Tradex

Founded in 1996, Tradex Technologies built some of the earliest software for B2B e-commerce, allowing companies to automate and manage online purchasing of commodities and industrial products. Their Java-based platform powered vertical trading hubs and enterprise marketplaces, quickly gaining major customers like Nippon Telegraph and Telephone. By making online buying and selling simple and scalable, Tradex helped large corporations manage complex supply chains and procurement, cutting costs and streamlining transactions. The company grew rapidly, attracted major venture capital, and received industry awards before being acquired by Ariba for up to $5.6 billion at the height of the dot-com bubble. Tradex’s technology set the stage for today’s digital B2B marketplaces by proving that enterprise sourcing could be moved to the web.