WookAI, founded by Dave DeSantis and Chris Ure, aims to address the supplier relationship imbalance, which often favors large suppliers. The core idea is to empower buyers with full transparency throughout the procurement process, from negotiation to ongoing product delivery.

Dave and Chris’ friendship started in the 1980s in Boca Raton, Florida, where they attended Spanish River High School and later the University of Florida. While at UF, Dave and Chris joined the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity, where, ironically, they served together first as Kitchen Manager and Steward of the fraternity dining room and kitchen and then later on the fraternity’s executive leadership board.

Dave DeSantis understands the industry, having owned 16 restaurants. He recognized the challenges faced by restaurant owners when negotiating with major suppliers. Additionally, keeping track of price fluctuations across hundreds of items each week posed a significant hurdle, making it nearly impossible to hold suppliers accountable.

To tackle these issues, Dave created a software platform to level the playing field and foster transparent buyer-supplier relationships. This vision led to the birth of WookAI. Dave’s collaboration with a friend, serial investor, and entrepreneur, Chris Ure, made this vision a reality.