Technology plays a crucial role in developing various industries today, and the beauty sector is no exception. Beauty salons and suppliers increasingly turn to innovative solutions to optimize their processes. One platform transforming supply chains in the beauty industry is Suplery, which integrates automation, significantly enhancing the efficiency of supply chain management.

The founder of Suplery, Adam Golovenko, shared his insights on launching a successful startup for supply chain automation, emphasizing the importance of deeply understanding industry challenges and applying modern technologies to solve them.

The Visionary Behind Suplery: Adam Golovenko’s Path to Innovation

Adam Golovenko is an entrepreneur, mathematician, and expert in computational methods. Over the past two decades, he has developed several successful IT products that automate business processes in the beauty industry. With a Ph.D. in technical sciences and extensive experience in mathematical modeling and computational methods, he applies an analytical approach to solving complex automation challenges in the B2B sector.

From an early age, Adam demonstrated outstanding mathematics and computer science abilities, winning numerous Olympiads. In 2003, he ranked 8th in the International Collegiate Programming Contest (ICPC) national stage and 2nd in its European stage, marking the beginning of his IT career. In 2012, he defended his dissertation on aerodynamic modeling of urban environments, and the software he developed was later used in urban planning projects.

However, the academic environment did not fully satisfy his drive for innovation. In 2011, he founded AI Helps, a company focused on automating the management of beauty salons, dental clinics, and fitness centers. Under his leadership, AI Helps developed three successful CRM products between 2013 and 2020:

  • Beauty Pro: The first specialized CRM system for beauty salons in Ukraine, enabling automation of client appointments, inventory management, and financial tracking.
  • Fitness Pro: A solution for sports centers, optimizing trainer schedules and overall business operations.
  • Denta Pro: A CRM system for dental clinics, featuring medical record management, appointment scheduling, and financial tracking.

By 2021, Beauty Pro had become the most popular CRM in the Ukrainian beauty industry. AI Helps served over 2,000 clients in more than 25 countries. The platform received endorsements from industry leaders, including L’Oréal Ukraine and Grinishyn Business School.

Identifying a Critical Gap in the Beauty Industry

Despite the increasing adoption of technological solutions in business, the beauty industry’s supply chain management remained poorly automated. Unlike the retail and FMCG sectors, where predictive algorithms and AI-powered logistics have been widely implemented, beauty salons and suppliers relied on manual inventory management, inconsistent ordering processes, and high operational costs.

Key Issues in the Beauty Supply Chain

Through extensive market research, Adam Golovenko identified four major challenges affecting both salons and suppliers:

Manual Inventory Management

Salon owners and administrators spent 20 to 35 hours per week tracking stock levels and placing orders manually. Most salons lacked automated systems, relying on paper records or Excel spreadsheets, which led to frequent errors. Due to delayed ordering, 40% of salons faced stock shortages, negatively impacting customer satisfaction.

Supply Chain Instability

Traditional B2B models in the beauty industry were highly inefficient. Suppliers lacked tools for demand forecasting, leading to unpredictable ordering cycles. As a result, 50% of suppliers faced overstocking, while 30% struggled with frequent delivery delays.

High Costs of Orders and Supplier Management

The absence of centralized procurement forced salons to work with multiple suppliers simultaneously, increasing administrative complexity. To manage orders, suppliers maintained large sales teams, significantly raising operational costs. On average, 30% of supply chain costs were spent on administrative expenses and client interaction.

Limited Access to Analytics and Forecasting

90% of salons lacked access to sales trends, product demand insights, and dynamic market data. Suppliers also operated without analytical tools, leading to unpredictable inventory fluctuations and supply chain disruptions. 

Understanding the scale of these issues, Adam Golovenko conducted extensive interviews with salon owners, suppliers, and distributors. Analyzing successful automation cases in FMCG and retail, he concluded that the only viable solution was an intelligent platform that connects suppliers and customers in a unified ecosystem. This realization led to the creation of Suplery, the first fully automated supply chain management platform for the beauty industry, featuring predictive demand planning and order optimization.

Suplery: A Revolutionary Approach to Beauty Supply Chain Automation

The development of Suplery resulted from a deep analysis of industry challenges and the application of advanced technologies to solve them. In 2020, work began on an automated inventory management and procurement system. The goal was to eliminate chaotic ordering, reduce operational costs, and create an efficient supply replenishment system.

Core Technological Innovations in Suplery

Predictive Supply Chain Modeling

Suplery’s AI-based forecasting model analyzes multiple factors to generate precise supplier material orders. The system considers monthly consumption statistics, daily fluctuations in beauty service demand, trends in product popularity, and appointment bookings. This ensures that salons always have the right materials without overstocking or running out of key products.

Streamlining Salon-Supplier Relationships

Salon owners no longer need to track inventory in Excel or accounting software manually. Suppliers can anticipate upcoming demand well in advance, avoiding last-minute bulk orders. This reduces operational stress and prevents stockouts, creating a more stable supply chain.

Cloud-Based Tracking and Global Accessibility

Suplery operates on cloud infrastructure, making it accessible anywhere in real-time. Over time, the platform aims to become a fully automated “turnkey” solution, eliminating manual stock management for salons. Suppliers will be able to track inventory needs autonomously, ensuring just-in-time delivery.

Seamless CRM Integration

Suplery is fully compatible with Beauty Pro and other salon management systems, allowing for smooth business integration.

Suplery’s International Expansion and Achievements

A significant milestone for Suplery was its collaboration with L’Oréal Ukraine, which validated the platform’s relevance among major beauty brands. L’Oréal tested Suplery’s B2B optimization features, further proving its impact.

After a successful launch in Ukraine, the company pursued international expansion:

  • 2020 – Suplery completed an acceleration program at Sector X, refining its business model.
  • 2020 – Received a $25,000 grant from the Ukrainian Startup Fund.
  • 2022 – Suplery Inc. was officially registered in Delaware, USA.
  • 2024 – The Suplery trademark was officially registered, following a successful beta launch.
  • 2025 and Beyond – The company is actively expanding into the U.S. market, targeting  American beauty entrepreneurs and suppliers.

The U.S. beauty industry represents a massive global market share. Salons focus on customer acquisition and retention rather than cost optimization, creating a strong demand for Suplery’s automation solutions.

The Future of Beauty Industry Automation

Automated business management systems have proven effective, especially in supply chain logistics. Suplery aims to bridge gaps in beauty supply chains by offering seamless automation and predictive ordering. With its global expansion, the platform is positioned to enhance procurement processes for salons and brands worldwide, driving efficiency and innovation in the beauty industry.