Corcentric’s AI-native business network revolution

Manoj Narayan

Unveiling the future of B2B collaboration

Over the past year, we’ve been focused on building the next generation of our products. Earlier last month, we unveiled them at our annual customer event, the Corcentric Symposium. 

For some time, we’ve believed the software industry was heading toward what many are now calling the “SaaSpocalypse.” While we expected disruption, we’ve been surprised by just how quickly it unfolded. 

This transition from on-premise software to SaaS took more than a decade to fully play out. The shift from SaaS to Agentic AI as a Service (AI SaaS) is happening far faster. Today, more than one billion people already use tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, or Claude. And GenAI capabilities are rapidly becoming a baseline expectation in business software. 

Our approach to AI

About 18 months ago, we began exploring how generative AI could reshape our products. Early in that process, we also asked an important question: How do we build solutions that are durable and defensible in an AI-first world? 

Instead of focusing on AI that simply orchestrates internal processes, as many current automation platforms do, we focus on solving complex business problems that involve multiple external parties and stakeholders. 

This thinking led to the creation of the Corcentric Business Network (CBN). 

CBN is the first AI-native, many-to-many business network designed to address the realities of modern commerce, where uncertainty, complexity, and fragmented systems are the norm. 

The network is built to: 

  • Enable seamless B2B collaboration by removing transactional friction across complex, multi-party business networks. 
  • Provide actionable intelligence by closing data gaps stemming from intricate system integrations. 
  • Unlock working capital, ensuring businesses have the cash flow needed for growth and operational efficiency.    

Corcentric’s technology strategy in the GenAI era 

Choosing between a complete overhaul or building upon the existing technology

Once we defined the vision for the Corcentric Business Network, we faced a critical technology decision: Do we build this entirely new, or layer it on top of our existing technology stack ? 

Building from the ground up was obviously attractive. However, the concern was time to market. Even with that, the pace of change in AI helped make the decision clear. 

The rise of GenAI convinced us that if we wanted to succeed in the emerging AI SaaS era, we couldn’t take shortcuts. Retrofitting older architecture would limit what we could achieve. Instead, we needed to build a modern AI-native foundation that could future-proof our platform for the next generation of business software. 

Corcentric Agentic Platform and CBN  

Driving ROI and real business outcomes with GenAI-powered solutions 

We also decided to focus on business outcomes, ensuring that every GenAI capability we deliver drives measurable ROI for our customers. This approach led us to build the Corcentric Agentic Platform, which serves as the foundation for everything that follows. On top of this platform, we developed: 

  • Corcentric Business Network (CBN) 
  • Fleet Intelligence 
  • Working Capital Solutions 

 A few months ago, we launched CBN with AI Agents for our pilot customers across the buyer and supplier sides of the network. These early adopters gave the platform five-star ratings and overwhelmingly positive feedback. The validation we received for both the product direction and the value of an AI-native business network gave us confidence that we were onto something truly different. 

There has never been a more exciting time to build software. GenAI is making it possible to solve complex business problems that previously seemed out of reach. But to succeed, companies need to think beyond incremental improvements. It’s no longer enough to simply add AI features on top of legacy platforms. You must rethink the problem.  Simply sprinkling AI pixie dust on 10+ or 20+- year tech stacks will not deliver the transformation businesses are looking for. You must design systems that are AI-native, network-driven, and built around customer outcomes. 

We invite you to explore the Corcentric Business Network and our new solution offerings. Come see firsthand what the next chapter of Corcentric looks like. Contact us to see how CBN can make a major difference in your operations.

Welcome to the new Corcentric!