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