In many ways 2011 has been the year where we started challenging the existing business models and practices in the e-invoicing industry. I think a lot of customers and users are starting to realize that there are alternatives to the old models, where nobody wins except the operators.
We believe we offer one such model, but as there have been quite a few discussions around interoperability and openness in the market, we want to make it crystal clear where we stand by issuing the following promises:
- We promise to create real value for all our users and never charge suppliers for sending invoices.
- We promise to support open ecosystems and will always keep Tradeshift open to anyone who wants to integrate – just go to http://developer.tradeshift.com and get started: no legal or other fake barriers.
- We promise to let anyone use our patents without royalties (and yes we have quite a few on the way) if they promise to let us do the same (Patent Non-assertion Covenant).
In short we want to challenge the industry to put their money where their mouth is; if other players like us believe in interoperable and open networks, we challenge you to do the same – support openness through actions, not words.
A happy new year to all our customers, users, partners and friends!
Br
Christian Lanng,
Cofounder, CEO
Ps. Follow the discussion about this topic over at Purchasinsight.com
