Q&A: Sean Sollitto, co-founder of Relish

Technology is the solution companies reach for when they are pressured to adapt and stay ahead, or perhaps just keep up with the competition. Companies rely on technology for payroll, HR, recruiting, and to communicate with staff in the hybrid work environment. Rarely is one enterprise software solution a one-size-fits-all, which is where Relish comes in.

Relish is a backend application that bridges the gaps to extend the capabilities of established software. Relish is designed for companies that need enterprise solutions to boost the ROI of their tech investments and increase overall efficiency. Relish is powered by native APIs. It complex enterprise data systems, eliminating the need for multiple programs. We asked Sean Sollitto, co-founder of Relish, a few questions about the tech landscape facing companies and where Relish fits in.

How does Relish leverage the enterprise software that companies are already using? 

Enterprise solutions solve about 80% of business problems leaving functionality gaps. These gaps are typically filled with expensive custom middleware solutions.  Relish has developed scalable, quick, low-investment solutions to fill these functionality gaps and maximize the value of enterprise IT investments.

After over 20 years of configuring and customizing solutions around supplier validation and invoicing, we developed an app to strategically extend enterprise applications.  Just like the apps we depend on a daily basis for personal use, B2B apps increase productivity, customize solutions, and simplify life.

How does the Relish app platform extend enterprise applications?  

The Relish solutions extend leading enterprise applications, such as SAP Ariba, Coupa, and more.  Relish integrates directly using native APIs to provide additional functionality to existing enterprise applications. Business processes such as supplier data validation and invoice digitization typically require manual input with traditional systems. Relish extends those solutions with prebuilt integration.

How does bridging the gap between systems simplify user experience and increase team productivity and efficiency?

Simplifying the user experience is the foundation of all Relish solutions. With complex integration activities hidden in the background, users can more efficiently interact with all systems in their enterprise architecture to solve problems. Instead of having to manage long middleware development projects, Relish’s prebuilt integrated apps dramatically reduce the complexity of these projects. Teams can efficiently collaborate when they see the entire ecosystem as one connected platform.

How do your apps differ from other enterprise applications?  

Our apps are based on a pre-built native API platform that removes the need for custom development. Relish has done all the development work to make our app extensions as plug and play as possible. Relish is a partner to enterprise applications – deploying Relish will enhance your current investment and improve adoption and efficiency.

How do Relish Invoice AI and Data Assure app solutions increase productivity in an enterprise?

Relish Invoice AI

On the surface, an invoice is a simple document. I provide a product or service. You agree to pay me.  So here is your official notice of how much I think you owe. But in experience it’s a dynamic document with many external and internal dependencies to create and approve the payment.

Typically, invoices arrive as an attachment by-way-of email. The process then starts to open each email and manually enters the invoice for payment. Now, human interaction enters creating wasted resources and errors.

Enterprise systems were built to solve this problem, but the challenge remains, these solutions are designed for the “straight-line method.” This means an invoice that has the right information is tied to something like a PO and can be auto reconciled. While we all strive to standardize invoicing and have 100% auto-match, the reality is most companies experience only about 30-40% automation.

Relish Invoice AI provides an autonomous intake channel through email, then reads, enriches, optimizes, and validates the supplier invoices. This solution replaces the headache of an AP clerk opening an email (dare we say envelope) and trying to decipher who, what, when and where. Using ML, AI and the Relish Platform, all invoices are automatically digitized without human interaction.

Relish Data Assure

Poor quality supplier data opens the door to supplier fraud and wasted resources. But validating all supplier data on several websites is inefficient, a waste of resources, and does not prevent supplier fraud. The direction most companies are going is a minimum check with a few data sources during supplier onboarding for all suppliers and then performing deeper supplier risk reviews on select suppliers that meet custom criteria. These checks provide a minimum validation that can flag prospective vendors for further scrutiny. The sources may vary around the world, but many of them have web-accessible content where users can verify given supplier data. Depending on local regulations or industry norms, even more sources may need to be checked as well.

Relish DATA ASSURE is designed to reduce the cycle time and manual interaction in the supplier data gathering and validation process. Supplier data is validated, flagged, or rejected in real-time, meaning no more searching for the correct supplier data or entering incorrect data into an ERP solution. Data validated includes, but is not limited to:

• Legal name
• Address
• TAX IDs in North America, Japan, and others
• Up-to-date sanctions lists like OFAC
• Custom validations

Relish DATA ASSURE also verifies that suppliers are legitimate by vetting each one with Office of Foreign Assets control (OFAC), Excluded Parties List System (EPLS) and Excluded Individuals and Entities (LEIE) checks.