In a conversation with Prahlad Krishnamurthi, a dynamic business leader with over 19 years of hands-on experience in corporate transformation and high-impact coaching. Currently, as the CEO of Bizongo, Prahlad is at the forefront of reinventing B2B commerce, leveraging digital platforms and data-driven raw-material sourcing to streamline supply chains and empower industrial buyers and suppliers alike.

Here is an excerpt of his interview with us.

AL Circle: Can you walk us through Bizongo’s journey from its inception in 2014 to its expansion into the B2B vendor digitisation space? What challenges has the company faced along the way, and how have those experiences shaped its evolution? How has Bizongo’s vision transformed as it continues to revolutionise vendor digitisation?

Prahlad Krishnamurthi: Bizongo began its journey in 2014 with a vision to digitise the supply chain, initially focusing on automating the replenishment of packaging materials for businesses. After evaluating multiple categories in the B2C space, packaging stood out as a scalable opportunity, and the business gained early momentum. However, the COVID-19 pandemic posed an unprecedented challenge, such as order cancellations, bringing operations to a standstill overnight. This period exposed the vulnerability of being overly dependent on end-customer demand and made it clear that B2B finished goods, unlike B2C, lacked the same market flexibility.

This realisation became a turning point. We understood that to build a sustainable business, we needed to reimagine our model. Over the next few years, we shifted focus from finished goods to building resilience through category diversification and a more long-term approach. One key learning was the importance of a strong "hook" to attract and retain customers, not just through discounts or transactional benefits, but through value-driven solutions.