B/2BNow, which provides electronic data interchange solutions for the SAP S/4HANA Cloud enterprise resource planning system, has earned additional investment from AI developer Esker in the form of a strategic partnership focused on building better automation for S/4HANA and helping customers prepare for the transition from SAP’s legacy ERP business suite.
SAP has stated it will continue to support accountants and other professionals using its legacy ERP system until only 2025, encouraging users to switch to S/4HANA, the more sophisticated version of SAP’s ERP capabilities, and comes in both on-premise and cloud versions.
Formerly known as Enterprise Services Management, the startup B/2BNow makes an EDI solution specifically for S/4HANA Public Cloud services. The platform automates data migration, including from paper to software. It uses machine learning for automated mapping and integration configuration, and provides an automated supplier portal for the onboarding and integration of low-tech vendors if needed.
B/2BNow just completed its initial round of seed funding, with Esker responsible for 40 percent of the total amount raised. In light of this investment, Steve Smith, chief operations officer of Esker, will be joining B/2BNow’s board of directors.
B/2BNow is the first company to implement an EDI solution for S/4HANA, and the startup reports a close relationship with S/4HANA Product Teams, allowing it to beta- and help-test additional B2B functionality as it becomes available within the new ERP.
“We’re fully embracing the power of experiential data, taking difficult-to-process data streams — those traditionally only used by IT departments — and converting them into a format that can be used across the organization,” said Mike Kersels, CEO and founder of B/2BNow, in a statement. “This partnership will allow us to leverage Esker’s industry-leading user interface to present data in ways that are most effective to each department and empower businesses to base decisions on trend reporting and real-time dashboards.”
“Our goal is to work closely with B/2BNow within the SAP HANA space to provide a complete process automation solution integrated with SAP’s cloud solution,” added Steve Smith. “We’ll also partner with them on sales and marketing opportunities to expand our reach within this space. Both companies are actively pursuing the same market, with expertise in different areas, but by combining our experience it will enhance our ability to grow.”
