TechCrunch Startup News Didero lands $30M to put manufacturing procurement on ‘agentic’ autopilot; plus, AI inference startup Modal Labs in talks to raise at $2.5B valuation, sources say
Feb 13, 2026
A startup raised $30M to automate procurement by adding an AI coordination layer atop existing ERPs. The show explores how that agentic system reads communications and executes updates across supply chains. It also covers a fast-growing AI inference company courting big funding to cut compute costs and speed up model serving.
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Founder’s Procurement Pain Led To Diderot
- Spencer ran an e-commerce startup in Asia and struggled with thousands of suppliers and global distribution during the pandemic.
- He sold that company in 2023 and then co-founded Diderot to solve procurement complexity with AI.
Trade Runs On Natural Language
- Global trade relies heavily on fragmented natural-language channels like email, WeChat, and phone calls.
- Diderot uses generative AI to ingest that communication and automate much of the procurement workflow.
Agentic AI Layer Over ERP
- Diderot acts as an agentic AI layer on top of existing ERPs to coordinate tasks automatically.
- Its goal is to take a procurement request from need to payment with no human intervention.