logistics
Alibaba’s autonomous driving lab to focus more on monetization
Alibaba founded Damo Academy in 2017 to carve out a program focused on cutting-edge research that is relatively free of short-term money-making pressure. One of the Academy’s 16 labs conducts re
Cold-chain startup Figorr raises $1.5M, backs the rollout of data-driven perishables insurance
Oghenetega Iortim built Nigerian-based cold-chain startup Figorr after imagining better means of storage and transportation of temperature-sensitive products, following the post-harvest losses from hi
AI-powered supply chain startup Pando lands $30M investment
Signaling that investments in the supply chain sector remain robust, Pando, a startup developing fulfillment management technologies, today announced that it raised $30 million in a Series B round, br
Easyship strikes agreement to support eBay’s new International Shipping program
Easyship, the New York- and Singapore-based startup that enables e-commerce sellers to integrate with more than 250 courier services, announced today it has expanded its partnership with eBay to suppo
ZEBOX, an incubator for supply chain startups, launches its Asia hub in Singapore
ZEBOX, an international accelerator network founded by shipping conglomerate CMA CGM to introduce more tech innovation into the supply chain industry, announced today the launch of its APAC headquarte
Senegal’s logistics tech startup Chargel raises $2.5M seed funding
After selling their hospitality tech startup, Teranga, in 2018, Senegalese brothers Moustapha and Alioune Ndoye ventured into the trucking business as they pondered their next move. However, it soon b
Covariant’s robotic picking AI nabs another $75M
I took a deep dive with Covariant co-founder and CEO Peter Chen at ProMat the other week. The timing was either perfect or terrible depending on who you ask. I’m sure the startup’s comms people ar
Venti raises $29M to design autonomous vehicles for industrial and logistics hubs
A startup called Venti Technologies has raised $28.8 million, a Series A that it plans to use to continue building its software, partner with third parties for hardware, and to secure more deals.
Conventional wisdom
If you’d told me five years ago that I would be flying to Chicago in March to attend a supply chain and logistics show, you would have been greeted by a momentary blank stare, followed by the image
Pickle launches its truck unloading robot arm
Somewhere along the way, ProMat turned into a robotics show. It’s no surprise, of course. Logistics and automation go hand in hand these days. In the decade since Amazon absorbed Kiva, same- and nex
Nimble makes the leap to fully automated third-party logistics warehouses
There’s a long-standing debate in the world of logistics robotics. On one side stand the greenfield folk, who insist that the best possible experience is one built from the ground up, with these aut
Plus One raises $50M for its parcel robotics vision systems
Another industrial automation firm is bucking VC slowdown, as Plus One Robotics this morning announces a $50 million raise. The Series C brings the San Antonio-based firm’s total funding up to $94 m
Overhaul, which taps AI to secure physical supply chains, raises $73M in equity and debt
Businesses dependent on the physical supply chain face a number of potential roadblocks. Customers expect fast deliveries with visibility into each step, but costs — including transportation and
Meet UniUni, Shein’s last-mile solution delivered by gig drivers
When we talk about e-commerce logistics, we think of an industry controlled by entrenched players like Amazon, FedEx and national postal systems. At the start of the pandemic in 2019, a brave startup
Logistics startup Slync raises $24M, attempts to distance itself from disgraced founder
Supply chain management software startup Slync, which was at one point valued at $240 million, hasn’t had the easiest go of it lately. Slync’s founder, Christopher Kirchner, was charged by
BlueCargo reduces logistics late fees by tracking containers in port terminals
BlueCargo has raised $11 million in a new round led by Soma Capital and Left Lane Capital. The company optimizes logistics in port terminals and reduces late fees for drayage trucking companies and sh
Korea’s Portlogics makes international shipping easier for merchants with its software tool
Most merchants in South Korea keep track of their international shipping logistics via email until their cargo safely gets to its destination. This includes all the administrative processes, from ship
Sequoia Capital India backs Freightify’s vertical SaaS platform for freight forwarders
For freight forwarders, procuring pricing data for their customers usually involves going to multiple sources, and then consolidating information into spreadsheets. That’s time-consuming and complic
Locad lands Series A to expand its “logistics engine” across Southeast Asia and Australia
When Constantin Robertz was working at Zalora, he was involved in moving warehouses six times as the e-commerce company outgrew its logistics infrastructure. This inspired him to co-found Locad, a log
Holiday shipping is easier this year, but the tech is still lagging
If we don’t act and improve shipping technologies, the logjams we've had to endure in the past two years will become commonplace.