Why We Don't Let AI Predict Your Orders - with Foreko
from The Startup Junkies Podcast Hosted by Startup Junkie
Everyone's racing to bolt AI onto everything, but Foreko co-founders Homero Ruiz and Alexis Rodas found the biggest opportunity in something almost boring: 76% of procurement teams are still running on spreadsheets. In this episode, they break down why they deliberately avoided fully automating decisions with AI, how a food truck's stock-out problem turned into a company, and why they think the real Silicon Valley advantage is knowing which advice to ignore. ⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:59 – Welcome & Meet the Founders 1:32 – What Is Foreko? The AI Operating System for Procurement 2:11 – The Founders' Journeys: From Red Bull and Pepsi to Foreko 4:11 – Turning Experience Into Expertise 5:49 – Starting With Restaurants: Seeing the Problem First 6:52 – The Pivot to CPG and Why It Made Sense 8:29 – The Food Truck Story Behind It All 9:12 – Why They Said No to Full AI Automation 10:49 – Built at the University of Arkansas 13:59 – Growing Up in the Northwest Arkansas Startup Scene 16:05 – The Silicon Valley Reality Check 18:15 – From Idea to Paying Customers 19:58 – The AI Bubble, Patience, and the Tortoise-and-Hare Mindset 21:58 – The Five-Year Vision and Where to Find Foreko — Foreko’s Website: https://www.foreko.app/en Connect with Homero: https://www.linkedin.com/in/homero-ruiz/ Connect with Alexis: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexisrodas/ 🎙️ New founder stories every week — subscribe so you don't miss one. 🔗 https://startupjunkie.org/
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Chapters
- 0:59 – Welcome & Meet the Founders
- 1:32 – What Is Foreko? The AI Operating System for Procurement
- 2:11 – The Founders' Journeys: From Red Bull and Pepsi to Foreko
- 4:11 – Turning Experience Into Expertise
- 5:49 – Starting With Restaurants: Seeing the Problem First
- 6:52 – The Pivot to CPG and Why It Made Sense
- 8:29 – The Food Truck Story Behind It All
- 9:12 – Why They Said No to Full AI Automation
- 10:49 – Built at the University of Arkansas
- 13:59 – Growing Up in the Northwest Arkansas Startup Scene
- 16:05 – The Silicon Valley Reality Check
- 18:15 – From Idea to Paying Customers
- 19:58 – The AI Bubble, Patience, and the Tortoise-and-Hare Mindset
- 21:58 – The Five-Year Vision and Where to Find Foreko
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