# Edmund Zagorin

> Edmund Zagorin is the founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Arkestro, the AI-powered Predictive Procurement Orchestration platform he co-founded in San Francisco in 2017. Drawing on a philosophy degree, championship-level policy debate experience, and years as a procurement consultant to Fortune 500 companies, Zagorin built Arkestro around a radical premise: that AI, game theory, and behavioral science could predict procurement outcomes before a sourcing cycle begins - cutting sourcing time by 60-90% and delivering average cost savings of 18.8% per million spent. The company has raised $104M in total funding, including a $36M Series B in 2025 led by Altira Group and Aramco Ventures. Away from procurement, he publishes fiction and poetry under the pen name Elizeya Quate.

- **Role:** Founder & Chief Strategy Officer at Arkestro
- **Organizations:** Arkestro, Sourcing Industry Group (SIG) Advisory Board, University of Michigan Debate Program
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** BA in Philosophy, International Affairs & Public Policy, University of Michigan
- **Known for:** Co-founded Arkestro, raising $104M total in venture funding and reaching ~$189M valuation, Pioneered the 'Predictive Procurement Orchestration' (PPO) category in enterprise software, Platform delivers average 18.8% cost savings per $1M of spend and 60-90% reduction in sourcing cycle time

## Career timeline

- **2006-2011** — University of Michigan - Philosophy, International Affairs & Public Policy; championship policy debate partner
- **2011** — Defeated Harvard University debate team at the University of Georgia Tournament
- **2011-2013** — Assistant Debate Coach at University of Michigan and Stratford Academy; Debate Coach at University of Iowa
- **2013-2017** — Procurement consultant specializing in data-driven supplier negotiations for healthcare providers, contract manufacturers, and retail brands
- **2017** — Co-founded BidOps (later Arkestro) in San Francisco with childhood friend Ben Leiken on April 1, 2017
- **2022** — Raised $26M Series A led by New Enterprise Associates; company rebranded from BidOps to Arkestro
- **2023** — Transitioned from CEO to Chief Strategy Officer as Neil Lustig joined as President & COO, then CEO
- **2024** — Appointed to SIG (Sourcing Industry Group) Advisory Board
- **2025** — Arkestro closed $36M Series B led by Altira Group and Aramco Ventures (May 2025)

## Achievements

- Co-founded Arkestro, raising $104M total in venture funding and reaching ~$189M valuation
- Pioneered the 'Predictive Procurement Orchestration' (PPO) category in enterprise software
- Platform delivers average 18.8% cost savings per $1M of spend and 60-90% reduction in sourcing cycle time
- One of fewer than 20 debate partnerships since 1946 to win 20 debates at University of Michigan
- Defeated Harvard University's debate team at the University of Georgia Tournament (2011)
- Published debut fiction collection 'The Face of Our Town' (KERNPUNKT Press, 2016), reaching Amazon #1 in Popular Culture
- Published poetry chapbook 'cra-que-lure' through Finishing Line Press
- Appointed to Sourcing Industry Group (SIG) Advisory Board
- Named a Rising Star by Future of Sourcing
- Presented AI executive briefings to Fortune 500 leadership at 3M, BASF, General Motors, Volkswagen, PwC, Kearney, EY, and Accenture

## Latest updates

- **2025-05** — Arkestro closed a $36M Series B led by Altira Group and Aramco Ventures, with participation from NEA, KDT, and Activant
- **2024-12** — Appointed to the Sourcing Industry Group (SIG) Advisory Board as Founder and Chief Strategy Officer
- **2024-03** — Featured in CPOstrategy.media profile: 'Arkestro: Amplifying procurement's influence'
- **2023-06** — Transitioned from CEO to Chief Strategy Officer; Neil Lustig became CEO to scale commercial operations

## Links

- Website: http://www.elizeyaquate.com/
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/edmund-zagorin-41291b13
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/bidopsinc
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizeyaquate/
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/arkestro

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/edmund-zagorin
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-26