From SI Founder to Platform Visionary: Znode’s CEO on Reinventing B2B Commerce
In a recent episode of the B2BEA Insiders podcast, host Justin King welcomed Rupesh Agrawal, CEO of Znode, for a compelling discussion on the future of B2B ecommerce. The conversation explored why traditional approaches no longer meet the needs of modern manufacturers and distributors.
Rupesh brought a unique perspective. Before becoming a product leader, he was a systems integrator with experience from over 250 B2B ecommerce implementations. In this episode, he shared how that journey led to the creation of Znode—a platform built specifically for the complexities of B2B ecommerce.
Key Insights from the Conversation
- The era of multi-year ecommerce projects is over. Manufacturers and distributors need platforms that launch fast and scale with business needs.
- Znode’s Distributed SaaS model reduces upgrade complexity while preserving flexibility.
- Znode’s multi-store functionality supports acquisitions, brand portfolios, and customer-specific storefronts—all from a single administration console.
- Built-in CMS, search, and sales tools reduce reliance on third-party software and increase speed-to-market.
- Custom tables and attribute-level configuration support unique business models without code-heavy development and touching the core database.
- Znode is fully headless and composable, but designed to be easy for lean teams to manage.
Rupesh emphasized the importance of choosing software built for B2B, not retrofitted from B2C. He also highlighted Znode’s technical foundation, including being an engineering led company. These attributes help manufacturers and distributors scale without sacrificing flexibility or business model uniqueness.
Listen to the full episode below: