Q&A with Karim Barkawi: How ketteQ's Series B Fuels the Future of Supply Chain Planning

When you talk to Karim Barkawi, co-founder of ketteQ, you can expect big ideas, bold perspectives, and plenty of inspiration. This conversation was no different.  

Fresh off the announcement of ketteQ's $20M Series B funding, Karim opened up about the vision that sparked the company, why ketteQ is breaking from the legacy planning mold, and how this next chapter will supercharge global growth.  

Q: For decades, you've had a front-row seat to the evolution of supply chain planning systems. What was the original vision that led you to co-found ketteQ?

Over the years, Mike Landry and I saw the same frustrations: critical planning decisions still made in spreadsheets, disconnected from real-time data, and dependent on outdated systems. Legacy tools were slow, rigid, costly to implement, and required constant workarounds. We knew there had to be a better way.

The vision for ketteQ was to make planning smarter, faster, and truly adaptive, combining cloud, AI, and real-time collaboration, all within trusted ecosystems like Salesforce. We didn't aim for incremental change; we started with a blank slate.

Q: What convinced you the market needed something entirely new?

Companies spent millions on legacy systems, yet still rely on manual processes. These platforms were complex, inflexible, and always a step behind. The issue wasn't just outdated technology but a gap between what businesses needed and what those systems could deliver.

Planning was slow, collaboration was limited, and adapting to change often meant starting over. We wanted a cloud-native, AI-ready platform, agile from day one, that could evolve with modern supply chains.

Q: Why build on a modern architecture with AI from the start?

You can't build tomorrow's supply chain on yesterday's architecture. Legacy systems weren't designed for real-time data, AI, or agility. Adding those later only increases complexity.

From the beginning, ketteQ was cloud-native, API-first, and AI-driven. This foundation enables real-time data processing, continuous planning, and intelligent automation, transforming planning from reactive to predictive, manual to autonomous, and siloed to fully connected.

Q: With so many planning systems out there, why start another?

Because most were built for a world of stable demand and predictable cycles, they weren't designed for today's speed, complexity, or volatility. Tariffs, trade wars, geopolitical tensions, natural disasters, and even a single ship stuck in the Suez Canal can halt operations.

Legacy systems can't manage shocks like these in real time. We saw an opportunity to create the next generation of supply chain performance, a clean break from the past.

Q: You've been in every funding round. What does this Series B represent?

‍ It's validation that the market believes in our vision, team, and technology. For ketteQ, it fuels our next growth stage, scaling globally, accelerating innovation, and investing even more in customer success. It's about momentum and doubling down on our mission to make supply chains smarter, faster, and more resilient.

Q: How will this Series B accelerate growth and impact?

It's a catalyst. We'll deepen AI and Agentforce innovation, expand in key regions, and grow our partner ecosystem. We're also building out implementation and support to meet demand. The aim is to reach more customers while raising the industry standard for what planning can deliver.

Q: Why are companies replacing legacy systems with ketteQ?

Because we offer something fundamentally different: a cloud-native, AI-powered platform built for today's complexity, built on Salesforce, integrates with existing systems, delivers real-time data and scenario planning, and supports adaptive workflows. It's not just an upgrade; it's a transformation that turns uncertainty into advantage.

Q: What advice do you have for companies still using legacy tools?

Don't let familiarity limit your future. Legacy systems may feel safe, but standing still is the most significant risk in today's environment. Start small, but start now. Layer innovation onto your existing infrastructure, achieve quick wins, and scale at your pace.

Q: Will supply chains ever be fully autonomous?

Full autonomy is a long-term vision, but we're getting closer. The future will be human-machine collaboration with automation managing complexity while people focus on strategy and exceptions.  

Each step toward real-time data integration and AI-powered planning moves us closer to self-adjusting, insight-driven supply chains.

Q: How does PolymatiQ™ enable adaptive planning?

Our patent-pending PolymatiQ™ agentic solver engine ingests and analyzes real-time data from demand signals and inventory flows to constraints and market shifts. It runs thousands of scenarios in parallel, exploring the full spectrum of possibilities to find the best path forward.

This powers dynamic scenario modeling, automated recommendations, and self-adjusting plans. Instead of fixed cycles, our users operate in a living system that evolves with real-world conditions, learning, adapting, and optimizing with every new data point.

Q: What excites you most about AI in supply chain?

AI's potential to make the supply chain a strategic advantage. We can anticipate change, simulate outcomes, and optimize decisions in real time, creating self-learning systems that adapt faster than the challenges they face.

The next generation of planning will move from the back office to the front office, influencing decisions across sales, finance, operations, and service. This shift will deliver measurable operational and financial value, turning planning into a driver of growth and competitive edge.

Q: What's the biggest global challenge supply chains face today, and how is ketteQ helping?

Volatility. Once primarily a demand issue, disruption now impacts supply just as much. Geopolitical shifts, climate events, raw material shortages, and transport bottlenecks create constant instability.

ketteQ is built for resilience, helping organizations move from reactive to proactive. With Salesforce as our foundation, we deliver intelligent planning, real-time visibility, and scenario-based decision-making across the end-to-end supply chain. And because companies can't wait years for results, we deliver value in months.

Q: If you had to describe ketteQ's impact in one sentence?

We're helping the world shift from supply chain control to supply chain intelligence—delivering next-generation planning that turns uncertainty into a competitive advantage

Key Takeaways from my conversation with Karim

Spending time with Karim always reminds me of why ketteQ exists – to challenge the status quo and reimagine what’s possible in supply chain planning  

Here are the moments that stood out:

• We started with a blank slate. From day one, the mission wasn’t to tweak legacy systems – it was to reinvent planning for today’s reality.  

• PolymatiQ changes the game. PolymatiQ™ runs thousands of smart scenarios to uncover the best path forward, unlike anything else out there.

• Planning is moving to the front lines. No longer a back-office function, it’s becoming a core driver of business strategy and growth.  

• Volatility is the new normal. From demand shifts to supply disruptions, the winners will be those who adapt in months, not years.  

• Series B is more than funding – it's fuel.  This investment powers global expansion, accelerates innovation, and raises the bar for what planning can deliver.  

We're not just helping companies plan better, we're helping them plan differently, adapt faster, and turn uncertainty into an advantage.

If you’re ready to break free from the limitations of legacy systems and embrace a smarter, faster, more adaptive future, now is the time. Let’s reimagine your supply chain together. Learn more about ketteQ’s approach or connect with our team to start the conversation.