Jason Busch is Founder and Managing Director of Azul Partners, a boutique advisory firm. He is also Editor of the highly trafficked sourcing, trade and supply chain blog www.spendmatters.com. Jason is regarded as one of the leading technology pundits and thought leaders in the trade, procurement and operations worlds. His current research and interest areas include the future of P2P technologies, global sourcing, risk management, performance management, and the growth of communities of interest and online social networking within the business to business environment. Prior to launching Azul Partners and Spend Matters, Jason led branding and market strategy for FreeMarkets, a leading provider of sourcing and supply management technology and services. During his five-year tenure at FreeMarkets, he created and spearheaded a range of functions including competitive intelligence, strategic marketing, thought leadership creation and analyst relations. In addition to also working the "sourcing line" for select clients during his FreeMarkets tenure, Jason was active in numerous acquisition, corporate strategy, partnership, and channel efforts.

Before FreeMarkets, Jason served as consultant and analyst with Northeast Consulting (acquired by Nervewire), a Boston-based management consulting firm focused on the intersection of strategy and technology. Prior to entering the technology arena, Jason worked as an analyst for a small merchant bank where he analyzed private placement convertible and fixed-income investments in the US and European markets. Jason has authored over one thousand whitepapers, columns and op-ed articles on technology and the economy for leading industry and trade publications (many in a private label format for his clients). Jason's opinions have been quoted in numerous essays, articles, books, and academic papers and he has spoken at numerous industry events and conferences. Jason holds an MA in history from the University of Pennsylvania. He also completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Pennsylvania, receiving a BA, cum laude, with departmental honors, in history and English literature. In addition, Jason has taken coursework at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Write to Jason here: jbusch@spendmatters.com