K2B

What K2B does

K2B, Inc. is a privately held US supply chain planning and optimization software vendor founded by Wolf Kursten and headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, with a secondary office in Westport, Connecticut. The company markets a three-module platform — Demand Planning, Supply Planning, and Financial Planning — anchored by its proprietary Cash Maximization™ methodology that translates SKU- and store-level demand signals into working capital, revenue, and gross margin projections. Solutions are delivered as web-native, non-invasive tools that operate against a client's existing ERP/POS data without requiring hardware or software installation, with stated results delivered within 120 days of engagement.

The platform targets Fortune 200 and Global 2000 enterprises across retail, wholesale distribution, and manufacturing. K2B goes to market via a sales-led motion managed directly by President & CEO Neal Underberg, supported by an inside-sales operation and channel relationships with service integrators (BearingPoint and Cap Gemini Ernst & Young) and solution providers (Meridian IQ and Vcommerce). Pricing is outcome-based, with fees aligned to value realization and structured as multi-year contracts; the company publicly claims returns of up to 5x for clients. A Value Calculator tool is used as demand-generation collateral.

K2B is a small organization (1–10 employees) operating without disclosed external funding, relying on founder/management ownership and SI-led distribution. Named reference customers include Helzberg Diamonds (retail jewelry) and Austin Hardware & Supply Company (wholesale hardware distribution). The company's public web presence dates to 2018, and there is no disclosed AI/ML capability, patent portfolio, or recent product launch cadence in the available material.

Name

K2B

Legal name

K2B, Inc.

Website

https://k2b.net

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

K2B is a privately held US firm that sells web-native supply chain planning and working-capital optimization software to Fortune 200/Global 2000 enterprises in retail, wholesale, and manufacturing, delivered through direct sales and Big Five service-integration alliances.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Supply Chain Planning Software

NAICS

Computer Systems Design Services (541512)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYHDAEAHAK

B2B/EDI & Supply Chain Process Automation Platforms

Hardware, Technology & Telecom/Enterprise Platforms & Databases/Business Process Management (BPM), Workflow & Automation Platforms

Keywords

• Supply chain planning
• Demand forecasting software
• Inventory optimization
• Working capital management
• Retail supply chain solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Kansas City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Outcome-Based Solution Fees: K2B aligns its fees with actual value realization from clients, effectively self-funding the initiative and creating returns of up to five times the cost of investment. This performance-aligned pricing model means the company earns based on measurable client outcomes.
2. Consulting & Implementation Services: Professional services delivered through alliance partners (BearingPoint, Cap Gemini Ernst & Young) who provide implementation, process reengineering, organizational alignment, and end-user training services.
3. Solution Hosting & Maintenance: K2B can host and maintain the IT tools used in developing and delivering turnkey solutions, providing ongoing managed services and support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

K2B develops and delivers web-native, non-invasive supply chain planning and optimization software comprising three core modules: Demand Planning (accurate forecasts at product and store level), Supply Planning (minimizing working capital while maximizing gross margin and in-stock positions), and Financial Planning (translating forecasts into SKU-level income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow projections via the proprietary Cash Maximization™ methodology). The solutions are sold as turnkey, self-funded engagements with no hardware or software installation required, leveraging a company's existing POS and ERP data.

Product overview

K2B is a supply chain management and planning solution provider offering a platform with three core modules: Demand Planning (accurate demand forecasting at product/store level), Supply Planning (working capital minimization and gross margin maximization), and Financial Planning (translating forecasts into income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow projections via Cash Maximization). The Value Calculator serves as a supporting tool for prospects to assess potential savings. K2B's solutions are turnkey, non-invasive, and self-funded, requiring no hardware or software installation, with results delivered within 120 days using existing company data.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Demand Planning Supply chain module that generates accurate, timely demand forecasts and plans tailored to a company's unique demand patterns at the product and store level, designed for retail, wholesale, and manufacturing enterprises.
• Supply Planning Supply planning module that minimizes required working capital and maximizes gross margin while maintaining high in-stock positions, based on accurate demand gauging for enterprise supply chains.
• Financial Planning Planning module that translates supply chain forecasts down to the SKU level into detailed, accurate financial forecasts for working capital, revenue, and gross margin, enabling Cash Maximization™ across the income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow.
• K2B Managed Hosting & Maintenance Services Ongoing hosted delivery and maintenance of the IT tools used to develop and operate K2B turnkey solutions, offered as a managed service to enterprise clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• Increase in sales by 1% to 3% due to reduced stock-outs
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• BearingPoint (formerly KPMG)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerBearingPoint's Retail/Wholesale practice supplies Global 2000 companies with expertise to assist in capitalizing on opportunities and re-emphasizing business essentials. The partnership provides a combined solution set which can help enterprises drive revenue, reduce costs, improve margins, and maximize capital efficiency.
• Cap Gemini Ernst & YoungcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCap Gemini Ernst & Young provides significant experienced resources in the retail, distribution, and manufacturing industries as well as deep expertise in process reengineering, strategy, organizational alignment, and end-user training services. Their alliance provides depth of resources to implement and operate solutions in any size operation.
• Meridian IQcoreTechnology or IntegrationMeridian IQ, a Yellow Corporation company, has extensive experience in transportation solutions management, improving ROI through Web-native transportation management solutions. K2B provides insight into what, when, and how to buy and position inventory, while Meridian IQ provides complementary solutions on how to move product more timely and efficiently.
• VcommercecoreTechnology or IntegrationVcommerce offers a flexible, scalable technology platform and comprehensive suite of products that extend supply chain operations across a company's trading networks, including distributed order management and direct fulfillment solutions. Partnered with K2B's planning and optimization tools, they offer advanced integrated planning and execution.

Scale indicators2 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• ToolsGroup: ToolsGroup provides supply chain planning focused on probabilistic demand sensing, inventory optimization, and S&OP. Comparable to K2B on the planning side and on positioning around statistical accuracy versus legacy forecasting methods.
• Logility: Logility delivers supply chain planning and optimization solutions (demand, supply, inventory, S&OP) for retail, consumer goods, and manufacturing. It is a direct mid-market SCP competitor comparable in scope to K2B's three modules.
• o9 Solutions: o9 provides AI-driven integrated business planning (demand, supply, integrated planning) with a digital twin of the supply chain and financial planning layers. Highly comparable to K2B's Cash Maximization link between supply plans and financial outcomes.
• RELEX Solutions: RELEX offers unified supply chain and retail planning (demand, supply, inventory, workforce) for retail and wholesale customers — overlapping K2B's named verticals (Helzberg Diamonds, Austin Hardware) and core demand/supply planning functionality.
• Kinaxis (Rappid): Kinaxis offers supply chain planning and orchestration (demand, supply, inventory, S&OP) for global enterprises via a SaaS platform. It is the closest comparable in K2B's functional category (SCP/IBP) and competes for similar Fortune/Global 2000 buyers.

Broad incumbents

• Manhattan Associates: Manhattan Associates provides supply chain, inventory, and order management solutions for retail, wholesale, and manufacturing enterprises. It overlaps with K2B in demand/supply planning and is a typical competitor in the same Fortune 200 buying cycles.
• E2open: E2open provides a multi-tier supply chain platform spanning planning, procurement, logistics, and trade compliance for large manufacturers and retailers. It overlaps with K2B on planning and order/fulfillment execution through integration partners like Vcommerce.
• Blue Yonder (formerly JDA Software): Blue Yonder offers an end-to-end supply chain platform (planning, execution, commerce) to large enterprises including retail and manufacturing. It is a broader incumbent than K2B in the same demand/supply planning category and competes for shared Global 2000 accounts.
• SAP (SAP IBP / SCM): SAP Integrated Business Planning (IBP) and SAP SCM are the dominant ERP-native planning suites targeted at the same Fortune/Global 2000 enterprises K2B pursues. K2B's 'works with existing data, no install' architecture is, in part, a positioning against SAP's deeper implementation footprint.
• Oracle (Oracle SCM Cloud / Demand Planning): Oracle SCM Cloud and Demand Planning serve large enterprises with deep ERP integration. It is a broad incumbent overlapping K2B's demand and supply planning modules and competes in large-enterprise procurement processes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about K2B