#177: Going “All-In” on Supply Chain Innovation for 2024
Hosted by Santosh Sankar on March 27, 2024
Summary
During this special episode of the Future of Supply Chain Podcast, Santosh joins a panel of heavy hitters in the supply chain and logistics space to talk through the current landscape of the freight market. Santosh is joined by Ty Findley, Co-Founder and General Partner at Ironspring Ventures; Chris Stallman, Managing Partner at Fontinalis Partners; and Julian Counihan, General Partner at Schematic Ventures. During the conversation, the group delves into a variety of topics such as job cuts at major companies like UPS and FedEx, the financial health of CH Robinson and Schneider National, and the overall cyclical nature of the industry. The conversation pivots to the importance of data, automation, and the influence of geopolitical factors on the supply chain. The discussion explores the potential of autonomy in last-mile delivery, the challenges of data unification, and the need for robust risk management. Despite acknowledging the sector's difficulties, the group maintains a cautiously optimistic outlook, emphasizing the opportunities for technology advancements, the critical role of capital in building sustainable businesses, and more.
Show Notes
Highlights from their conversation include:
- Discussion about recent supply chain conferences (0:41)
- Cautious optimism and conference reflections (3:21)
- Venture side of funding (8:35)
- Outlook on the market and funding (12:15)
- Discussion on downstream capital and themes (16:13)
- Series A and B funding perspective (19:09)
- Freight market challenges and optimism (22:26)
- The freight market dynamics (23:19)
- Retail sales warnings and their impact (27:21)
- Capacity changes and seasonality in the freight market (28:20)
- Future trends in supply chain and logistics (30:52)
- Geopolitical impact on supply chains (35:48)
- Technology convergence and industrial automation (39:03)
- Final thoughts and wrap-up (40:14)
Dynamo is a VC firm led by supply chain and mobility specialists that focus on seed-stage, enterprise startups.
Find out more at: https://www.dynamo.vc/