Multi-Vendor B2B Marketplace
A full B2B marketplace platform for industrial parts procurement 150+ vendors onboarded in the first 90 days, $2.1M GMV processed in Q1, with ERP integrations, split payments, and an RFQ workflow built from the ground up.
The Challenge
Building a B2B marketplace where every stakeholder had complex requirements.
A seed-funded US-based startup was building a B2B marketplace to connect industrial parts suppliers with procurement teams at manufacturing companies. The concept was clear the execution complexity was not.
On the supply side: vendors operated on different ERP systems (SAP and NetSuite being the most common) and needed a structured onboarding process with document verification. On the demand side: procurement teams needed a formal Request for Quotation workflow, purchase order management, and approval chains.
In the middle: split payments to multiple vendors per transaction, dispute resolution tooling, and an admin panel giving the marketplace operators visibility and control. This wasn't a standard e-commerce build it was a full procurement workflow platform.
Project Parameters
Industry: Industrial Supply Chain
Client: Confidential US-based B2B marketplace startup (seed-funded)
Timeline: 20 weeks, discovery to launch
Our Approach
Model the actual procurement workflow. Build the platform around it.
We spent the discovery phase mapping the procurement workflow used by the target buyer personas not designing software features. Understanding how a procurement manager at a mid-sized manufacturer actually sources parts, gets approvals, and issues purchase orders shaped every architectural decision we made.
Django REST Framework was selected for the backend for its robust ORM and mature ecosystem for complex data models. Celery with Redis handled async tasks: vendor document verification processing, inventory feed syncing from ERP systems, and purchase order email notifications.
Stripe Connect was the clear choice for marketplace payments it handles platform-level split payments and vendor identity verification natively, which was critical for compliance and payout reliability.
The Solution
Three systems that made the marketplace work at scale.
ERP Integration Adapters
Custom adapter layer built for SAP and NetSuite ERP systems pulling real-time inventory feeds, product catalogs, and pricing data directly from vendors' existing systems. Vendors don't have to manually manage listings. Their ERP is the source of truth, syncing automatically on a configurable schedule.
RFQ & Purchase Order Workflow
A structured RFQ workflow lets procurement teams send quote requests to multiple vendors simultaneously, compare responses, and issue purchase orders with multi-level approval chains. The entire paper-based procurement process is digitised with a full audit trail and notification system at every step.
Stripe Connect Split Payments
A single purchase order can span multiple vendors. Stripe Connect handles the automatic split each vendor receives their portion directly to their connected account, with the marketplace retaining its commission. Dispute tooling in the admin panel gives operators full visibility and control over any contested transactions.
The Results
From zero to operating marketplace in 20 weeks.
150+
Vendors Onboarded
First 90 days post-launch
$2.1M
GMV Processed
First quarter of operations
98.7%
Payment Success Rate
Across all vendor payouts
800+
Daily Active Users
Zero critical incidents
Tech Stack
A Python/Django backend selected for data modelling complexity, paired with React for the front-end and Stripe Connect for the financial layer.
Frontend
React · Redux · React Query · TypeScript · Axios · React Hook Form
Backend & Data
Django REST Framework · PostgreSQL · Celery · Redis · Custom SAP & NetSuite adapters · Stripe Connect
Infrastructure
AWS EC2 · RDS PostgreSQL · ElastiCache (Redis) · S3 · CloudFront · GitHub Actions · Docker
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