#supplychain #procurement #logistics #automation #coordination #ai
In this Supply Chain Pioneers episode, Ulf speaks with Nick Gospodinov, founder and CEO of Mandel AI, about his journey from starting to code at age 10 in Bulgaria to founding companies and building Mandel AI.
Nick explains how Mandel acts as an AI supply chain coordinator by extracting key data from unstructured channels like email and Slack into systems of record, validating documents across RFQs, POs, confirmations, and invoices, and monitoring execution via agent functionality that follows SOPs and escalates issues.
He shares lessons from early pivots after Y Combinator, why supply chains can fail over a single missed email, how agents can handle edge cases like tariff surcharges, and updates on Mandel’s $3.9M funding round.
Nick also discusses building with Bulgarian engineering talent, scaling considerations, AI adoption challenges, and how martial arts shaped his persistence.
00:00 Podcast Intro
00:35 Meet Nick Gospodinov
01:20 Early Coding Origins
03:06 First Startup Spark
04:55 Pivot to Supply Chain
07:31 What Mandel AI Does
10:08 Funding and Market Momentum
11:17 Supply Chain Reality Check
14:44 Building from Bulgaria
19:07 AI Future and Adoption
25:09 Martial Arts Mindset
27:36 Closing and Where to Listen
