxiety, stronger boundaries, and greater happiness and fulfillment. One key ingredient? A commitment to give back, paired with the program’s completion.

Together, these women served over 185 families, packed 14,000 lbs of food, gifted 1,000 Christmas presents, and more—proving that personal energy and purpose-driven impact go hand in hand.

Programs like MEvolution truly humble you to see the needs out there—and inspire you to serve more regularly. As we explore other ways to give back, the energy and impact that MEvolution sparked continues to resonate. It showed us what’s possible when individuals are empowered to care for themselves and others. At Coupa, we carry that spirit forward—supporting initiatives that help our people grow, give back, and shape what’s next with purpose and compassion.

Women Leading With Wisdom

Beyond great initiatives such as MEvolution, our Coupa women are breaking barriers and shaping what’s next—in engineering, legal, product, technology, and beyond. Their voices are helping redefine success and leadership with authenticity, resilience, and strength.

Amy Sweeney, CIO: “You don’t have to have the perfect background. You set your mind, work hard, and do it your way.”
Michelle Bonam, VP Talent Strategy: “You get sponsors by cultivating relationships, and you develop these relationships through the little things you do”.
Priya Gopinath, VP Engineering: “Your uniqueness is your strength, and your confidence is your superpower.”

These women are a testament that leadership comes in many forms—and that when we create space for authenticity, we unlock powerful results.

What’s Next?

Coupa’s commitment to empowering women isn’t about checking boxes—it’s about building a culture where everyone can rise. We’re continuing to expand programs like MEvolution, investing in ERGs like Empower, and fostering environments where feedback, sponsorship, and leadership development are part of the everyday experience.

If you’re looking for a workplace that champions growth, equity, and purpose—not just for women, but for everyone—we invite you to learn more about life at Coupa. Because when women thrive, we all rise.

Want to learn more? Check out Coupa Careers and join our vibrant Talent Community.

Interview Tips for “Freshers” in India: Lessons from My Recruiting Journey

Wed, 27 Aug 2025 06:56:21 GMT

In India, we often use the word “fresher” to describe recent graduates or candidates with minimal work experience. This term can also apply to someone moving into a field where they don’t yet have direct experience. What freshers bring is energy, curiosity, and potential—but guidance and mentoring for this early in career talent helps them make that transition much smoother into a corporate environment.

As a recruiter with a Bachelor’s in IT and over five years in talent acquisition, I’ve worked with “fresh” graduates and seasoned professionals. Having sat on both sides of the table myself, I’ve seen how small details can make or break an interview. Here are some lessons I wish every fresher knew—shared from real moments in my recruiting journey.

Resume hygiene is non-negotiable ��

I can’t count the number of times I’ve seen resumes with typos in email IDs (yes, “gamil.com” instead of “gmail.com”), or resumes saved in a format the system couldn’t read. I’ve had to pass on strong candidates simply because their details never came through the ATS.

What I tell freshers: Save your resume as Word or PDF, use clean fonts, and always double-check your contact details. Even the file name matters—Richa_Kadam_Resume.pdf looks far more professional than just Resume.pdf.

Do your homework ��

I once asked a candidate why they wanted to join our company, and the answer was: “I don’t know much about what you do.” Compare that to someone who said, “I was impressed by your recent product launch in AI—it aligns with my final-year project.” Who do you think stood out more?

Lesson: A little research on the company’s website, products, and values makes you memorable and shows genuine interest.

Projects speak louder than marks��

Grades matter, but in interviews, your projects and internships tell the real story. I’ve seen resumes that simply list “E-commerce Website” and leave it at that. But one candidate wrote: “Built a responsive e-commerce app using React & MySQL—reduced load time by 30%.” That one line showed me their skills, initiative, and impact.

Takeaway: Don’t just say what you did—show the results.

A Fresher’s Secret Checklist: Small Details That Make a Big Difference:

✨ Name your resume smartly

�� Richa_Kadam_Resume.pdf > Resume.pdf

✨ Check your email display name

�� No more cutiepie123—use your real name.

✨ Be early

�� 3–5 minutes before the call = perfect timing.

✨ Take notes

�� Shows you’re engaged + helps you structure answers.

✨ End with curiosity

�� Ask: “What qualities help someone succeed in this role?”

✨ Test your tech

�� Full name on Zoom/Teams, charged device, stable WiFi.

✨ Be authentic, not scripted

�� Don’t memorize. Connect answers to your real projects.

Recruiter tip: We notice these small details right away—they can set you apart instantly!

Communication beats perfection ��️

I often meet freshers who get nervous about their English grammar. But here’s the truth—we don’t need flawless grammar, we need clarity. One candidate explained their project using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result): “In my final-year project, our task was X, I contributed by Y, and the outcome was Z.” It was simple, structured, and very effective.

Professional presence goes a long way ��

One of the funniest moments I’ve had was seeing a Zoom ID pop up as “iPhone User” and another with an email handle like rockstar999. It instantly makes the wrong impression.

Tip: Join interviews three to five minutes early, use your full name on your profile, and check that your email display name looks professional.

Responsiveness shows reliability ��

I’ve seen great candidates lose opportunities simply because they missed recruiter emails or didn’t pick up calls. In bulk hiring, timelines move fast, and responsiveness can be the difference between landing an offer and losing out.

Habit to build: Check your inbox (and spam folder!) daily, and return recruiter calls promptly.

AMA - Ask me anything! ❓

One of my favorite moments is when a fresher closes the interview by asking something thoughtful like: “What qualities help someone succeed in this role?” It shows genuine curiosity. On the other hand, “No questions” is always a missed opportunity.

Final Thought

Freshers bring curiosity and energy—that’s their superpower. Companies don’t expect you to know everything, but we do expect you to be prepared, proactive, and eager to learn. Small details, a little research, and authenticity will already put you ahead of the crowd.

To learn more about life at Coupa India and how you can be part of our growing tech team, visit our Life in India page and join our Talent

Community.

Going the Extra Mile: Meet Coupa India’s Q2 2025 Award Winners

Tue, 05 Aug 2025 21:50:45 GMT

At Coupa, celebrating our people is part of our culture. Whether it’s driving innovation behind the scenes or stepping up in moments that matter, we recognize and reward those who go above and beyond to help us shape what’s next.

That’s why the Coupa India Leadership Team created the Extra Mile Award —a quarterly recognition that honors individuals who demonstrate excellence, resilience, and impact. It celebrates those whose contributions drive results, inspire teams, and embody our Coupa Core Values.

This quarter, we’re proud to recognize two standout engineers whose dedication helped lead a global rollout to success: Sourabh Jagadale and Sayan Acharjee. Their work on deploying the Pulse Agent for Elasticsearch observability demonstrates what it means to combine deep technical skill with strong leadership and cross-functional collaboration. Joining forces, Sourabh and Sayan helped the Coupa engineering teams get better insights into how the system is performing, detecting issues faster and more proactively.

Sourabh Jagadale | Data Platform Engineer

Driving observability through automation excellence

Based in Pune, Sourabh played a pivotal development role in the global rollout of the Pulse Agent. His contributions were central to enhancing our observability framework as part of a strategic DevOps initiative.

Sourabh introduced powerful enhancements and ensured a seamless and scalable rollout. His code enabled zero-downtime deployment, progressing smoothly across production and demo environments over six weeks.

But Sourabh’s impact didn’t stop with automation. He was also deeply involved in real-time troubleshooting and partner coordination, helping ensure smooth operation across varied environments. His ability to respond quickly to feedback reflects a deep ownership mindset and technical rigor.

Sourabh’s work exemplifies what it means to be a Coupanian, delivering quietly but powerfully—elevating our infrastructure, supporting his teammates, and making a lasting impact across regions.

Sayan Acharjee | Sr. Database Reliability Engineer

Leading rollout strategy and reliability with confidence

As Sourabh’s partner in this two-person rollout team, Sayan Acharjee demonstrated leadership that extended beyond engineering—taking charge of not only the technical execution but also the coordination of a complex global deployment.

Over the course of the six-week deployment, Sayan oversaw rollout and troubleshooting across Elasticsearch clusters in the US, EU, APAC, and Azure regions. His ability to ensure zero-downtime transitions while monitoring metrics and validating system health was instrumental to the initiative’s success.

One of the most impressive moments came when Sayan diagnosed and mitigated a memory pressure issue with precision—preventing service disruption and leading the fix through an instance upgrade. Beyond technical heroics, he also filled the role of project coordinator—managing status reporting, vendor collaboration, and stakeholder communications in the absence of a dedicated technical project manager.

Sayan’s strong sense of ownership, proactive leadership, and calm under pressure helped transform a complex rollout into a smooth, well-executed success.

Congratulations to Sourabh and Sayan—our Q2 2025 Extra Mile Award winners!

You’ve both made a measurable difference and serve as shining examples of Coupa’s values in action. To learn more about life at Coupa India and how you can be part of our growing tech team, visit our Life in India page and join our Talent Community.

Architecting What's Next with Salvatore Lombardo

Fri, 01 Aug 2025 18:09:31 GMT

As the global economy continues to evolve, Coupa is at the forefront—transforming how companies make decisions and trade with one another. From automating workflows to optimizing entire supply networks, we’re building a new intelligent enterprise platform powered by agentic AI.

But equally important is having the right people in place to guide this transformation and vision.

We recently sat down with Salvatore Lombardo, Coupa’s Chief Product & Technology Officer, to talk about his AI vision, the company’s compelling data advantage, and why now is a career-defining opportunity for engineers to help us build tomorrow together.

What drew you to Coupa?

Salvatore: After leading product and engineering for global procurement platforms for many years, I saw an inflection point coming—where AI, data, and cloud-native architecture could converge to fundamentally reshape how companies make decisions and operate. I joined Coupa almost a year ago because it was clear this was the place to turn that vision into reality.

Coupa had the foundation: a unified platform, deep domain expertise, and a uniquely rich dataset built from real spend transactions across a global network. What we’re building now isn’t incremental—it’s a new operating model for enterprise decision-making. One powered by agentic AI, fueled by trusted data, and designed to help businesses move faster, collaborate smarter, and create lasting value.

This is the most exciting time to be a part of Coupa. We’re scaling fast and seeking talent that wants to shape not just a product but build a platform and lead the industry.

What makes Coupa’s AI platform so different?

Salvatore: Coupa has built something that no one else can. Our foundation is a purpose-built dataset representing over $8 trillion in spend across 10+ million buyers and suppliers—data that’s ethically sourced, customer-permissioned, and refined over 19 years.

Our AI isn’t a feature layer. It’s built into the DNA of our platform—an agentic AI architecture with real-time intelligence that spans every workflow, from design to pay. We're driving the shift from process automation to intelligent orchestration with agentic AI agents that reason, collaborate, flag risks, and take action.

And we’re doing it responsibly. Everything we build is aligned with evolving regulations and built on trust.

Why would an AI/ML engineer want to work here?

Salvatore: This isn’t about shipping another model or building code. It’s about shaping the AI architecture and building the network that powers the future of global trade. Our engineers are designing systems that:

Power Coupa’s AI agent, Navi, who guides users, flags risks, and connects systems

Empower autonomous decision-making across industries and borders

Improve supply chain resilience, pricing intelligence, and fraud detection

Surface real-time recommendations with RAG pipelines, agent orchestration, and hierarchical memory

This is agentic AI in action, and I fully believe we're just getting started. We’re building fast, thinking big, and shaping what’s next.

If you're hands-on, fluent in Python or Java, and excited by cloud-native architecture—this is the kind of challenge that defines careers. You’ll work with engineers, product leaders, and data scientists who care deeply about building AI that works—and makes a difference.

At Coupa, your impact goes beyond code—you’ll guide teams, shape our technical direction through RFCs, and represent us at top tech conferences as we continue to strengthen our presence in the AI community..

What kind of impact are customers seeing already?

Salvatore: That’s the coolest part. Our customers are gaining real value with Coupa AI:

75% reduction in supplier sourcing and vetting cycles
$1M+ in detected fraud in year one
10–20% savings on shipping and freight costs using Coupa benchmark data
60%+ drop in carbon emissions through network optimization

But even beyond savings, they’re transforming how they operate. AI is becoming a strategic lever—not just for productivity—but for margin expansion, agility, and innovation.

At Coupa, we’re building an intelligent agent platform to power the future of global trade—autonomous, adaptive, and always on. If you're a builder, innovator, or systems thinker ready to leave your architectural fingerprint on enterprise AI, there’s never been a better time to join us.

Explore our engineering openings at Coupa Careers . Help us shape what’s next.

Shining Bright: Meet Coupa India’s Standout Performers

Tue, 22 Jul 2025 15:35:57 GMT

At Coupa, building a great career means more than just doing your job well—it’s about being seen, celebrated, and supported along the way. Whether you're driving impact on a major project or stepping up to help a teammate, we believe every meaningful contribution deserves recognition.

That’s why our Coupa India Leadership Team introduced its Standout Performer Award. This award spotlights those who consistently go above and beyond—delivering results, living our Coupa Core Values, and helping shape what’s next for the company.

We recently awarded Standout Performer Awards to 4 inspiring Coupanians: Krati Bansal, Sanket Golar, Bhavesh Soni and Surendra Cheedella.

Krati Bansal | Sr. Cloud Software Engineer

Shaping the future of Coupa’s Cloud platform.

Based in our Pune office, Krati Bansal is a Cloud Software Engineer at the forefront of some of Coupa’s most cutting-edge engineering work. She’s played a key role in driving our global Frontend Containerization efforts—leading critical releases and building automation that makes our systems smarter, faster, and more resilient. From deploying seamless traffic routing to designing workflows that accelerate innovation across teams, Krati’s work is helping Coupa scale securely and efficiently.

But what really sets her apart? She’s not just a builder—she’s a mentor and a go-to expert. Whether troubleshooting complex systems or guiding peers through automation best practices, Krati’s impact goes far beyond code. Her story reflects what it’s like to grow a career in cloud engineering at Coupa: technically challenging, collaborative, and full of opportunities to lead from the front.

Sanket Golar | Site Reliability Engineer

Solving complex problems isn’t just a job—it’s a mindset.

And Site Reliability Engineer Sanket Golar embodies that perfectly. Also based in Pune, Sanket is known for asking the questions that matter most—and then building the tools that answer them. One of his standout contributions? A health check bot for major incidents, integrated into Slack, that automates the collection of key troubleshooting data. By addressing a real pain point for Coupa’s TechOps team, his solution has shaved valuable minutes off incident response times, improving resolution speeds for many cases.

Sanket’s work is a great example of how site reliability engineers at Coupa don’t just keep the lights on—they reimagine how systems can work smarter. His proactive approach, innovative mindset, and commitment to continuous improvement make him a driving force in helping Coupa scale with resilience, reliability, and purpose.

Bhavesh Soni | Software Engineer

A true team player elevating Coupa’s engineering culture.

Bhavesh Soni, Software Engineer based in Hyderabad truly embodies the team spirit at Coupa through automation and mentorship. Bhavesh has both trained and supported teammates in automation best practices, but he’s also improved testing quality and increased test coverage across multiple projects.

Bhavesh regularly steps in to guide feature automation strategy, reviews code with an eye for reusability, and champions efficiency by leveraging AI tools. His commitment to the “shift left” approach—automating tests early and often—has helped the team achieve perfect automation coverage on key features, making a real impact on quality and velocity.

Surendra Cheedella | Sr. Software Engineer

The software engineering maestro.

When it comes to delivering complex features and leading with quiet confidence, Surendra Cheedella, a Sr. Software Engineer also in Hyderabad, stands out – much like a conductor of an orchestra who brings together moving parts to create something powerful and cohesive.

As a key contributor to a major release, he led the development of a critical capability that allows workers to submit service sheets into an internal platform used to manage service workflows—his work accelerated adoption and drove user value. But he didn’t stop there. Surendra juggled multiple feature builds, reviewed countless pull requests, and lent his expertise to ensure every line of server-side logic met Coupa’s high standards.

He brings both technical depth and a strong customer mindset—always ready to jump in, troubleshoot issues, or offer architectural insight when it’s needed most. Whether he’s reviewing code, collaborating with teammates, or thinking several steps ahead in a feature rollout, Surendra leads with clarity and purpose. His focus isn’t just on shipping code—it’s on delivering meaningful impact for Coupa’s users and teams.

Congratulations to all of our Coupa India Standout Performers! Visit our Life in India page to join our talent community and explore opportunities to join the Coupa Village in India.

How to Show Up on LinkedIn: Strategy, Storytelling & Smarts

Tue, 15 Jul 2025 17:01:14 GMT

LinkedIn has emerged as the most trusted professional platform. When used effectively, it’s a huge opportunity for candidates at various stages of their careers to connect with clients, partners, and employees.

As a recruiter, LinkedIn is one of our first stops in identifying talent. If your profile is outdated, incomplete, or inactive, you’re likely to be overlooked, even if you're a strong candidate. You lose out on job leads, professional connections, and visibility in your industry.

How to make your LinkedIn profile stand out to recruiters

If you’re hoping to catch a recruiter’s eye on LinkedIn, your profile needs more than just a job title and a list of past jobs. Here are a few tips to help you to best show up in a crowded feed:

Tell your story upfront

Use your headline and About section to go beyond your job title. Where do you excel? What drives your work ethic? This is your opportunity to make a memorable first impression.

Show impact, not just tactical responsibilities

Recruiters love results. Use your Experience section to highlight accomplishments with data or specific outcomes, rather than just listing tasks.

Keep your skills sharp—and visible

LinkedIn lets you list an abundance of skills. Ensure your top skills reflect what’s in demand today and keep them updated. Bonus: ask for endorsements from current and past teammates to boost credibility.

Bring your work to life

Use the Featured section to upload portfolios, projects, or videos—anything that showcases your strengths beyond just the text in your Profile.

Be search-friendly

Use keywords that match the roles you want. Recruiters search by job titles, tools, and tech, so mirror the language used in job descriptions.

And yes, a great photo matters

A clear, friendly, professional image can make a big difference in whether someone clicks your profile.

Posting relevant content: strike the right balance

So you have a strong profile to tell your story. What’s next? Now, it’s time to start connecting your content to your followers and become a storyteller. To do well on LinkedIn, you need to know how to act and behave. Therefore, the content you share really matters. For me, it's finding the right balance between posts “at your keyboard” (professional) and posts “away from your keyboard” (more social).

I’d question whether your LinkedIn followers would have interest in your weekend excursion with the family to the local theme park or your cousin Dave’s college graduation party. There's a fine line but gauge the reaction you get. Dave’s party might be a good topic if you relate it to his course of study and his projected career path.

You should post insightful stuff that's relevant to your industry, like interesting articles, industry news, and practical tips. It's also not ideal to just promote yourself - you've got to position yourself as a thought leader and a helpful resource but at the same time be human and conversational. It's also important to know your audience and tailor your content to them. Engaging with people and building diverse networks is also a big part of being successful on LinkedIn.

Feel free to reshare content from thought leaders in your industry. You can add your own spin to their insights and share some of your own.

Be strategic: don’t overshare

Also, how often you post and when you post matters. You want to share content regularly to stay current, visible and get your brand out there. But, it's better to post less often and have really good content to share than to flood people with irrelevant posts.

You've also got to think about when your audience is most active and experiment with different posting times. Typically, the best times to post are Tuesdays through Thursdays between 9 am and 2 pm. You can also schedule your posts in advance. Linkedin, specifically, sees high engagement during midday on weekdays, especially on Tuesdays and Wednesdays between 10 am and noon.

Always lead with respect in your interactions

Being respectful in your interactions is key to being authentic and building credibility. Be professional and polite when you connect with people and send messages. Personalizing connection requests and providing value in your messages is important, and you should avoid being too casual. And constructive dissent is always good in your interactions as long as it’s done professionally and respectfully.

And, of course, you've got to avoid posting anything unprofessional, controversial, or irrelevant.

Optimize all LinkedIn has to offer to get noticed

There are so many features LinkedIn offers so you can catch the eye of the recruiter. Joining groups, publishing LinkedIn blog articles, and using live video can help you engage with your audience. Using visuals in your posts and using relevant hashtags can also boost your reach.

And keep tabs on how your content performs. LinkedIn lets you track post performance (views, likes, profile visits) so you can refine your content approach to share stories and topics that may resonate better with your followers.

Final Thoughts: Be Intentional, Be Human, Be Seen

Showing up on LinkedIn the right way means blending strategy with sincerity. Whether you're actively job searching or simply growing your professional presence, think of your profile and posts as your digital handshake. Keep your story relevant, your tone human, and your approach consistent.

Remember, recruiters don’t just look for skills—they look for people who communicate with purpose and personality. So optimize your profile, share valuable content, and engage meaningfully. Your next opportunity might just start with a scroll.

Ready to help shape what's next? Join our vibrant talent community and explore exciting opportunities to become part of the Coupa Village.

ADHD in the Workplace: Overcoming Challenges and Achieving Success

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 16:16:41 GMT

Every company needs a set of guiding principles that shape a company's culture, behavior, and decision-making. At Coupa, we call these our core values, which are driven in part by our seven Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) and people in the Coupa Village. ABLE stands for Achieve Beyond Limitations and Expectations. This ERG’s mission is to foster an environment where everyone feels valued, supported, and empowered to thrive regardless of ability. We do this through advocacy, education, and collaboration to promote awareness, break down barriers, and celebrate the unique strengths and perspectives of people with disabilities and their allies.

Recently, we held a presentation on ADHD + Success in the Workplace that was well attended and sparked great conversations and feedback. For me, it was truly an inspiring and touching moment. We covered an array of topics that included:

Understanding ADHD in the workplace
Simple tips for success
Communication and collaboration best practices
Asking for support
ADHD Superpowers

My fellow Coupanians and ABLE members, Nora B. Clark, Recruitment Marketing Specialist at Coupa, and Ashwini Manerikar, Lead Software Engineer, presented alongside me, sharing examples from their current and previous work experiences, helping to bring to life one of our key values — Cultivate Belonging — for our participants.

Nora had this to share: “I’ve often been told I’m ‘too out-of-the-box’, quirky when it comes to many of the ideas I’ve shared in my career. While it can be frustrating to hear, my unique style has ultimately helped carve out my career success. Bringing your authentic self to work is still very much a privilege in today's society, so being able to share my experiences and journey with those who are still trying to figure out who they are and what they want in their personal and work life is really important to me. I continue to learn every day, and I’m so proud that ABLE continues to inspire through presentations like this, and I look forward to more in the future.”

Ashwini had this to add to her experience. “I used to feel like my mind was constantly full of ideas, and I wasn't sure how to channel that energy. Having inattentive ADHD, I often found myself drifting between thoughts, struggling with a hard-to-explain inconsistency in motivation. It brought real challenges: self-doubt, difficulty focusing, and a constant sense of being everywhere. But over time, I began to recognize the strengths within the chaos — an intuitive way of thinking, the ability to spot patterns and connect the dots quickly, and a creative mindset to thrive outside the box. Learning to work with my brain instead of against it has been empowering. With awareness and understanding of my ADHD, I’ve been able to lean into those strengths and explore ways to manage the challenges in a way that works for me. What helped most was hearing from others with similar experiences, beyond the clinical lens. I’m grateful for initiatives like these from Coupa ABLE and hope they encourage others to embrace their unique wiring to feel supported.”

As Coupa employees, we benefit from inclusive best practices, and Coupa ABLE helps connect and empower others to drive success in many ways. ERGs like ABLE provide resources, presentations, and events that continue to help our culture thrive and drive our innovation and global impact. We also help Coupa Villagers with ADHD to understand how ADHD can be a superpower due to the creativity, curiosity, and out-of-the-box thinking that comes along with ADHD.

Through this event, we aimed to help Coupa Villagers and their supporting managers learn tips to be more successful, but we found an entire community with whom this message deeply resonated. After the event, I heard from Villagers across the organization who shared how happy they were to know they are not alone. We have a community of neurodivergent Villagers here at Coupa, and Coupa ABLE is here to support #AllOfUs! Check out some of the tips we shared during our presentation, as well as other helpful resources

How to help with time management and organization

Use project management tools that include visual and audible reminders
Prioritize and organize a brain dump session

How to create a supportive work environment

Investigate noise-cancelling headphones
Show compassion
Research fidget tools
Propose walking meetings if it's suitable

How to help create effective communication strategies

Practice active listening and communicating clearly
Don’t judge when being asked for clarification
Leverage strengths

Resources:

From a Leap of Faith to Leadership: My Coupa Journey

Fri, 25 Apr 2025 15:50:59 GMT

Nine years ago, I arrived in Ireland with two suitcases, shaky English, and a dream to build a brighter future. Today, as Senior Operations Manager of Coupa’s Global Education Services & Enablement Team, I’ve learned that owning your path and lifting others leads to success. Future Coupa interns, this blog is for you - to show how resilience and teamwork can shape an incredible career. I’ll share my journey from Technical Support Engineer to leadership, the lessons that drive me, and why Coupa’s values make it a place where you can grow and belong.

Chasing Dreams with Grit

In Brazil, I dreamed of football, then banking, but financial hardships forced me to pivot. At 16, I worked as a messenger, studied nights, and walked 10km to afford college. In 2016, my wife and I moved to Ireland, where we knew no one and barely spoke English. Job rejections piled up due to my language skills and visa issues, but I owned my results, studying relentlessly and applying for roles. Seven months in, with savings gone, Coupa offered me a Technical Support Engineer role in 2017 - just as we prepared to leave. That moment showed me that when you keep pushing, you build tomorrow together with those who believe in you.

My advice: Interns, your challenges are opportunities - own them boldly.

Thriving Through Belonging at Coupa

Starting at Coupa, I struggled with English and learning our products but leaned into every task. My biggest hurdle was securing a work visa - rejections threatened my role. Yet, my team stepped up, exploring solutions until my visa was approved in September 2017. Their support made me feel I belonged, embodying Coupa’s value of cultivating belonging. From there, I grew - becoming a Manager in 2019, earning recognition for driving results, and recently stepping into a senior leadership role in 2025. Each step reinforced that success comes from collaboration.

My advice: Interns, you’ll find a community that lifts you - embrace it to shine.

Driving Success for Others

My visa sponsorship transformed my life, so I committed to driving success for all of us. As a Manager, I advocated for candidates needing visas, ensuring they had a fair shot. Sponsoring my first team member in 2019 was more rewarding than any personal milestone - watching them thrive fueled my purpose.

In 2023, I became an Irish citizen, a proud moment, but what matters most is helping others build their futures.

My advice: Interns, you can impact Coupa by supporting those around you - every small act builds a stronger tomorrow.

Conclusion:

My Coupa journey—from a nervous newcomer to a leader—shows that owning your results, cultivating belonging, and driving success create growth. Future interns, your time at Coupa is a chance to take risks, connect, and shape the future. Live our values, stay resilient, and know that every step builds your story. I can’t wait to see how you’ll drive success for all of us.

Innovating AI-Driven Business Spend Management: A Personal Journey as a Senior Product Manager

Mon, 17 Mar 2025 14:41:34 GMT

As a Senior Product Manager, I’m fortunate to be at the crossroads of technology, leadership, and strategy. My focus is on harnessing the power of AI-driven solutions to transform business spend management. This journey is about more than just implementing cutting-edge technology — it’s about creating meaningful solutions that make a real difference for businesses and their people.

Throughout my career, I’ve discovered that the key to true innovation is a deep understanding of business needs and user experiences. AI is revolutionizing business spend management, and its potential is immense — not just in its technology but in how it’s strategically applied with leadership, collaboration, and real-world impact.

AI: A Game Changer for Business Spend Management

AI has the ability to revolutionize how businesses approach financial management. It goes beyond automating repetitive tasks — it empowers organizations to make smarter, more data-driven decisions that align with their strategic goals. By analyzing vast amounts of data in real-time, AI uncovers valuable spending patterns, predicts future trends, and provides actionable insights that can shape success.

What excites me most is that AI doesn’t just help businesses save money — it enables them to strategically invest their resources for greater impact. AI creates opportunities for businesses to allocate spend with purpose, whether for innovation, optimization, or securing a brighter future. This transformation is what fuels my passion — helping organizations become more efficient and focused on long-term success.

Bridging Engineering and Business Management

In my role, I have the privilege of bridging the technical brilliance of engineering with the strategic vision of business management. I work closely with engineering teams to transform complex technical concepts into intuitive, user-friendly solutions that solve real-world business challenges. This collaboration requires a deep understanding of both technology and user needs, and I take pride in making that connection seamless.

Equally important is working alongside business leaders to ensure our AI solutions are perfectly aligned with the organization’s overarching goals. The challenge is to blend technical excellence with business relevance, and I’m driven by the rewarding task of turning ideas into solutions that deliver measurable results.

Leadership with Empathy: Fostering Innovation

I truly believe that technology alone is only part of the equation — leadership is what drives true, sustainable innovation. I lead with empathy, fostering an environment where collaboration thrives, and every team member feels heard, valued, and empowered. Compassionate leadership isn’t just about managing — it’s about inspiring teams to bring their best ideas forward and trust in a shared vision.

By creating a culture of open communication, I’m able to draw out the best in every team member. Encouraging collaboration and creativity allows us to innovate together and deliver solutions that exceed expectations. This approach doesn’t just lead to successful products — it creates a vibrant atmosphere where everyone feels motivated and empowered to contribute.

Looking Ahead: The Future of AI in Business Spend Management

The future of AI in business spend management is filled with immense promise. As AI continues to evolve, so will its ability to predict trends, automate processes, and provide deeper, more insightful data. The real opportunity lies in applying AI in ways that support the broader objectives of the organization.

Our mission is powerful: to develop AI solutions that are not just cutting-edge but deeply user-centric, driving transformative business outcomes and fueling long-term growth. The future of business spend management is about pushing the boundaries of technology while staying deeply connected to the human needs behind it.

Conclusion

AI is transforming the landscape of business spend management in exciting and positive ways, and I’m thrilled to be part of this transformation. Through purposeful product management, compassionate leadership, and a strong commitment to collaboration, I’m dedicated to developing AI-driven solutions that not only increase efficiency but also empower organizations to make smarter, more strategic decisions.

Looking ahead, I’m filled with excitement and optimism, knowing that the work we’re doing today is setting the stage for lasting change tomorrow. It’s a mission that motivates me each and every day — to help organizations unlock the full potential of AI to drive success, innovation, and sustainable growth.

Our New Values Shape The Way We Work

Thu, 06 Mar 2025 21:24:32 GMT

Coupa recently refreshed its core values to reflect the new chapter of Coupa, which includes its branding, vision, mission, and new leadership team. Two learning consultants with Coupa for nearly four years shed some light on what these refreshed values mean to them.

Matt Daack, Sr. Manager of Learning & Development, is based out of Missouri and is a member of our veterans employee resource group, Encourage. Before Coupa, he spent 25 years in the Air Force as a pilot and organizational leader.

Kristi Gay, Sr. Manager of Education & Training, is a member of Empower, Coupa’s women’s employee resource group and is based out of Wisconsin. Before Coupa she spent 20 years as an engineering manager and programmer at a scale manufacturing company.

What does “Drive Success for #AllOfUs” mean to you?

Matt: The core of our success as a company is our commitment to the success of the people, teams, and organizations around us. We are not “order takers.” We are experts, visionaries, and consultants who take time to build a relationship of trust with those we support inside and outside of Coupa. We ask questions, and we seek to understand what success looks like to them. Then, we plot a course together where our expertise and vision merge to drive a new level of success, greater than they imagined in the first place.

Kristi: One of the endearing things about Coupa from the beginning was the idea of the “Coupa Village”, with the idea that ALL of us are stronger and smarter than ONE of us. This value doesn’t just apply to Coupa employees; with this refresh, it is widened to encompass the entire community that makes Coupa strong: employees, customers, partners, and suppliers.

Why does “Own Our Results” matter as a Core Value?

Kristi: How do you know you’re successful unless you have some meaningful and measurable results to prove that success (even if that proof is just to yourself)? But my favorite part of this refreshed Core Value is the “owning” part, which adds a level of accountability and ownership to these results. When my kids’ volleyball team misses a ball, there is always someone tapping their chest afterward, as in “My bad”. This is so much healthier and more productive than pointing fingers and blaming others. There will always be challenges in business, and the more people claim “my bad”, the faster things will be corrected.

Matt: “Own Our Results” describes “we all take proactive action and have accountability for the outcomes of our efforts.” We do not walk past a problem. If we see a piece of paper on the floor, we pick it up. If we see a challenge or a gap or an opportunity in our business, we gather the right stakeholders, and we address it. It is this culture of personal and shared accountability that fuels our innovation and achievement as a generational company.

Tell us why “Cultivate Belonging” was added as a new Core Value.

Matt: Every person at Coupa was hired for a reason…because of what each of us, uniquely, brings to the Village. We each bring our culture and experience and expertise and values. We must be free to leverage all of who we are, and we are free to do so when we feel like we belong here. In my view, the most effective way to cultivate belonging is to consider others before yourself. When we listen more than we speak and truly seek to understand and celebrate the people around us, we all thrive. When we all thrive, our achievement and success skyrocket.

Kristi: The world needs more empathy, and the more we can understand each other, especially as a global company working with people from all different countries and backgrounds, the better the world and company we can create. Working with employee resource groups gives an additional way to flex this value, but everyone should feel like they can come to work as their true, authentic selves, which is the best way to be innovative and creative with ease!

Finally, what does “Build Tomorrow Together” mean to you?

Kristi: This value re-emphasizes the idea that together, we are stronger than individually. We are also moving past adolescence in our company growth that started in infancy as a startup in 2006, but as we grow in revenue, grow in transactional spend that we manage, grow in number of employees, and grow in geographic locations, we want to work together better, ensuring that Coupa will be the best company in which to work for generations to come, and that it is the place where our kids want to work because the culture is so strong.

Matt: What I have noticed about our Core Values is that none of them is possible alone. Every behavior that leads to our growth and success involves others in some way. Building and sustaining a generational, global, industry-leading company is a heavy burden. However, when we support each other by sharing new ideas and the resultant workload, we can move forward at a speed of innovation and impact that far outpaces that of the industry.

40 Hours of Impact: Our Journey of Giving Back

Thu, 13 Feb 2025 15:05:33 GMT

There are many great benefits to working at Coupa, and one that truly makes a difference is our robust Volunteer Time Off. While many companies and organizations encourage employees to take time off to volunteer, offering at least 8 hours a year, Coupa provides a generous 40 hours - a whole week. This extended time allows our employees to make a significant impact in their communities, and many Coupanians across the globe are proud of the difference they are making. Here’s why they love this robust benefit and how they give back:

Andrea Uribe, Lead Deal Desk Specialist in Bogota:

Growing up, my mom was involved in social work, volunteering for the Red Cross, and working with other community organizations. Volunteering connects me to the real world while balancing my day-to-day job in finance.

I have worked with a wide variety of organizations, from a local rural school in Villeta (a town outside of Bogota), where we donated tools to improve the connectivity and dynamics of the classes, to a pro-bono consultancy for an air pollution awareness non-profit organization in Silicon Valley. My last VTO project involved creating workshops for the post-jail population, helping them with strategies and practical tips to rebuild their lives.

Having access to robust VTO hours has allowed me to live a more balanced life, investing more time in other projects that not only help communities but also allow me to work on skills required to advance in my career.”

Liene Atrena, Workplace Experience Manager in Dublin:

For me, volunteer time means so much because I feel deeply for those more disadvantaged than me, and I strongly believe that if everyone would do their part, we would live in a happier and healthier society. My favorite volunteer time was a pro bono project for the organization ' Education for Sustainability .' It was a three-day project in which we had to tackle the organization's problem statement and develop practical solutions. This project not only benefited the non-profit organisation but also me as a professional: it offered the opportunity to enhance my problem-solving, team player, and creative thinking skills.

Alex Moon, AI Trainer in Foster City:

I majored in Psychology for my undergraduate degree, so it is always in my nature and interest to think about ways to provide help for those who need it, and it is a privilege to be at Coupa, where the company supports you and takes an active approach to provide opportunities to do a good deed.

In 2024, I was a mentor for the SuitUp challenge, where the participating high school students acted as CEOs of Coupa to create a new app for Coupa focused on UN SDG # 13: Climate Action. The mentors from Coupa, Salesforce, and AWS guided the students in pitching their ideas in marketing, finance, sales, or strategy, and the CEOs pitched their ideas to a panel of judges. When volunteering individually, I volunteer with [the] Asian Law Alliance in San Jose, where they provide legal services for community members in need, and Asian American Advancing Justice , the most prominent Asian American advocacy group based in Washington, D.C.

Jerry Vaz, Senior Director, Software Engineering in Pune, India:

While all of us working at Coupa are honored and proud to be part of the Coupa family and are privileged, a certain section of our society may not be so privileged. Also, I deeply believe that our life's success is measured not by the amount of money we make in our lifetime but by the blessings we receive by helping someone in need. Right from the very first month that I joined Coupa, I felt the need to do something to help contribute and give back to society, so I helped initiate a donation drive to Snehalaya , an NGO with a cause of educating children with Cerebral Palsy. Since then, I have been making around two to three visits a year to the NGO as part of my own contribution. I have also been representing Coupa to oversee some of the contributions Coupa has made towards the upliftment of Snehalaya.

Having VTO benefits helps us capture the time we spend towards the cause and also serves as a reminder of the amount of time we take out of our lives to do something other than usual work.

Paul Bennett, Senior Customer Communications Manager in Reading, UK:

For over 18 months, I have been using my VTO to donate blood plasma. More than 17,000 people in England depend on plasma-based treatments each year for conditions such as autoimmune diseases, neurological disorders, and transplant care. As a member of Coupa ABLE (our Disabilities/Abilities ERG), I have found that taking a couple of hours out of my working day to donate has been an incredibly rewarding experience. Donating blood plasma has a much shorter recovery period than full blood donation, making it a great way of using VTO regularly and continuously.

I have also been very grateful for Coupa’s volunteer rewards program [because it] provides additional donation credit for each hour volunteered. This has allowed me to maximize the value of my volunteer hours by matching them with donations to PAPYRUS Prevention of Young Suicide, a cause that is personally very close to my heart.

Adriana Daga, Director of Marketing LATAM in Sao Paulo:

Volunteering is a profound opportunity to connect, uplift, and transform our communities. By leveraging Volunteer Time Off (VTO) with organizations like Gotas de Flor , we made a significant impact by supporting this NGO, celebrating with children, providing food, and participating in a morning filled with fun activities.

The robust VTO hours fostered a culture of compassion and service, allowing us to grow personally and professionally.

Assembling the Avengers™: How PM, Development, QE, and UX Save the Day for Product Success

Thu, 30 Jan 2025 15:46:32 GMT

In the world of product development, success isn’t the result of one hero’s solo mission. It’s about assembling a team of specialists—each with unique superpowers—who unite to tackle challenges, defend against bugs, and deliver experiences that delight users. Think of it as forming your very own Avengers™ team, where Product Management (PM), Development, Quality Engineering (QE), and User Experience ........(UX) team up to save the day

Meet the Avengers of Product & Technology

Product Management (PM): Captain America™—the Strategist

PMs are fearless leaders, wielding their shield of strategy and vision to protect the mission. They keep the team focused, rally the troops, and ensure everyone is aligned toward a common goal.

But even Captain America™ can’t go it alone. Without PM’s clear direction, the team risks chaos—building features no one needs or missing the target altogether. Stay strong, strategists!

Development: Iron Man™—the Inventor

Developers are the Tony Starks of the team—brilliant builders who turn ideas into powerful, functional, and scalable tools. They thrive on innovation and love creating tech that wows.

Even Iron Man’s™ suits can backfire without proper alignment. The potential impact of overengineering or underpowering can leave the team scrambling. Let's stay grounded and connected to the mission, understanding the weight of our decisions!

Quality Engineering (QE): Black Widow™—the Guardian

QE swoops in like Black Widow ™ —sharp, detail-oriented, and always on high alert for threats. They protect the product’s integrity, neutralize bugs, and ensure the team’s hard work doesn’t get compromised.

When QE is overlooked, vulnerabilities slip through, and trust crumbles. Treat QE like the guardians they are—essential to every mission’s success.

User Experience (UX): Thor—the Voice of the People

UX designers are the Thors ™ of the team, wielding the hammer of design to create user-friendly, delightful experiences. They speak for the people, balancing beauty and function to ensure the product is as usable as it is powerful.

Ignore UX, and even the strongest product can feel clunky or confusing. UX designers bring the lightning—illuminating what users need most.

Avengers™ Assemble: Collaboration That Saves the Day

A team of heroes only works if they fight side-by-side, leveraging their unique abilities. Here’s how your Product & Technology Avengers ™ can combine forces and deliver winning products.

1. Assemble Early, Stay Together

The best Avengers teams don’t wait until the final battle to unite—they strategize from the start. PM, Development, QE, and UX should collaborate early to assess feasibility, build safeguards, and prioritize usability.

Think of it this way: Assemble early = fewer last-minute scrambles = heroic victories.

2. Shared Missions, Shared Victories

Heroes don’t fight for themselves—they fight for the mission. The entireP&T team should share a unified goal: delivering a valuable, high-quality produc ts that solves real problems and delights users.

Here’s how each Avenger measures success:

PM (Captain America™) : Adoption, growth, and alignment with strategy
Development (Iron Man™) : Performance, scalability, and innovation
QE (Black Widow™) : Bug detection, stability, and test coverage
UX (Thor™) : Usability, accessibility, and user success

Measuring outcomes across the team keeps everyone focused on saving the day—not just finishing tasks.

3. Communication: Your Superpower

Every great team has a communication system (think Stark’s tech or Nick Fury’s briefings). Stand-ups, retrospectives, and grooming sessions keep everyone aligned and ready for action.

Encourage teams to raise challenges early—whether it’s tech debt, usability concerns, or testing gaps. When communication flows, problems don’t stand a chance.

Pro Tip: Celebrate small wins—whether it’s squashing a bug or launching a feature. Every victory builds momentum.

4. Trust Your Heroes

Just like the Avengers ™ trust each other’s powers, Product & Technology teams must respect each role’s expertise.

PMs : Honor technical realities and user insights.
Developers : Embrace design feedback and test plans.
QE : Shine a light on risks and celebrate stability.
UX : Fight for user-centered design and accessibility.

When heroes trust each other, they create solutions that are not just functional but legendary.

The Takeaway: Stronger Together

Great products aren’t built by one hero—they’re built by a team of them. Success comes from assembling specialists—PM, Development, QE, and UX—who respect each other’s strengths, share goals, and communicate like pros.

So the next time you kick off a project, ask yourself: Are all my Avengers™ assembled and ready for action?

When they are, you’ll create products that are functional, powerful, and loved by users—and that’s the ultimate victory.

—--—--—--—--—--—--—--—--—--

Avengers ™, Captain America™, Iron Man™ and Thor™ are copyright and trademark of Marvel ™.

2024 Global Impact Week Wrap Up!

audree.hall@coupa.com (Audree Hall) — Fri, 20 Dec 2024 20:13:11 GMT

Global Impact Week Recap: Together, We Made a Difference!

What an incredible week we had! Thanks to the passion and dedication of our amazing Coupa family, we celebrated Global Impact Week like never before! With 13 countries participating and 38 local-led events, we exceeded last year’s participation with over 500 employees stepping up to make a positive change. We truly could not have done this without each and every one of you—thank you!

Here are some of the highlights that made this week so special:

✨ SuitUp Partnership: We teamed up with the nonprofit SuitUp for two virtual events and two inspiring in-person events in Ann Arbor and Foster City, where our employees participated in a unique business challenge that empowers students to build essential skills and confidence. Together with our friends from Salesforce and AWS, we mentored these bright young minds, sparking their creativity and ambition!

�� DSPCA Volunteering in Dublin: Our Dublin team rolled up their sleeves to care for the wonderful animals at the DSPCA. Your compassion made a real impact in the lives of these furry friends!

�� River Cleanup in Japan: Our dedicated Coupanians in Japan took to the streets (and riverbanks!) to clean up the Arakawa River in Tokyo, demonstrating our commitment to a cleaner environment for everyone.

�� Food Bank Support: Employees in Bogota, Atlanta, and NYC showed up big time by supporting their local food banks, ensuring that families have access to nutritious food. Your generosity is inspiring!

��‍♂ Coupa Challenge & Bike Challenge: The annual Coupa Challenge, affectionately known as the Rundezvous, saw 201 Coupanians lacing up their sneakers and running over 1,730 miles together. And for the first time, our bike challenge was a smashing success, with 55 employees cycling over 1,800 miles! Each step taken and pedal pushed contributed to a collective donation to Guide Dogs for the Blind, World Vision, and the American Red Cross!

Global Impact Week was a true testament to what we can accomplish together when we come together for a common cause.

How Leadership Competencies Make Culture Thrive

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 15:55:34 GMT

Most people at Coupa say they love this company because of the great culture and joy of working with “The Village,” a term referring to our global workforce. This year, we are double-clicking on what behaviors make that culture thrive by creating nine “Leadership Competencies,” or ways we want to interact with each other regardless of your title, background, team, or length of time at Coupa.

Leading Self

The three competencies in this category are self-awareness, accountability, and innovation. Self-awareness includes proactively seeking feedback, which has helped me understand the difference between my intention and the perception others take away from my message. Practicing receiving feedback regularly also increases humility and helps me realize there are always opportunities to grow into a better version of myself.

Leading Others

Transparency, Nurtures Growth and Cultivates and Champions Inclusion & Belonging relates to leading others. Although I don’t have direct reports, I find myself leading groups through many different situations at work, within my family, and in my community. As part of Empower, our women’s employee resource group, making everyone feel included and that they belong has been immensely satisfying to full experience in my three years at Coupa. It’s just part of human nature to feel like we belong somewhere. I love that Coupa emphasizes inclusion and that accepting everyone is an important trait everyone expects. Imagine if the entire world lived by these traits!

Leading the Organization

Leads Through Change, Decision Quality, and Global Mindset and Perspective are all competencies related to the entire organization. I love that we are being empowered as all employees, not just executives, to take control and improve on these behaviors that can affect the entire company. Through one of our book clubs, we read and discussed “The Culture Map”, which examines how different areas of the world interact and why they are different. The people attending the book club were from India, Ukraine, Germany, Colombia, Ireland, and America. I have never been more fascinated learning about how people communicate differently based on location. I was astounded that we have all done as well as we have in the world, given how differently we communicate, but the gained awareness was mind-blowing and helped us all have so much more empathy for differences.

These competencies will continue to help our culture thrive, knowing that every single one of us can improve limitlessly in these areas. This will make us better employees and people who interact with the world.

Growing at Coupa as an AI Trainer

Tue, 27 Aug 2024 16:29:21 GMT

Hello everyone, My name is Alex Moon, AI Trainer, at AI Center of Excellence in Foster City. I’ve been at Coupa since September 2022. I started my career as a Korean Knowledge Graph Curator, curating Korean language data to train Siri model, then went onto Tesla’s Autopilot team, organizing and annotating 3D image data to train Autopilot Neural Net. As an AI Trainer, the team and I analyze and organize Coupa’s $6T anonymized data to provide spending and saving insight, supplier recommendation, supplier diversity and track emission to meet the ESG goal, and fraudulent charge detection (Spend Guard). We are also working on output testing for LLM implementation to build Coupa’s Chatbot, Coupa Navi and Contract Intelligence platform. What I love the most about Coupa is working with extremely smart PM, Data Scientists, and Engineers to develop Coupa’s AI and GenAI product. I also really enjoy Coupa’s flexibility in working schedule and location as a remote-first company, and Coupa’s diverse team makes me feel at home while having ownership and responsibility of training our AI models.

I also serve as the Vice Chair for Coupa Exceed, Coupa’s Asian Pacific Islander employee resource group, where we host fireside chats, training and workshops, and happy hours to promote cultural enrichment and awareness, empowerment of Coupa’s global API community and encourage growth through mentorship. Coupa Exceed allowed me to create a company-wide impact as an early career professional for our Global audience. Coupa also has 5 other ERGs serving women, Veterans, the African-American community, the teams with disability/abilities, and the LGBTQ+ community, so you can find a group that resonates with you. My goal is to create a safe and brave space for the API community to have open conversations about identity, growth, and leadership and make them feel at home, so we invite you to join Coupa Exceed once you join us!

Coupa’s DEI and Learning and Development (L&D) team actively looks for programs to provide learning opportunities through training programs, certification programs through Udemy, and discussion groups. I am part of McKinsey’s Asian Leadership Essentials program, learning business principles, connecting with external API leaders, and learning Python and SQL through Udemy. My supporting manager even encourages me to block time on my calendar to dedicate to learning. This makes me feel that Coupa is really a place for self-actualization while growing with the company.

Coupa is the first company where senior and C-suite leaders make time to converse and welcome you with open arms! You are only one Slack, email, or knock on the door away from getting mentorship and advice on navigating growth at Coupa and creating a network to support you. Coupa has a #CoupaCafe Slack channel where you will be matched with someone new every week, and through this, I've connected with folks from sales, services, product, and engineering leaders to learn about their journey and career paths. Connecting with diverse Coupanians in global geolocation helped me understand Coupa's structure and functions, which I wouldn't have visibility for otherwise.

In closing, Coupa has opened opportunities to work on AI projects that use both traditional and cutting edge AI technologies with smartest and nicest team, create a safe space for you with 6 ERGs to empower you, provide learning opportunities through certification platforms and training programs, and mentor and coach you to maximize your growth. I hope you join Coupa and we can walk this path together!

My Coupa Experience

Fri, 09 Aug 2024 15:39:26 GMT

In 2021, I joined Coupa as a dual student pursuing my International Business Bachelor’s degree. In my application process, Coupa stood out as the best option for many reasons: its international presence, with offices spread across different countries; its workforce, which is composed of people from all over the world, creating an amazingly diverse and open work environment; and finally, I recognized in Coupa many opportunities for both professional and personal growth and learning. Upon joining the company, I discovered that my impressions were accurate, and the welcoming and friendly environment I had anticipated were in fact real.

As part of the dual study program, I rotated through various departments within the organization, including sales, digital marketing, and HR. Each of them showed me a different perspective into Coupa’s operations; I learnt their processes and took on responsibilities myself, which allowed me to develop several skills. This valuable growth was made possible through the guidance and support of many talented colleagues, who trained me during my time in each department.

In Sales, I gained firsthand experience in the prospecting process by listening in on sales calls and observing how Coupa’s Sales Representatives approach prospective clients, actively listening to their needs and pain points. I also conducted research on possible pain points that prospective clients could have, which Coupa’s services cover. This gave me a better understanding of what our products do.

In Digital Marketing, I joined the US team and had an incredibly enjoyable and enriching experience. I was given the opportunity to not only write my own ads for the first time in my native language, Portuguese, but also localize existing ads into Portuguese and set them up in LinkedIn campaigns while tracking their performance. Being trusted with these responsibilities gave me a strong sense of confidence in my abilities, making the process of learning new skills even more interesting.

Lastly, in Human Resources, I joined the EMEA Team to provide support through the Service Desk, addressing employees' questions and fulfilling requests for business letters. Working on these processes showed me how much the company values providing a great employee experience and ensuring that the workforce receives support whenever needed.

As I approach the end of my studies, I look back on these three years working with Coupa with gratitude. This experience has given me not only practical skills and knowledge, which I had the privilege of applying and refining, but has also shown me how rewarding it is to strive for excellence in my work and allowed me to develop valuable interpersonal skills. I couldn’t be happier about my decision to have chosen Coupa.

Connecting and learning at Coupa Camp Bogota

Tue, 25 Jun 2024 15:44:24 GMT

In February, many of my colleagues in Bogotá and I had the chance to participate in the 1.5-day in-person experience program Coupa Camp. This program, led by Matt Dack, is designed for employees who have been in the company for a few months or less, making it a valuable step in the onboarding process and, for some of us, the last one.

Why Coupa Camp

At Coupa Camp, we didn't just learn about our company and its values; we also had the opportunity to forge deeper connections with our colleagues. Whether working in the office, hybrid, or remote like myself, the camp provided a perfect setting for us to interact and bond as Coupanians, fostering a sense of belonging and camaraderie.

Coupa Camp was about learning about our company and each other and embarking on a journey of self-discovery and personal growth. Such activities can be daunting for introverted types like me, but Matt Dack created a safe and comfortable environment encouraging everyone to participate and share their unique perspectives. This emphasis on individual strengths and the value of diverse backgrounds was genuinely inspiring.

First-Day Activities

On the first day, we learned about our core values, culture, and company vision and the impact each of us makes on its success and that of our customers. The sessions were dynamic and exciting, with presentations, activities, and tasks that taught us the importance of listening and learning from everyone we work with, from colleagues to clients. We also gained a solid understanding of tools and resources to help us in our daily routines.

We collaborated with people from different areas, hearing and learning from their voices about the aspects of their roles and departments. This experience was insightful, as we recognized how each of our roles is meaningful and how each of us contributes to Coupa’s success.

Final Team Challenge

The final challenge was one of the most exciting and enjoyable activities at Coupa Camp. Matt tasked each group with choosing one of Coupa’s products and presenting it creatively to the whole group. This activity tested our knowledge and sparked our creativity and teamwork, making it a fun and memorable experience.

We gathered into our pre-formed groups and, through a mix of different ideas, personalities, and points of view, learned how to work together and reach an agreement. My group decided to create a play, and everyone put their best efforts into their roles, even those working behind the scenes.

On the second and final day, we saw the results of each group's hard work. Some took a more traditional approach, while others, like us, chose a creative path and surprised everyone with a funny rap.

A Journey of Self-Discovery

In the end, Matt Dack did an incredible job making the camp engaging, fun, and a compelling way to learn and remember our place and purpose at Coupa, a space where he reminded us of the value in ourselves and the people around us. We even left with some new friendships.

My Journey at Coupa

Tue, 25 Jun 2024 15:43:37 GMT

Hi all! My name is Ralph Barsi, and I’m a Sr. Talent Acquisition Coordinator here at Coupa. I began my journey as an intern with the Talent Acquisition team in the summer of 2021, an experience that remains one of the most rewarding I’ve had thus far in my career.

Misconceptions Before Starting

When I applied for the Coupa internship program, I did so with confidence because I was already familiar with the company name, and it was local to my home in East Bay. As a college student, I was initially concerned about working in the corporate world since it seemed so different from school and appeared cold, intimidating, uncompromising, and unwelcoming from the outside. However, I knew I had the required skills and capability to work for a prominent company like Coupa, and I was eager to prove myself and gain valuable experience.

My Experience in the Village

My experience at Coupa exceeded my expectations. From the first day, I felt comfortable and valued as a team member. My supporting manager guided me through the onboarding process and continued to check in regularly throughout the summer. I worked on meaningful projects and could see the impact of my actions, which gave me the confidence that I could contribute significantly to a large company like this. My well-rounded projects exposed me to several facets of Talent Acquisition, setting me up for success during and after my internship. The highlight of my summer was analyzing our job descriptions for implicit gender biases using a bias decoder program and presenting my findings to leadership. I owned the project myself from beginning to end and was trusted to articulate my findings to senior leadership.

After Graduation

After finishing school in January 2022, I was ecstatic to have the opportunity to return to Coupa as a full-time employee! I’m still here over two years later, and I can confidently say that my internship built a strong foundation for my career. I highly recommend the Coupa internship program to anyone considering it! You’ll meet many amazing, hardworking people and get opportunities to contribute immediately to the Village!

It was a fantastic experience to see the impact of my work, and I felt proud to have contributed to the company's success. Overall, my internship experience at Coupa was invaluable and gave me the confidence to succeed in the corporate world.

Beyond Doubt: My Coupa Internship Journey

Thu, 20 Jun 2024 17:06:14 GMT

Embarking on an internship can be a transformative journey filled with learning and growth, but also presents unique challenges. In this blog post, I will share my experiences as a Talent Operations Intern at Coupa, focusing on my challenges and how I overcame them. This narrative will be particularly relevant to interns navigating similar paths. These experiences are not only about personal growth but also about making substantial contributions to your team and advancing in your career

Embracing the internship challenge

When I started interviewing for Coupa, I was excited and nervous because I didn't know what to expect. I was enrolled in a Master's in HRM at the time and wasn't sure if I could manage both work and studies simultaneously.

However, I kept going, and landing the internship was huge. Coming from Pakistan and being the first one amongst my classmates to land an internship seemed enormous to me.

I knew my passion for HR and was ready to invest my time and effort into learning about the Talent Operations Intern role and its ins and outs. Back home, my parents were overjoyed seeing me managing work and studies in a foreign country alone; they couldn’t have been more proud.

Without second thoughts, I accepted the opportunity and had the chance to work with amazing, talented people who were so supportive and kind. I couldn’t have felt luckier.

Learning and Growing at Coupa

Of course, being in a new role meant I would make mistakes, and yes, I did. But the way my manager handled it and helped me learn from those, without making me feel bad about it, meant a lot to me. It spoke volumes about Coupa culture and the culture of learning and growing as we go. Coupa amazed me when I was exposed to various projects, even outside of my domain - it ensured I experienced all aspects of HR and recruitment to decide where I wanted to go next. Having a mentor as your manager is a blessing; I was blessed in that sense.

During the first few weeks, I was exposed to different aspects of HR (including interview coordination, sourcing, etc.) and given complete responsibility for scheduling interviews. I realized the importance of trust in our workplace, especially within my team. Gradually, I became involved in creating how-to documents and processes and updating global playbooks. I would not say no to any opportunity to learn, and I felt ready to take on anything that helped me grow professionally and personally and add value to my team.

Before I knew it, I was taking on more and more and was asked by US colleagues to help them with data visualization tasks. All this was possible due to a supportive manager/mentor.

Navigating New Horizons:

Of course, there were challenges of not being able to work with my team in person as it was a remote internship, and not being specific about what was next regarding my career and not having that clarity. With time, it made sense to me that Coupa is where I belong, and this is just the beginning… soon I was a full-time employee as soon as I graduated from my university. The journey until now was smooth; obstacles hit when my manager left, and I was the only one in my region looking after talent operations. I stepped up, taking more responsibilities to ensure we move forward and nothing gets missed. The rest of my team seemed extraordinarily supportive and gave me the space to learn and make mistakes along the way. This boosted my confidence because it gave me a sense of accomplishment and encouragement to move forward.

From Intern to Insider:

It's been three years since I started working at Coupa, and it has been a journey full of ups and downs; however, I am grateful for the internship experience, which led me to meet exceptionally talented, kind individuals who genuinely want you to grow!

Interviewing at Coupa - What to Expect and How to Prepare

Thu, 04 Jan 2024 20:06:17 GMT

Let’s be honest—interviews can be a bit daunting. You’re expected to make a great impression, share your story, and size up a role—all within a short window of time. And, in most cases, with someone you’re meeting for the first time. No problem - here are some practical tips to help you shine so you can confidently navigate the interview process.

At Coupa, you’re not just considering a company with an AI-driven Total Spend Management platform; you’re joining a community, or Coupa Village, where your voice can help shape what’s next. To get here, we want to support you in preparing for the interview so you have all the information you need to bring your most authentic self to the conversation.

Here are tips to help you prepare for a successful interview with Coupa.

Get familiar with the process

As you start the interview process, we want to make you comfortable so you can share what you bring to the specific role.

Your first step will be a brief conversation with the internal recruiter looking to fill the position.
Next, you should plan on having two or three interviews with the hiring manager, stakeholders, and potentially an executive-level leader.

Before your interview with the hiring manager

Your internal recruiters could be your most invaluable resource. Save the job-specific questions for the hiring manager but let the recruiter share the best advice on the process, company culture and those you’ll be meeting in the next round of interviews.

Get to know us before we get to know you

Before you meet the hiring manager, research our company and clearly understand what we do and how your experience can impact Coupa and its growth. Coupa.com , our LinkedIn page , and People Stories are great starting points. You can also check out Gartner and Forrester reports. Coupa isn’t a company that just talks about values but lives and breathes them every day. Our Coupa Core Values inform our culture. For more guidance, watch the first episode of Shaping What’s Next at Coupa featuring recruiter Marcy Harrell. She shares candid advice on how to show up with confidence, build rapport in interviews, follow up with intention—and yes, why doing your homework on the company still matters.

Know your talk track

Review your Resume/CV before the interview. Be prepared with key message points to quickly give the interviewer a brief overview of your career and elaborate on what’s on your resume.

Review the responsibilities and qualifications

Make sure you’ve thoroughly read the job description and highlight how past experiences could relate to the role during the interview. We use behaviour-based interviewing questions, so bring relevant examples to discuss during the interview.

Get your tech in order

To ensure a smooth virtual interview, install and test the specific video conference platform for the interview. Find a quiet space for the video conference with good lighting, where you will not be distracted, and choose a suitable background. This way, you can focus on the interview, avoid distractions, and have your tech in order.

AMA - Ask me Anything

Finally, we want to work with curious and collaborative people excited to grow their careers at Coupa and who can bring different perspectives to our company. So, come to the interview prepared to ask thoughtful questions and show us your passion for innovation and dynamic problem-solving.

Ready to help shape what's next? Join our vibrant talent community and explore exciting opportunities to become part of the Coupa Village.

Transformations of Coupa Women through MEvolution’s Energy Booster

Thu, 04 Jan 2024 20:06:15 GMT

When one of the women at Coupa, who we’ll call Pam, first met Sarah from MEvolution, she was at her lowest mentally, physically, and emotionally. Pam was depressed, low energy, and feeling alone and desperate. Caring for her small children including homeschooling during the pandemic, plus taking care of her aging mother recently diagnosed with Alzheimers, and learning how to work remotely in a fast-paced technology job became too much. The pandemic was tough on everyone in many ways. But for women in business, many of whom were feeling just like Pam and who Coupa’s Empower Employee Resource Group was created to support and lift up, there was an opportunity to really change people’s lives for the better.

Sarah Deane, Founder of MEvolution, walked with Pam through the eight-week program of learning how to identify and plug up Pam’s energy leaks, identify and remove energy blockers, and really begin to thrive. MEvolution is a science-based personal growth system that measures and systematically increases human capacity by teaching employees how to manage, direct, and optimize their personal energy. When Pam came to the Empower leadership meeting to share her testimonial on the enormous impact and value that the MEvolution program and Sarah personally has had on her life, she literally could not stop smiling. She shared her story of transformation while beaming, saying that by taking care of herself, setting boundaries, and prioritizing her needs, she is better able to take care of everyone around her and is thriving in her career.

Gina Tesla, Coupa’s Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility and Chairperson of Empower, was inspired and knew she had the corporate responsibility to offer this service to other women at Coupa from all different departments and timezones. Gina’s vision also included the shared commitment with the recipient women of Empower’s + MEvolution’s program: to be accepted into the program was to also commit to giving back through volunteer service for 2-4 hours, kicked off through Coupa’s Global Impact Week. This is a week each December where Coupa will match monetary donations to charities and is meant to encourage employees to use up to 40 hours of Volunteer Time Off while highlighting and hearing from several charity organizations.

From January through March 2023, 20 additional selected Coupa women went through the guided program with Sarah and MEvolution, starting with a detailed and personal Energy Quiz that highlighted where each of the women had energy leaks, blockers, or opportunities. Through a weekly mix of live teachings by Sarah and group sharing of stories or eye-openers, each woman also went through a “choose-your-own-adventure” type of guided modules based on the Energy Quiz with recorded teachings and guided personal reflections to really dive into the root causes of certain beliefs and therefore actions and feelings. At the end of each week the women would fill out the same “Weekly Pulse” to gather data and trends on their energy, feelings, and intensity of those feelings. The results are undeniable! The majority of women were able to better handle challenging situations, felt less negatively, had less anxiety, had increased focus, and set better boundaries! And half of the participants even felt happier, more fulfilled and engaged at work.

These women, happier and more energized, became even MORE fulfilled by also giving back to their communities through their required acts of service. The resounding takeaway from each service write up was “It really makes you appreciate what you have, humbles you at how great the needs are, and inspires you to serve more regularly.” Some numbers on the impact this small group of 20 women made: 14,000 pounds of food packed, 1,000 Christmas gifts given to children in need, 185 families and seniors served boxes of non-perishables, 40 pounds of trash removed from the beach, 120 guests served a Christmas dinner, and many other wins. The women were filled with gratitude for being prompted and encouraged to give back, not only to help and sustain our world and communities, but for their own self-fulfillment and fun they received themselves.

Supporting each other around the world has never been more important. Coupa is proud of the many Employee Resource Groups it supports, including Empower, whose mission is to break down barriers to women’s success by creating a community working together to unleash the impact of women in business. Empower is thrilled to continue partnering with MEvolution and Sarah Deane to change and enrich the lives of women in business and all people around the world.

How to Identify OAuth2 Vulnerabilities and Mitigate Risks

Thu, 04 Jan 2024 20:02:50 GMT

OAuth2 Case Studies based on HackerOne Public Disclosure Reports

Even though OAuth2 has been the industry-standard authorization framework since it replaced OAuth1 in 2012, its many complexities have led to potential security issues. For security engineers, it's vital to understand what OAuth2 is, how it works, and how poor implementation can lead to vulnerabilities.

In this article, we'll highlight some common attack vectors or vulnerabilities against OAuth2 by referring to H ackerOne public disclosure reports with actual cases — and explain how to mitigate those.

What is OAuth2?

OAuth2 is a widely used framework for access delegation, which allows users to grant limited access to one application (client application) by requesting the resource of the users hosted in another application or website (resource application).

If you have some basic knowledge about OAuth2 but have never implemented OAuth2 in your application, the two diagrams below might help you to refresh the concepts of OAuth2 and the mechanism of how it works. The diagrams illustrate the workflow for two common OAuth2 grant types , authorization code grant (Figure 1) and the still-in-use but deemed insecure implicit grant (Figure 2).

OAuth2 itself is fundamentally complicated as it is designed to resolve the vital authentication part in many complex web environments (mobile app, web server, etc). Due to the complexity, many security engineers may not fully understand the power of OAuth2. As a consequence, we are observing many security issues caused by a misconfiguration or poor implementation of OAuth2. To make it worse, some exploitations against these OAuth2 misconfigurations are extremely simple and easy to launch.

Common OAuth2 Vulnerabilities from HackerOne’s Public Disclosure

Let’s take a look at some common attack vectors or vulnerabilities against OAuth2 by referring to HackerOne public disclosure reports . We hope the explanations of these vulnerabilities are clear by making reference to the actual exploitation disclosure. At the end of each of the following sections, you will also learn how to mitigate these vulnerabilities.

Vulnerability 1: Missing validation in redirect_uri leads to access token takeover

HackerOne Reports:

https://hackerone.com/reports/665651
https://hackerone.com/reports/405100

The redirect_uri parameter in the OAuth2 workflow is used by the authorization server as a location or address to deliver the access_token or auth_code by means of a browser redirect. In Figure 1, we described that the redirect_uri parameter is initialized by the client application as part of the request to the authorization server under step 2 when a web user clicks the login button. After the authorization server validates the credentials (step 6), it will send back the auth_token (or access_token for an implicit grant step 7 in Figure 2) as a parameter to the redirect_uri used in step 2.

If a malicious user could trigger the victim to send a request to the authorization server with a redirect_uri controlled by the attacker and the authorization server is NOT validating the redirect_uri, the access_token will be sent to the URI controlled by the attacker.

The case of stealing users’ OAuth tokens via redirect_uri is, unfortunately, a typical one, where the authorization server performs a poor validation on the redirect_uri and the attacker is able to bypass the validation with a malicious link they control.

Mitigation

Implement a robust redirect_uri validation on the authorization server by considering the following approach:

Perform a match between client_id and report_uri to ensure the report_uri matches with the client_id stored in the authorization server.
Use a whitelist approach if the number of client applications is manageable.

Vulnerability 2: Missing state parameter validation leads to CSRF attack

HackerOne Reports:

https://hackerone.com/reports/111218
https://hackerone.com/reports/13555

In OAuth2 implementation, the state parameter (initialized under step 2) allows client applications to restore the previous state of the user. The state parameter preserves some state object set by the client in the authorization request and makes it available to the client in the response.

Here is the correct implementation of the state parameter:

The client application initialized the request to the authorization server with a state parameter in the request URL (Step 2).
The client application stores the state parameter value in the current session (Step 2).
The authorization server sends the access_token back to the client application (Step 7 in Figure 2) together with a state parameter.
Client application performs a match between the state stored in the current session and the state parameter sent back from the authorization server. If matching, the access_token will be consumed by the client application. Otherwise, it will be discarded so that it could prevent the CSRF attack.

However, since the state parameter is not required for a successful OAuth2 workflow, it is very often this parameter is omitted or ignored during OAuth2 implementation. Without validation on the state parameter, CSRF attack could be launched easily against the client application.

This HackerOne report is a very good example to explain how an attacker could attach their account to a different account under the client application due to the lack of the state parameter. Sometimes, even the state parameter is present in the callback request from the authorization server, but it is still possible the state parameter is not validated, leaving the application vulnerable to CSRF attack.

Mitigation

Ensure the state parameter is passed between requests and state validation is implemented so that an attacker could not attach their account to the victim’s account.

Vulnerability 3: Client_secret mistakenly disclosed to the public

HackerOne Report:

https://hackerone.com/reports/272824
https://hackerone.com/reports/397527

The client_secret is used by the client application to make a request to the authorization server to exchange the auth code to the access token (step 8 in Figure 1). The client_secret is a secret known only to the client application and the authorization server.

Some developers may accidentally disclose the client_secret to end users because the access_token retrieve request (step 8 in Figure 1) is mistakenly executed by some front-end JavaScript code rather than performed by the back-end channel.

In reference to this HackerOne Report about token disclosure, the client_secret is publicly exposed in the HTML page as the exchanging auth_code with access_token (Step 8 in Figure 1) process is executed by a piece of JavaScript code.

Mitigation

To avoid disclosing client_secret to the public, it is best for developers to understand the need of implementing OAuth2, as there are different OAuth2 options to adopt for different applications. If your client application has a back-end server, the client_secret should never be exposed to the public, as the interaction with the authorization server could be completed in a back-end channel. If your client application is a single-page web application or mobile app, you should choose a different OAuth2 type. For example, use the Authorization Code grant with PKCE instead.

Vulnerability 4: Pre-account takeover

HackerOne Report:

https://hackerone.com/reports/1074047

A pre-account takeover could occur when the following two conditions are met:

The client application supports multiple authentication methods, using a login with a password and a third-party service (like Facebook or Google) as an OAuth authentication provider.
Either the client application or the third-party service does not perform email verification during the signup process.

This HackerOne report details how a misconfigured OAuth can lead to pre-account takeover:

Attacker creates an account with a victim’s email address and the attacker’s password before the victim has registered on the client application.
The victim then logs in through a third-party service, like Google or Facebook.
The victim performs some sensitive actions in the client application. The client application will save these actions, and it will probably use the email address as an identifier for its users in the database.
Now, the attacker could log in as the victim and read the sensitive data added by the victim by using the victim’s email address and the attacker’s password created by step 1.

Mitigation

Perform email validation when creating a new user.

Vulnerability 5: OAuth2 access_token is leaked through referrer header

HackerOne Reports:

https://hackerone.com/reports/835437
https://hackerone.com/reports/787160
https://hackerone.com/reports/202781

One weak design of OAuth2 itself is that it passes the access_token in the URL for implicit grant type. Once you put sensitive data in a URI, you risk exposing this data to third-party applications. This applies to OAuth2 implementation as well.

In this HackerOne report about access_token smuggling, for example, the access_token was exposed to a third-party website controlled by the attacker after a chained redirection by taking advantage of the referrer header.

Mitigation

As this is a design issue of OAuth2, the easiest mitigation method would be strengthening the referrer header policy with <meta name="referrer" content="origin" />.

Vulnerability 6: OAuth2 login bypass due to lack of access_token validation

HackerOne Report:

https://hackerone.com/reports/245408

A lack of access_token validation by the client application makes it possible for an attacker to log in to other users' accounts without knowing their password.

Once the authorization server sends the access_token back to the client application, client applications sometimes need to bind the access_token with a user identity so that it can store it as a session. The exploitation of this vulnerability happens when an attacker binds their access_token with any user identity and then impersonates that user without logging in.

In this HackerOne report , the security researcher was able to log in as any user just by supplying the victim’s email address only because the client application did not validate whether the access_token belongs to the correct owner.

Mitigation

Validation should be performed on the client side to check whether the user owns the access_token.

Summary

The OAuth2 framework is complicated and provides many flexibilities for implementation. However, due to this flexibility, the security of OAuth2 implementation is in the hands of the developers. With that said, developers with a strong security mindset can make implementation more secure; on the contrary, developers with less security training are likely to impose some security holes during OAuth2 implementation. For any organization, it’s vital to train and educate your developers with the latest security best practices to reduce risk during OAuth2 implementation.

At Coupa, our engineers are committed to following the latest OAuth2 security best practices to make sure our OAuth2 implementation is secure.

3 Ways Coupa’s Development Team Designs Effective Search Functionality

Thu, 04 Jan 2024 19:52:18 GMT

Effective search functionality is critical to enhancing Business Spend Management (BSM) , especially during economic downturns when supply chain issues or travel expenses could play major roles in a business’s success. However, not all searches surface the most relevant results or provide a user-centric experience.

For many engineers who want to design effective search, they know that inadequate functionality can lead to frustrating user experiences, poor purchasing decisions, and even compliance issues. So, how can engineers make search functionality more effective for BSM professionals?

Here are three considerations for designing effective search that our development team uses at Coupa.

1. Start with good data

The key to effective search functionality starts with rich, high-quality, current data.

Rich data

When designing search functionality, it’s important to include clean-fielded, basic data, like product names and prices. But more effective search happens when you layer in rich data, such as detailed descriptions, images, part numbers, manufacturer information, and more. For example, if a person wants to search by brand, part number, or use, that information must be part of the data. If it’s not, users may encounter irrelevant search results — or, worse, no search results at all.

High-quality data

Like many things, “garbage in” leads to “garbage out.” It does not help the search experience to add large volumes of poor, irrelevant data. For instance, if you have a list of items with accurate titles but unstructured or unclear descriptions, it might be better to avoid including those descriptions. The information should also be relevant and specific to the data. For example, generic placeholder text — like TBD, N/A, or office supply — in fields rarely adds value.

Current data

When users search, they want current information instead of outdated results. Many search algorithms are even biased toward more recent information. While this is a balance with performance considerations, keeping information curated so it is up to date and actively indexed makes for more effective search.

2. Use best-in-class search technology

After years of continuous improvement, search technology is more robust and effective than ever. Doug Cutting originally wrote Lucene in 1999, which was his fifth search engine. Today, Lucene is the foundation for both Elasticsearch and SOLR, as well as a wealth of other search engine technologies. At Coupa, we use Elasticsearch as our search technology foundation.

Here are several things search technology does that a traditional relational database does not do.

Tokenize text into words

People rarely know the full title or phrase for what they are searching. Instead, they usually expect to type a few words and find what they need. Tokenization breaks all data into words so that can happen, and it must work with every language. At Coupa, that’s why we use Unicode Text Segmentation to support global companies.

Understand the language

Modern search technology understands the formal and informal nuances of languages across the world. For example, a person might type a plural or a singular word, even when they likely expect to find both in search results. Similarly, a person might accent a word or not, regardless of whether the formal language says it should be accented. Still, they probably want both versions to appear in search results. At Coupa, our shopping search supports over 30 different language models.

Technology that handles mistakes

End users make mistakes. They mistype or misspell. Search technology can check near variations to find matches. At Coupa, for instance, we use Elasticsearch to find spelling equivalents of terms that users may spell incorrectly in their search queries.

3. Iterate, iterate, iterate

There is no silver bullet with search. The best search comes from constant improvement. Google, for instance, changes their algorithm over 500 times per year. Similarly, our development team at Coupa finds a balance between algorithm changes being too conservative and slow to change versus making too many changes too quickly, which can disrupt customer satisfaction. Here are a few ways that we iterate on our approach to effective search.

Analyze the data

Search is extremely data-sensitive. An algorithm that works well on some data may work poorly on other data. That’s why it’s so important to analyze the data and understand its nuances. At Coupa, we analyze customer data and community data to do this. That data is then put to use in our AI-based classifiers to make the search results most relevant for a given customer's users and products.

Monitor user behavior

Search is ultimately about connecting a real-life user to search technology. To do that, it’s imperative to fully understand user behavior to achieve the right balance in search functionality. Our method of doing this at Coupa is to use our internally developed customer tool, Content Insights, to understand the searches being run and how effective they are.

Tune for probability, not perfection

There is often no "right" answer in search since the exact same search might mean one thing to one user and something else to another. Ultimately, tuning search for user behavior is a probability game — you have to engineer search functionality to provide the most relevant or likely results that address a user’s search intent.

Effective search is a journey and a never-ending one at that, but if users can quickly and easily find what they are searching for, they will thank you for it.

How to Scale Engineering Teams from Startup to Corporate

Thu, 04 Jan 2024 19:48:34 GMT

How does an engineering team transition from a scrappy, startup mindset to think in terms of scale? It takes intentionality and strategy. As Coupa has transformed from a small organization to a leader in Business Spend Management, we have grown from a team of two engineers in 2006 to over 900 in the engineering team in 2022. Over the years, our teams have faced growing pains — as Coupa acquired companies, more people and more technologies had to mesh seamlessly together. Below are some of the best practices we have adopted to improve internal communication, improve code quality, and allow our engineers to quickly and efficiently add features.

When a software product is in an early stage and teams are small, design decisions can be made over a quick meeting, code reviews can be done by sitting next to each other, functional testing can be done manually, and deployments can be done at will. As teams grow in size and geographic location and the product matures and expands, communication and strategy on scaling the business becomes of utmost importance to avoid spaghetti code, performance lags, and siloed engineering teams with little integration.

9 ways engineering managers can scale their engineering teams

You may be asking yourself how to manage hundreds of developers, working across dozens of functional teams, across several time zones. It’s important to know where checks and balances should be implemented to ensure quality, efficiency, and knowledge transfers without hampering the speed and efficiency at which a startup operates.

1. Design reviews

At Coupa, all changes regardless of size go through a formal review process, focusing on the functional, technical, performance, and security aspects. Analyzing the impact of the change across the entire suite of software products is very important to prevent unwanted outcomes or confusion for our customers or other engineers trying to add a feature that touches unknown parts of the code or application. Subject matter experts review the changes internally first, and when needed these are lined up for a formal review by our principal architects.

2. Code reviews

To ensure that code being committed doesn’t negatively affect the system, all Github commits are required to have a pull request identifying what has changed and why. Depending on what kind of changes are made, the tool identifies various categories of reviewers to be assigned like API, UI, security, or migration. Reviewers don’t generally stop at finding problems, but they also support developers in making required changes. Reviewers are picked after a thorough evaluation process to ensure there are no loose ends.

3. Data table schemas and data migrations

As customer datasets grow, solutions must be built to allow for zero downtime schema changes. For example, engineers at Coupa built an internal tool which alters a table’s structure without blocking reads or writes to it. When data migration on these large sets of rows is required, Coupa uses a robust framework to divide and conquer the problem by distributing smaller chunks of work to multiple processes.

4. Performance

Keeping the performance implications of proposed changes in mind throughout the entire design and implementation phase of features will save many headaches near the end of a development phase. Coupa engineers have built a framework for testing pull requests on sanitized production data to get early feedback on performance implications. “Labs'’ simulate production scale load and test features to measure if the performance is affected by increased loads. Automations have been built to check the codebase of any increase in memory usage or app-bootup time at the end of every two-week sprint.

5. Reliability

Paired with performance, customers need to expect and trust the software’s reliability throughout each release. Teams at Coupa have KPIs like search response times, page load times, and error rates on calls to third party software that are reviewed regularly so that proper and timely corrections can be made. More importantly, teams should build safeguards around what customers can do with your application. Without these, customers may end up unknowingly exploiting our systems.

6. Code styling

Start-ups sometimes may be more focused releasing and short-term wins rather than long-term maintenance and code quality. To enforce the coding guidelines and standards outlined in the community as well as the company, Coupa engineers use static code analyzers like Rubocop or ESLint as well as code formatters. Reference this article on how to set up these tools.

7. Automation testing

Every pull request should pass the suite of existing tests to ensure the new functionality works as well as all previous functionality that is still intact. Not every part of the application can be tested via unit tests, so Coupa supplements the thousands of unit tests with additional test suites for UI / API / migration / end-to-end tests. Developers and reviewers must ensure appropriate coverage is added within the test suite for the new functionality being added.

8. Application security

Hands-on labs and annual mandatory compliance training should be put in place to make sure all developers know and understand the OWASP Top 10 Security Vulnerabilities that safeguard the application and customers’ data. Delivering a secure and scalable platform is a top priority and Coupa engineering goes above and beyond to ensure compliance so the entire Coupa community feels secure.

9. Release cycles

It’s very important to give customers adequate time to test and plan for upgrades. Coupa Engineering and Documentation teams work together to ensure that all code changes for major releases as well as continuous integration updates for customers are documented well and customers have been properly trained on what they can expect. By having this process in place we keep the channels of communication open and avoid unwanted setbacks.

Growing a global engineering team takes a great balance: productivity vs process. The goal is always to move at the rapid pace of a start-up but have smart (but not cumbersome) processes to keep all engineers informed about architecture and design changes as the team grows. And while Coupa is always #StrivingForExcellence and will never stop improving with that balance, hopefully some of these processes will help with your growing team.

Coupa Colors: Unlocking Effective Communication and Self-Awareness at Coupa

Thu, 04 Jan 2024 19:46:38 GMT

In today's globalized world, it is increasingly common for teams to be composed of multi-generational individuals from different cultures and regions. While this leads to diversity of thought and innovation, it can also present challenges in communication and collaboration and it’s one of the reasons we use Coupa Colors.

By using Coupa Colors, Coupanians are categorized into four color energies: Blue, Red, Green, and Yellow. Each color represents a unique set of personality traits, preferences, and tendencies. That said, the aim is not to put someone in a box. While we typically have a default color energy preference we revert to naturally we are not just ‘one color’ and everyone has a blend of color energies and people can also flex into each of the color energies depending on the situation or person they are dealing with.

By understanding our own primary and secondary color energies and those of our colleagues we can improve communication, build stronger relationships, and foster a more compassionate and inclusive culture at Coupa.

Colleagues who lead with blue tend to be analytical and detail-oriented, preferring to work with data and facts. They are logical and organised and excel at implementing systems and processes. Those who lead with red are more assertive and action-oriented, they focus on results and drive to push things forward. They like to move fast and like to get things done! Team members leading with green are empathetic, relationship-oriented, valuing harmony, collaboration and teamwork while people who lead with yellow are generally enthusiastic and creative, valuing fun and spontaneity. They are big picture thinkers and are considered to be charismatic and sociable.

One benefit of using Coupa Colors is it helps our employees become more self-aware. By identifying our own color energy, we can gain insights into our strengths and development areas, as well as our communication style and preferences. This self-awareness can lead to improved self-management and more effective communication with others.

In addition, Coupa Colors can help individuals be more compassionate. By understanding the color energies of our colleagues and teammates, we can appreciate their unique perspectives and communication styles. This can reduce misunderstandings and conflict, leading to a more harmonious and productive environment.

Coupa Colors is especially useful in a multicultural and global environment like Coupa, where communication and cultural differences can pose challenges. By recognizing and valuing the different color energies of our colleagues from diverse backgrounds, we can build trust and respect, and foster a more inclusive and supportive workplace culture.

Here are some of the benefits we have found by using Coupa Colors:

Self-awareness: We encourage employees to take a short Coupa Colors assessment and reflect on their own color energy and communication style. This can help them understand their strengths and areas for improvement, and develop strategies for more effective communication. They are encouraged to share their Coupa Colors on the internal directory and add it to their email signature.
Builds a common language: Coupa Colors is pervasive across Coupa and is a common language for discussing personality traits and communication styles. This helps team members understand and appreciate each other's differences, and reduce misunderstandings and conflict.
Foster compassion and inclusivity: We encourage employees to recognize and value the different color energies of their colleagues, and to appreciate the unique perspectives and communication styles each brings to the team.
Team building: We use Coupa Colors as a tool for team building activities and workshops. This can help team members build trust and understanding, and develop strategies for more effective communication and collaboration.

Coupa Colors is a powerful tool for improving communication and self-awareness, especially in Coupa’s multicultural and global teams. By understanding our own color energy and those of others, we can build stronger relationships, reduce conflict, and foster a more compassionate and inclusive workplace culture.

Coupa Engineers Believe Hard Work Must Be Replaced With Smart Work

Thu, 04 Jan 2024 19:31:59 GMT

As enterprise software products and companies grow, the need for more tools to scale the product, expedite the process, and improve communication grows as well. But what ends up happening is what I dub the tech snowball effect. The constant need to acquire more tools and tech stacks to keep up operations often ends up piling up quickly, making the workflow for teams — primarily engineers — more complex and difficult, leading to tool fatigue.

In the Coupa Engineering department, we’re tackling this challenge head-on. We don’t believe leadership should have sole control over tech decisions. We empower our engineers at every level, as well as managers, to explore and recommend new tools and technologies that are innovative, non-invasive, simple, and faster. We do this because we know none of us is as smart as all of us.

Below I’ll explain some of the tech tools and techniques our engineering department uses to help us work smarter, not harder.

Streamlining our workflow

We want Coupa engineers to spend their time on high-value-added activities that involve personal interaction, problem-solving, and decision-making tasks, which are more valuable to the company and its customer rather than focusing on repetitive work. We’re constantly seeking out ways to update our tech stack to help reduce tool fatigue.

One example of a tool that we’ve adopted at Coupa that helps us do that is AWS Elasticache Redis, a managed service by AWS from self-managed custom EC2 Redis . This off-loads our engineers from the maintenance, scaling, failure recovery, and other tasks that impact operational overhead.

Here are some other ways we’re streamlining our workflow:

Reducing error rates: We want to help our software engineers make processes more efficient and error-free, thereby improving their productivity and freeing them to focus on more complex tasks. We do this by having fellow champions for tech tools, provide training sessions and experts to help along the way.
Avoiding invasive tool options: During the evaluation phase for new tooling, it should be explored to ensure no major changes are required in the underlying architecture in order for adoption to be successful. One such example of non-invasive implementation is the adoption of AWS Elasticache Redis at Coupa, where engineers assessed the feasibility and easiness of introducing the same with few configurational and endpoint changes, without introducing new risk and changes in infrastructure.
Making staying compliant easier: With various policy restrictions on how the data captured can be used and stored, companies need to stay fully compliant such as FedRAMP, HIPPA, PCI and others to avoid any serious consequences. As part of Coupa’s internal learning management system, we are able to auto-assign annual compliance requirements with knowledge checks to stay and prove our compliance to our customers and board. With this knowledge base, engineers at Coupa validate and make sure that new tools or technologies are adapted to fulfill compliance requirements.

Addressing technical debt

If you’re an engineer, it’s hard to avoid technical debt. It refers to the notion of prioritizing speed over the functionality of a project and often results in poor shared knowledge among an engineering team. It’s impossible to avoid, but at Coupa, we’re taking steps to address it.

For example, most engineers in the industry have used the public instance of StackOverflow to find solutions or answers to queries. At Coupa, we implemented our own private instance of StackOverflow for teams, allowing for a secure and private place for our engineering teams to share and find knowledge internally about specifics related to our business. This helps us by reducing repetitive queries, aids those with questions to find quick solutions with easy search capabilities, and uses the community’s knowledge rather than just a select few

The implementation of our own StackOverflow is helping to onboard new engineers more quickly, too. New hires can find the information they need to get up and running without any assistance. The ability to share best practices among our team is just another way we’ve improved our company culture through collaboration.

Finding solutions together

This collaborative environment is what brought me to Coupa in 2020. As a team, we’re always looking for new ways to improve our performance and work smarter, not harder. With the right tools and technology, we’re making that possible. The power of collective knowledge is felt in every aspect of this company, from our customers to our IT department, so if you’re looking for a work environment that values innovative and different ideas, I’ll hope you’ll join us.