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.
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)
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.