Sorare is a global fantasy football game where players can buy, trade, and play with official digital cards.
Types of tools used
Product Management, Customer Data, Password Management, CRM, Data Analytics
Before Najar
High SaaS costs exceeding €2.2M annually
Lack of contract and usage clarity with oversized licenses
Decentralized purchasing without negotiation expertise
Time-constrained finance team unable to optimize spend
Inefficient procurement process wasting valuable time
After Najar
500K€ in total savings and 35% average savings per negotiation
Enhanced contract and spending visibility
Strategic needs assessment and tool effectiveness evaluation
Delegated expert SaaS negotiation by specialized teams
Streamlined procurement process saving 10 hours monthly
Sorare Saw Rapid Growth that Resulted in Overbuying SaaS Licenses
In the wake of a successful fundraising round in 2021, Sorare found itself in a position many fast-growing companies face: flush with capital and rapidly expanding headcounts, but wrestling with equally rapidly escalating SaaS costs.
As the company expanded, their annual SaaS spending surged beyond €2.2M, driven by a culture of quick tool adoption to support growth. Teams also lacked the expertise needed to challenge software needs, which meant they were signing contracts without negotiating the price, missing out on possible better terms and overshooting the amount of licenses they needed.
Without a structured purchasing process in place, individual contributors would pitch SaaS needs to their department heads, who would approve or reject the expense. And the order forms would reach the finance department after the fact, making it impossible for finance to shape spend.
This challenge was compounded by the finance team's limited bandwidth. Despite recognizing the mounting costs and inefficiencies in their SaaS procurement process, they found themselves caught in a common dilemma: having the insight to spot the problem but lacking the resources to address it effectively.
“I wanted to address the fact that we were not buying software at probably the right amount, that we were spending too much money. But I couldn't spend more time on it.”
This situation highlighted a critical need: expert procurement support that could operate independently while delivering results.
Step into the cockpit of financial excellence
Reshaping Sorare’s Financial Culture & Cutting Admin Time
By the time Sorare brought on Najar’s expert IT buyers, it was time for an overhaul in process. With over 304 unique SaaS tools, their dedicated IT buyer started by centralizing their SaaS purchases in Najar’s platform to get an overview of areas for improvement. This was made possible thanks to precise benchmarking - Najar has over 2 billion of SaaS spend data - and familiarity with vendors.
From there, they studied the nuances of contracts and flexibility options to tailor the contracts to the company’s exact needs.
Once the partnership was up and full running, Sorare’s dedicated buyer introduced a structured purchasing process and began optimising their tool usage. They worked autonomously and proactively to submit suggestions for cost-savings opportunities through fluid and dedicated communication on Slack. This gave Sorare confidence in their buyer, and took the work off their hands. As a result, Sorare benefited from over €500k in savings with an average of 35% per negotiation.
Not only did this free up 10 hours a month of time for Sorare that could be redirected towards strategic initiatives, but the impact extended beyond efficiency and financial gains. A subtle but significant shift began to take place in Sorare's organizational culture.
“In terms of financial culture for the company, it's fascinating to see how people at Sorare now understand that sales prices are indeed opaque on the market and can be negotiated. It helps to bring this discipline around cost savings.”
This newfound awareness has created a more cost-conscious environment where team members actively think about optimization and value.
Building a Foundation for Sustainable Growth
The partnership with Najar has fundamentally transformed how Sorare approaches SaaS procurement. What began as a solution to control costs has evolved into a strategic advantage, enabling the finance team to maintain oversight while focusing on higher-value activities. Expert support has eliminated the need for constant intervention, creating a sustainable model for managing SaaS spend as the company continues to grow.
“If you want to have a Procurement department without having the cost of it, Najar is the solution.”
This sentiment captures the essence of the partnership – delivering enterprise-grade procurement expertise in a flexible, scalable format that adapts to the company's needs, with guaranteed savings and ROI - either you meet the targets we set, or we’ll reimburse the difference. And in this case, Sorare achieved an ROI of 1567%.
Ready to transform your SaaS procurement while freeing up valuable time? Book a demo with Najar today.
