TrewUp Debuts AI-Driven Tool to Automate Trade Spend Reconciliation

Trade spend typically ranks as the second-largest expense for consumer packaged goods companies, yet finance teams often lack visibility until long after a deduction occurs. TrewValidate addresses this by ingesting promotional contracts and performing line-by-line audits at the UPC and retailer level. When incoming deductions deviate from the original agreement—whether due to performance dates, allowances, or item details—the system flags the variance and presents the contract data side by side with the deduction for immediate human review.

CEO and co-founder Kyle Barnholt emphasized that the tool functions as a decision-support system rather than an automated judge, allowing teams to finalize disputes without manually hunting for legacy documentation. Starting September 1, the feature will be available for brands distributing through KeHE and UNFI. By integrating AI into this reconciliation process, TrewUp intends to shift industry practice from reactive deduction management toward active, data-driven trade spend optimization.