Author: Zuum Transportation

ZUUM Transportation hosted the webinar, From Paper to Platform: Adopting Logistics Technology Through Collaboration & Partnerships on March 11th, 2021 where they invited industry experts, venture capitalists, executives, and founders to share their insight. Watch the full recording on-demand here.

Senior Technology Editor of The  Journal of Commerce, Eric Johnson leads coverage and analysis of technology’s impact on global logistics and trade. He shared some of his insight on what global and domestic logistics technology ecosystems can learn from one another during our webinar. He also regularly reports on how shippers, carriers across all modes, and logistics companies use software, as well as new concepts impacting core freight transportation processes like procurement, execution, visibility, and payment.

The transportation and logistics industry is deeply fragmented; solutions often specialize in modes of transportation and by domestic or international markets. There’s a growing demand for a single solution that caters to all modes and the market is looking to the tech sector to bridge the gap. Johnson states that a majority of the existing systems excel in a specific mode and that new software solutions perpetuate the divide between international and domestic solutions.

If we examine the geographic location of “logtech” innovation globally, we can see that logistics technology startups emerge near major ports. This is primarily due to the fact that these tech  ecosystems are built around the problems that occur in major port gateways.

In the US, innovation is much more dispersed. After companies adapted to remote work environments due to COVID, location  became less of a priority for startups. This has spurred increased economic growth to more regions outside of the typical innovation centers.

In the end, while location may seem increasingly less important in a post-COVID world, it may in fact determine your company’s long term success. Access to talent, domain expertise, and potential end users will be critical to achieving lasting growth. Logistics technology startups should consider that these key elements may be even more crucial than proximity to potential capital investment.

ZUUM Transportation hosted the webinar, From Paper to Platform: Adopting Logistics Technology Through Collaboration & Partnerships on March 11th, 2021 where they invited industry experts, venture capitalists, executives, and founders to share their insight. Watch the full recording on-demand here.

For our VC Panel, Taylor Oliver, the Supply Chain Fund Coordinator of Plug and Play moderated a discussion between Mike Zayonc, Founder of Plug and Play Supply Chain; Justin Young, Investment Manager of Prologis Ventures; Vince Monteparte, Venture Partner of Sway Ventures; and Jim Ferry, Vice President of Volition Capital about their outlook on the state of venture capital in the supply chain industry and their approach to working with their portfolio companies.

First they deliberated whether the increase in the number of SPAC (special purpose acquisition companies) deals had some staying power. Next, each panelist shared some key characteristics they saw across successful Series A companies. Young mentioned his team focused on evaluating product-market fit and whether there is a clear implementation process to achieve ROI; he uses this assessment for all venture-backed companies. Monteparte pointed out that some of the most successful companies he worked with embodied a clear strategy from the beginning. Zayonc shared his insight on why Plug and Play has invested in ZUUM,  noting executive team dynamics and their ability to convert corporate partners into customers.

Afterwards, Oliver asked the panelists how they split their time between working with their portfolio companies and sourcing potential investments. While most mentioned they rely on the expertise of their in-house analysts, the group as a whole recognized dispersing their time among the whole ecosystems equally results in having a comprehensive understanding of the market.

To close the discussion out, our moderator gave our speakers the opportunity to pitch themselves on why startups should work with their investment firms.

ZUUM Transportation hosted the webinar, From Paper to Platform: Adopting Logistics Technology Through Collaboration & Partnerships on March 11th, 2021 where they invited industry experts, venture capitalists, executives, and founders to share their insight. Watch the full recording on-demand here.

Author of Hacking Growth, Sean Ellis took a moment out of his day to share how companies can rethink growth. Oftentimes, when businesses think of growth, they think of revenue growth. However, the concept of growth hacking is based on delivering more value for your customers.

He shares a few examples of companies who have incorporated growth hacking into their corporate strategy; a commonality among these companies is that they have also notably disrupted traditional industries. 

So how exactly does a company drive growth? Ellis shares that companies should be looking to make an impact on their customers’ lives. The first step is to view each area of your operation as an opportunity for improvement and run rapid experiments. By integrating the initiatives that have made minor improvements, companies are  positioning themselves for sustainable growth.

Ellis also advises companies to assign a North Star Metric to a KPI that truly equates to delivering more value for your customers. He warns that while revenue can be utilized as a North Star Meric, if your team focuses on growing revenue instead of value, it’s likely your revenue growth will crash as it is not sustainable. 

The last thing to keep in mind is that companies can apply growth experiments across all stages of the customer journey, not just in customer acquisition.

ZUUM Transportation hosted the webinar, From Paper to Platform: Adopting Logistics Technology Through Collaboration & Partnerships on March 11th, 2021 where they invited industry experts, venture capitalists, executives, and founders to share their insight. Watch the full recording on-demand here.

For our first fireside chat, ZUUM’s COO,  Matt Tabatabai sat down with the Founder and CEO of Plug and Play Ventures, Saeed Amidid. They covered a range of topics from how Amidi got started in the tech industry to what his vision is for the future of Plug and Play.

For  those who are unfamiliar with Amidi’s story, his journey into the investment space began with a building he rented out for commercial space. One tenant in particular offered to pay several month’s rent in advance if Amidi would be willing to invest in his startup. That tenet was Peter Thiel, Founder of Paypal. Former tenants also included early-stage startups like Google, Logitech, and Danger.

Amidi has had the opportunity to meet and work with ambitious entrepreneurs worldwide. He aims to connect and expand their reach globally to help further their success. 

Prior to the pandemic, Plug and Play’s global offices were hosting in-person events on a regular basis. As lockdowns went into effect, the company needed to adapt quickly. Shortly  after, they moved all their events online. He noticed that their virtual events gained global attention and grew attendance by ten folds.

ZUUM Transportation hosted the webinar, From Paper to Platform: Adopting Logistics Technology Through Collaboration & Partnerships on March 11th, 2021 where they invited industry experts, venture capitalists, executives, and founders to share their insight. Watch the full recording on-demand here.

During the Industry Challenges Panel, ZUUM’s Vice President of Business Development, Chris Lee led a discussion with Pat Martin, Vice President of Corporate Sales & Strategic Planning at Estes Express Lines; Dan White, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at Coca-Cola; Robert Sutton, Executive Vice President of Innovation at BNSF Logistics; and Michael Ahmed, Chief Operating Officer of The Gorilla Glue Company. The industry leaders examined the barriers to tech adoption and explored opportunities for collaboration.

First they each shared their primary considerations for rolling out new technologies within their respective organizations. Ahmed expressed his focus on available resources, expected ROI, and anticipated adoption through his organization; the other panellists resounded in agreement. Sutton mentioned he also places an emphasis on measuring the ease implementation and the amount of time it takes to begin seeing ROI. Martin chimed in to acknowledge while there are a number of factors that go into evaluating such initiatives, it’s most important that the piece of technology addresses your core pain point.

During the second half of the discussion, the panellists reflected on the benefits and drawbacks of working from home. One panellist noted they had become much more productive since their team reduced the number of meetings their organization had, therefore giving him more time to focus on individual tasks. However, they all admitted they missed the daily interactions of an office environment.

In conclusion, while each organization will continue to pursue their strategic goals, it is difficult to ignore the interconnectedness between their operations and supply chains.  To break down the information silos that legacy processes have created, corporations and industry leaders need to come together to develop solutions that are beneficial to all stakeholders.

ZUUM Transportation hosted the webinar, From Paper to Platform: Adopting Logistics Technology Through Collaboration & Partnerships on March 11th, 2021 where they invited industry experts, venture capitalists, executives, and founders to share their insight. Watch the full recording on-demand here.

Following the opening remarks by Mustafa Azizi was founder and CEO of FrieghtWaves, Craig Fuller. He stopped by to share what he believes the future holds for the logistics industry. FrieghtWaves is the No.1 source for media and market analytics in the global freight industry.

There’s no arguing that the global pandemic emphasized the critical role of transportation and logistics in the economy. The unanticipated disruption revealed gaps in efficiency, making the industry ripe for innovation — and VC investment.

Fuller notes the level of investment going into the supply chain and logistics industry is unprecedented. While many incumbents are skeptical of the sustainability of the sheer volume of investments, he counters the suggestion of a growing tech bubble by referencing the origination of the fintech sector.

The next decade in logistics will be categorized by critical masses of acceleration and capital.