#203: Stresswood and Strength: Unlocking Resilience & Innovation in Supply Chain Investing with Earnest Sweat of Stresswood
Hosted by Santosh Sankar on February 19, 2025
Summary
During this episode, Santosh is joined by Earnest Sweat, GP at Stresswood. In this conversation, Santosh and Earnest explore the evolving landscape of supply chain investment, emphasizing the importance of resilience among founders and investors. Earnest shares insights from his venture capital journey, the role of technology, and the significance of storytelling in investing. They also discuss challenges like labor shortages and opportunities in reverse logistics and labor optimization while also highlighting the need for conviction in non-AI investments, the critical role of human connection in the industry, and so much more.
Show Notes
Highlights from their conversation include:
- Welcoming Back Earnest to the Show (0:45)
- Inspiration Behind "Stress Wood" (1:05)
- The Importance of Resilience (2:21)
- Value of Storytelling in Investing (9:17)
- Understanding the Supply Chain Landscape (12:27)
- Opportunities in Non-AI Companies (15:18)
- Future Investment Focus Areas (21:43)
- The Industrial Landscape and Labor Challenges (24:43)
- The Role of Investors in Series A (27:54)
- Importance of Industry Knowledge (30:17)
- Pre-Seed and Seed Investment Strategies (31:21)
- Customer Introductions as a Value Proposition (32:28)
- Future of Electrification (34:07)
- Best Ecosystems for Supply Chain Startups and Parting Thoughts (34:16)
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/