# Alan Pendleton

> Alan Pendleton is the Raleigh-based founder and CEO of ArenaCX, a marketplace and software platform for finding, contracting with, and managing outsourcing partners. He developed the core idea while leading supply chain and member experience at Republic Wireless, where the operating model reduced total customer-service costs by 32 percent while customer metrics improved. A Duke Fuqua MBA and former global operator, Pendleton now applies supply-chain discipline to customer experience, pairing procurement technology with a stated commitment to impact-oriented employment.

- **Role:** Founder and CEO at ArenaCX
- **Organizations:** ArenaCX, Republic Wireless, Avaya, Sony Ericsson, APICS Triangle Chapter
- **Education:** Master of Business Administration, Duke University - The Fuqua School of Business
- **Known for:** Architected the Republic Wireless marketplace model that later became ArenaCX., The Republic Wireless deployment was reported to reduce total customer-service costs by 32 percent while customer experience measures improved., Co-founded ArenaCX as a venture-backed spinout in 2020.

## Career timeline

- **Before 2014** — Built a global operations background that included work with Avaya and Sony Ericsson.
- **2014** — Served as Director of Supply Chain Management at Republic Wireless and selected a cloud sales-and-operations-planning system to support growth.
- **2014-2017** — Held volunteer leadership roles with the APICS Triangle Chapter, first in professional development and then as executive vice president.
- **By 2017** — Advanced to Vice President of Supply Chain at Republic Wireless, where he helped build an automated, exception-driven fulfillment operation.
- **Before 2020** — Became Vice President of Member Experience and Supply Chain at Republic Wireless and adapted supply-chain concepts to customer-service management.
- **2020** — Co-founded ArenaCX as a venture-backed spinout from Republic Wireless; the company announced a $2 million seed round in September.
- **2022** — Signed ArenaCX's SEC Form D as chief executive officer; the company announced a $4.2 million venture round in December.
- **2024** — Launched version 2 of the ArenaCX platform, bringing discovery, sourcing, contracting, and payments into one workflow.
- **2025** — Discussed the path from intrapreneur to founder and ArenaCX's impact-sourcing model on the Backing the Bold podcast.

## Achievements

- Architected the Republic Wireless marketplace model that later became ArenaCX.
- The Republic Wireless deployment was reported to reduce total customer-service costs by 32 percent while customer experience measures improved.
- Co-founded ArenaCX as a venture-backed spinout in 2020.
- Raised a publicly announced $2 million seed round in 2020 and $4.2 million venture round in 2022.
- Graduated from Duke Fuqua as a Fuqua Scholar.
- Earned APICS Certified Supply Chain Professional certification and later APICS education certificates in risk management and sales and operations planning.
- Published a multi-part essay series on designing human-powered customer service alongside automation.

## Latest updates

- **2025-10** — Appeared on the Backing the Bold podcast to discuss building ArenaCX, marketplace transparency, and impact sourcing.
- **2025-06** — ArenaCX released platform enhancements for vendor management, filtering, telemetry, and RFP workflows.
- **2025-03** — Returned to Duke Fuqua for a panel on innovation and intrapreneurship.
- **2024-10** — Announced version 2 of ArenaCX, initially serving a marketplace of about 180 vetted BPO partners.

## Links

- Website: https://arenacx.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alanpendleton

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/alan-pendleton
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-26