During this episode, Santosh is joined by Rick Zullo, Co-Founder and General Partner at Equal Ventures, a company bridging the digital divide by partnering with founders and businesses deploying technology within legacy industries. During the episode, Santosh and Rick discuss the challenges and opportunities in the freight brokerage industry suggesting that shared technology infrastructure and information sharing could help brokers overcome these challenges. The two also draw parallels between the freight industry and the insurance industry, emphasize the importance of relationships in the brokerage business, discuss the potential for startups in the industry, advocate for an enabling rather than disruptive approach, and more.
Highlights from their conversation include:
- The origin story of Equal Ventures (0:41)
- The challenges of the new brokerage concept (5:16)
- Impacts of market dynamics on brokerage business models (8:16)
- The Entrepreneur's Agency (11:11)
- Rolling Over Equity (12:13)
- Platform Solution for Freight Forwarders (15:27)
- The freight cycle and the future of startups (22:18)
- Consolidation and partnerships in the industry (26:39)
- Enabling rather than disrupting the industry (28:07)
- The success of brokers based on relationships (00:31:20)
- Appreciation for the supply chain ecosystem (32:21)
About The Future of Supply Chain
During each episode of The Future of Supply Chain, we sit down with a different entrepreneur, investor, or industry veteran to discuss their story, views on the industry, and how we can collectively build the future of supply chain together. Listen to more episodes at https://www.dynamo.vc/podcasts.
About Dynamo Ventures
Dynamo Ventures is a pre-seed and seed stage fund that invests in supply chain and mobility startups, worldwide.
