Startups > Celonis

Celonis

Celonis helps enterprises discover and optimize hidden operational inefficiencies through process mining.

Series D $1.77B total Founded 2011 Munich, Bayern 2853 employees

Celonis is a process intelligence platform that uses process mining and AI to analyze event log data from enterprise systems (SAP, Salesforce, ServiceNow, etc.) and create a digital twin of how business processes actually execute. The platform identifies bottlenecks, inefficiencies, rework loops, and deviations from intended workflows in real-time, then provides actionable recommendations for optimization. It serves large enterprises across finance, supply chain, operations, and customer service looking to unlock millions in operational savings.

Problem solved

Enterprise operations teams lack visibility into how their processes actually execute, missing millions in optimization opportunities hidden in execution data.

Target customer

Large enterprises (1,000+ employees) with complex, data-rich business processes in finance, supply chain, operations, and customer service; companies running SAP, Salesforce, or ServiceNow seeking operational transformation.

Website LinkedIn Crunchbase Twitter / X

Founders

Alexander Rinke

Co-CEO

Mathematics student at Technical University of Munich; co-founded Celonis in 2011 as a spinoff from TUM.

Bastian Nominacher

Co-CEO

Finance and information management student at TUM; co-founded Celonis in 2011 and has angel invested in 13+ startups.

Martin Klenk

Chief Technology Officer

Informatics student at TUM; co-founded Celonis in 2011 and serves as CTO.

Funding history

Series A $27.5M June 2016 Led by 83North, Accel

Series B $50M June 2018 Led by 83North, Accel

Series C $290M November 2019 Led by Unknown

Series D $1B June 2021 Led by Durable Capital Partners LP, T. Rowe Price Associates Inc. · Franklin Templeton, Splunk Ventures

Series D Expansion $400M August 2022 Led by Qatar Investment Authority

Debt Financing $600M August 2022 Led by Unknown

Total raised: $1.77B

Industries

Business Intelligence Analytics SaaS Software

Pricing

Enterprise SaaS subscription model with no published pricing. Pricing is based on data volume (e.g., APC-100GB) and number of processes mapped. Typical entry point $100,000+ annually for comprehensive packages. Each business process (Order-to-Cash, Procure-to-Pay, etc.) requires dedicated licensing. Free plan available for academic and individual users.

Notable customers

Fujitsu, Uniper, Standard Bank, PepsiCo, Kraft Heinz, Siemens; 1,400+ companies globally use the platform

Integrations

SAP, Salesforce, ServiceNow, Microsoft AI, enterprise ERP and CRM systems

Website

celonis.com/

Competitors

SAP Signavio

SAP's process intelligence offering; more integrated with SAP ERP but less specialized in process mining.

UiPath Process Intelligence

Focuses on RPA automation alongside process mining; broader automation platform vs. pure process intelligence.

Apromore

Academic-origin process mining tool; more technically oriented, less enterprise-ready and smaller customer base.

Why this matters: Celonis pioneered bringing process mining out of academia into enterprise operations at scale, with $1.77B raised and 1,400+ customers. The company's ability to quantify operational waste (Kraft Heinz: 30% reduction in overdue payments; PepsiCo: millions in unlocked savings) demonstrates clear ROI, making it one of the highest-valued B2B software startups focused on operational intelligence.

Best for: Large enterprises running complex, multi-step business processes who need to identify and quantify operational inefficiencies and automation opportunities across finance, supply chain, and operations.

Use cases

Accounts Receivable Optimization

Kraft Heinz used Celonis to reduce overdue payments by 30% and gain end-to-end visibility into AR processes. The platform identified payment delays and inefficiencies that were costing millions, enabling targeted process improvements and better cash flow management.

Inventory and Supply Chain Visibility

Fujitsu uses Celonis to gain full transparency into inventory levels and receive AI-enhanced recommendations on when to stock up, reallocate, or refrain from purchasing. This prevents stockouts and overstock situations while optimizing working capital.

Cross-Border Payment Optimization

Standard Bank leveraged Celonis to optimize cross-border payment processes in their CIB operations, enabling transparency, AI-driven insights, and automation opportunities that reduced processing time and error rates.

Enterprise-Wide Operational Transformation

PepsiCo used Celonis process mining as part of their digital transformation journey to unlock millions in savings across the company by identifying bottlenecks, rework loops, and inefficient process variants that existed across different regions and divisions.

Alternatives

SAP Signavio Better for customers already deeply embedded in SAP ecosystems; offers both process intelligence and workflow design.

UiPath Process Intelligence Choose this if you need process intelligence tightly integrated with RPA automation capabilities for end-to-end process automation.

Apromore Better for organizations wanting a more open-source, academically-oriented process mining tool with lower cost but less enterprise support.

FAQ

What does Celonis do? +

Celonis is a process intelligence platform that uses process mining and AI to analyze how business processes actually execute by ingesting event log data from your enterprise systems (SAP, Salesforce, ServiceNow, etc.). It identifies bottlenecks, inefficiencies, and deviations from intended workflows, then provides actionable recommendations to optimize operations and unlock millions in cost savings.

How much does Celonis cost? +

Celonis uses enterprise custom pricing based on data volume processed and number of business processes mapped. Typical entry point is $100,000+ annually for comprehensive packages. Pricing is not publicly available; contact their sales team for a quote. A free plan is available for academic users.

What are alternatives to Celonis? +

SAP Signavio offers process intelligence with SAP ERP integration; UiPath Process Intelligence combines process mining with RPA automation; Apromore provides an academic-origin open-source process mining tool. Each serves different needs around integration depth, automation scope, and enterprise readiness.

Who uses Celonis? +

Large enterprises with complex operations use Celonis, including Fujitsu, Uniper, Standard Bank, PepsiCo, Kraft Heinz, and Siemens. Over 1,400 companies globally use the platform. Target customers are typically 1,000+ employee organizations running SAP, Salesforce, or ServiceNow seeking operational transformation in finance, supply chain, and operations.

How does Celonis compare to SAP Signavio? +

Celonis is a pure-play process intelligence platform focused on discovering and optimizing hidden inefficiencies through advanced process mining and AI. SAP Signavio is broader, offering both process intelligence and process design/workflow capabilities, with tighter integration into the SAP ecosystem. Choose Celonis for specialized process mining and optimization; choose Signavio if you need design tools and deeper SAP integration.