From Design to Procure: How Part Analytics is Redefining Electronics Supply Chain Software Through Customer Advocacy

Most B2B software companies launch with a classic playbook: raise capital, build an SDR team, and blast the market with cold outreach. But in a recent episode of Category Visionaries, Jithendra from Part Analytics shared a different path – one built on deep domain expertise and customer advocacy.

"Everyone is getting a ton of email in their inbox," Jithendra noted, highlighting the challenge of breaking through to procurement leaders. Rather than adding to the noise, Part Analytics took an unconventional approach: letting their customers do the talking.

The strategy emerged from Jithendra's own experience managing electronics procurement at a major medical device manufacturer. "I was pretty much doing the job of our prospective customers," he explained. "Even though companies invested significant amount of dollars in different tools and technologies, like ERP systems, PLM systems, were spending a lot of time managing our data and collaborating with internal stakeholders or with our suppliers using spreadsheets and email."

This firsthand experience shaped not just their product vision, but their entire go-to-market approach. Instead of trying to educate the market about a problem, they focused on serving customers who already lived it every day.

The results speak for themselves. Take ITW, a Fortune 500 manufacturer struggling with component-level visibility across their supply chain. Part Analytics' platform delivered "5% cost reduction their spend, reduce their shortages by more than 70%." These concrete wins turned customers into vocal advocates.

"What's been really working well for us is our customer testimonials and customer referrals," Jithendra shared. "Our customers that use a product really love it and they really see value from it. And that's kind of where they go and talk about our product to people that they know."

But perhaps most interesting is how Part Analytics has positioned itself in the market. Rather than fitting into existing categories like procure-to-pay or source-to-pay, they've created something new: a design-to-procure platform.

"The way we think about this is actually a mindset of going early in the design phase or shift left," Jithendra explained. "Because for sourcing teams, supply chain teams, if they don't get visibility and influence additions at the design phase, then it's really hard for them to manage the supply chain."

This positioning resonates deeply with both product manufacturers (OEMs) and contract manufacturers (EMS companies) because it addresses a fundamental truth: by the time a component reaches procurement, many critical decisions are already locked in.

The company's growth trajectory also challenges conventional startup wisdom. When asked what he'd do differently, Jithendra's answer was surprising: "Probably I would have done it even faster and sooner... when you have something, you really need to go at it with full speed."

Looking ahead, Part Analytics aims to become "this connective tissue and helping both product OEMs and contact manufacturing companies to collaborate and get the necessary insights to really innovate faster in terms of their product development."

For B2B founders, Part Analytics' journey offers valuable lessons. First, deep domain expertise can be a powerful differentiator when properly leveraged. Second, category creation doesn't always require massive marketing budgets – sometimes it's about articulating an existing problem in a new way. And finally, in a world of increasing noise, letting your customers become your loudest advocates might be the most effective GTM strategy of all.