Supply chains sit at the heart of the global economy, yet for many organisations, they remain fragile, opaque, and difficult to manage. Procurement teams are expected to balance cost, risk, compliance, and sustainability, often with outdated tools and fragmented processes.
That imbalance is what led Malin Schmidt to found Kodiak Hub, a cloud-based Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) platform. Much like CRM (Customer Relationship Management) systems transformed how businesses engage with customers, SRM is emerging as a critical category for managing suppliers – helping enterprises make better decisions, reduce risk, and build stronger partnerships.
Kodiak Hub brings together big data, automation, and artificial intelligence in one intuitive platform. It centralises supplier information, monitors risks, manages contracts, and delivers robust analytics, giving procurement teams the visibility and confidence they need to continuously improve supplier performance and drive growth.
We sat down with Malin to talk about the inspiration behind Kodiak Hub, the journey so far, and what it takes to scale a company designed for both impact and longevity.
Q&A with Malin Schmidt
What is Kodiak Hub and what inspired you to start the company?
Kodiak Hub is a Supplier Relationship Management platform built to empower procurement teams with the same kind of capabilities that CRM brought to sales and marketing. Our mission is to transform fragmented supply chain processes into collaborative, opportunity-driven partnerships, so organisations can make smarter, faster, and more sustainable decisions.
The inspiration came from my own background. I’m an engineer by training and spent many years in operations management, in industries like shipping, oil, and gas. I saw first-hand the damage that poorly operating supply chains can cause in large projects. I also saw how much of our prosperity still depends on people working in poor conditions on the other side of the world.
So with that, I started Kodiak with three goals in mind:
- Make a positive impact on global supply chains – creating winners on both sides of the trading table, not just chasing the lowest price.
- Bring consumer-grade usability to enterprise software – avoiding the multi-year implementations I’d experienced in line management.
- Create the best workplace possible – somewhere people want to stay for years, while continuing to grow and be challenged.
How does the product work in practice?
We’ve designed Kodiak Hub to be modular from the ground up. Procurement teams can start small, then expand into more modules as their needs grow. That’s why our net revenue retention is consistently strong: customers expand with us.
At its core, the platform consolidates supplier data, automates compliance and risk monitoring, and provides powerful analytics for decision-making. What makes it different is the combination of depth and usability: we’ve made something that’s enterprise-grade, but easy to implement and intuitive to use.
You’ve grown beyond Sweden very quickly. Why go global so early?
Many people told me to focus on Sweden first. But Sweden is a small and atypical market, with very long decision cycles. Our customers are global enterprises, so it made sense to think internationally from the start.
From the start, we designed Kodiak Hub to be global, but always with a view to expand with discipline. Historically, we haven’t opened a new office until we have at least 10–15 customers in that market. That way we grow responsibly, without overextending.
Today, our three main markets are the UK, the Netherlands, and the Nordics, and we’re just onboarding our first customers in the US.
How do you think about partnerships?
I find them very important. In the Oxx case, I had known them for years before we actually partnered, and always thought of them as a dream investor in how they operate with their portfolio companies. When the timing was right, they came on board. They really dig into the data, ask hard questions, and share market intelligence generously. That’s pushed us to raise our game and mature as a company. They’ve also been instrumental in preparing us for Series B, from shaping strategy to connecting us with the right people. It’s a well-functioning partnership, and one I really value.
What’s next for Kodiak Hub?
We’re focused on deepening our presence in the markets where we already have momentum (the UK, the Netherlands, and the Nordics) while approaching the US in a measured way. We’re also investing heavily in Product. AI and data are becoming central to how procurement operates, and every part of our platform will be AI-enabled. That means faster, smarter, and more sustainable decisions for our customers.
Ultimately, my ambition is to build Kodiak Hub into a $100m+ company that changes supply chains for the better. Impact requires scale. By working with the most powerful entities in global supply chains, we can create value for both buyers and suppliers, and healthier supply chains for the world.
Key lessons & learnings from Kodiak Hub’s journey
- Impact requires scale: lasting change in supply chains means working with large enterprises.
- Design for expansion: modular architecture fuels long-term growth and retention.
- Think global, grow responsibly: establish local offices only after reaching critical customer mass.
- Choose challenging partners: the right investors push you to mature and guide through inflection points.
- Culture matters: building the best workplace fuels retention, innovation, and resilience.
