• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Innovation Footprints Logo

Innovation Footprints

What if . . . ?

  • Home
  • Blog
  • #FounderFuel – #NYCTech
  • Hack Your Startup
    • Founder Anxiety
    • Learn
    • Design
    • Pitch
    • Accelerate
    • Protect
    • Negotiate
    • More
  • #BeYourOwnMentor – Independent Study
  • About
    • About Me
    • Terms
      • Ethics Statement
      • Community Guidelines

Community Building

Supply Chain, Innovation, & Technology (#SCIT2019) – Event Summary

July 19, 2019 by Brian Laung Aoaeh

More than 800 Supply Chain Professionals from 15 Countries Attend Supply Chain, Innovation & Technology Conference 

The Worldwide Supply Chain Federation (#TWSCF) held its inaugural global summit on June 19 and June 20, 2019 in New York City. The 2-day conference was hosted by Microsoft Reactor NYC and Microsoft For Startups in NYC. 

The Supply Chain, Innovation and Technology Summit (#SCIT2019) is produced by The Worldwide Supply Chain Federation. Attendees of this FREE global gathering are the most obsessively enthusiastic technologists, supply chain executives, professionals, academics, entrepreneurs, and investors from around the world.  

BUYERS & BUILDERSTM of innovations for future-ready global supply chains came together over two days to talk about how technology is transforming their respective industries. 

A Cross Section of The Audience at #SCIT2019

Here are the highlights… 

  • Here’s a short 2-minute video about #SCIT2019 in which people who attended describe the experience.
  • Photos from the event are available here: #SCIT2019 Photos, by Ray Neutron. 
  • Social Media posts on Twitter and LinkedIn can be found using #SCIT2019 or #SCIT19.  See more comments at #SCIT2019 Twitter Moment.
  • See more conference highlights and lessons learned at Brian Aoaeh’s column in FreightWaves.  Commentary: Three themes driving a new era of competition in supply chain.

Day One #SCIT2019 put all the emphasis on the future of supply chains – globally, and across industries.  Innovators in Fashion Technology, Logistics, Maritime and BlockChain talked about a variety of issues including:

  • What problems remain that need to be solved? 
  • What problems have now arisen that we did not anticipate even a decade ago? 
  • What is now possible with software-enabled technologies? 
  • How can intra-industry and inter-industry collaboration between BUYERS & BUILDERSTM  help make this future a reality? 
  • Why is this an important discussion we need to have now?

Day One Session Highlights – BUYERS

The first day of #SCIT2019 focused on people and organizations who want to buy new innovations for supply chain. 

Keynote with Q&A: Paul McCulloch, NYC Cyber Law Group

Title: The T.A.O of Supply Chain — Technology, Architecture, & Operations

Link to YouTube Video: #SCIT2019 Day I Welcome Remarks, Keynote, & Fashion Track

Notes: Paul’s keynote presentation starts at about 19 minutes.

Paul McCulloch is a coder and information technology architect, a government advisor, and an attorney in technology, privacy, and cybersecurity law at NYC CyberLaw Group. He is a former vice president of technology law & digital compliance at JP Morgan Chase. He now spends his time empowering companies to get compliant, innovate, and implement digital transformation.

The world is becoming more complex, more interconnected, more distributed and more decentralized. At the same time, society demands more from the BUYERS, BUILDERS, and OPERATORS of the world’s supply chain networks. In “The T.A.O of Supply Chain – Technology, Architecture, & Operations”, Paul discussed the issues that emerging startups, medium-sized businesses, and large corporations operating anywhere in the world should be concerned about.

  • Organizations that do not have a strong grasp of technology law risk being burdened by liabilities off-loaded onto them by their more knowledgeable competitors. This is especially critical for startups which can easily be hobbled with fines for non-compliance with technology related regulations.
  • The risks increase as data and information crosses borders and becomes subject to different compliance regulations each time national borders are crossed. This is the internationalization of risk as data is transmitted around the world.
  • Compliance has usually been used as a defensive mechanism. More and more it is being weaponized and used as an offensive mechanism to handicap competitors.

FASHION TRACK

Link to YouTube Video: #SCIT2019 Day I Welcome Remarks, Keynote, & Fashion Track

Notes: Fashion Track discussion starts at about 60 minutes.

How is the fashion industry adopting customization, personalization, and on-demand manufacturing? How is data being leveraged to provide predictive, personalized digital experiences? How are brands allowing their consumers to co-create? What does luxury on-demand manufacturing look like today and where will it be in 5 years?

Moderator — Emma Cosgrove, Supply Chain Reporter, Supply Chain Dive

ELSE Corp — Andrey Golub, Founder & CEO

Milaner — Elisa Rossi, Co-founder

Queen of Raw — Stephanie Benedetto, Founder & CEO

  • Technology makes it possible for fashion and apparel to operate on the basis of customization, personalization, and real-time inventory.
  • Companies who can introduce technology to address huge issues with waste and pollution will be the ultimate winners.
  • This requires major shifts in supply chain operations. It is NOT the same as the fast-fashion business model.
  • Speed to market is critical for luxury fashion which is all about exclusivity. Speed does not have to compromise the product and brand.
  • Breaking down silos can speed up the process of manufacturing luxury fashion and accessories.
  • There is a growing interest in localization, but there are still a lot of outstanding questions, and the process of transition will be gradual. 

LOGISTICS TRACK

Link to YouTube Video: #SCIT2019 Day I Logistics Track

What problems can technology solve in land-based supply chain logistics? What’s most promising in the near term? Where do we still have challenges? What’s happening in other parts of the world?

Moderator — Eric Johnson, Senior Editor, Technology at JOC.com

Maersk — Bob O’Donnell, Head of North America E-Commerce Logistics

Princeton University & Optimal Dynamics — Juliana Nascimento, Optimization Expert, Operations Research

SCMI University of San Diego — Joel Sutherland, Managing Director & Professor of Practice                                                                                                    Transfix – Ahmad El-Dardiry, Chief Revenue Officer

  • The biggest problem is harnessing technology to reduce waste in a fragmented industry.
  • Supply chain is a massive optimization problem. There’s a lot of value in implementing simple technologies in supply chain logistics.
  • Transparency and automation matter A LOT to shippers and carriers.
  • For supply chain optimization to be effective it cannot be siloed. It has to be organization-wide. Optimization requires critical mass.
  • Technology is allowing us to do things we could not do in the past but we still need people with expert knowledge to augment software systems.
  • Startups still make the mistake of building technology that is too cutting-edge for market realities, and there isn’t enough collaboration. 

MARITIME TRACK

Link to YouTube Video: #SCIT2019 Day I Maritime Track

What problems can technology solve in maritime supply chain logistics? What’s most promising in the near term? Where do we still have challenges? What’s happening in other parts of the world?

Moderator — Timothy Simpson, Maritz Global Events

Advent Intermodal Solutions — Allen Thomas, Chief Strategy Officer

Maersk — Erez Agmoni, Regional Head of Supply Chain Warehousing and Distribution, Americas

Gemini Shippers Group — Kenneth O’Brien, Chief Operating Officer

  • Shippers in the maritime industry are facing several complex problems, and many are looking for builders to help them solve those problems.
  • Visibility across intermodal systems was an issue 10 years ago, and it’s still a problem.
  • Shippers expect reliability, but it’s complicated. Reliability means different things to different companies.
  • Market-driven collaboration is the new norm.
  • Blockchain is still controversial in maritime and it is unlikely to have a meaningful impact on maritime logistics. 

BLOCKCHAIN TRACK I

Link to YouTube Video: #SCIT2019 Day I Blockchain Track I

Notes: Tanjila starts at 2 minutes, Patrick starts at 24:30 minutes, and Michael starts at 37:30 minutes.

What lessons have we learned about bringing blockchain + supply chain from the lab and into the real world? 

Emcee — Kelly LeValley Hunt, Blockchain Specialist, Forbes 2018 Blockchain “Pioneer”, Microsoft’s 2018 Women in Blockchain Award for Hyper-growth & Innovation

Blockchain in Transport Alliance (BiTA) — Patrick Duffy, President

BlockScience — Michael Zargham, Founder & CEO and Harry Goodnight, Lead Executive Advisor

TradeFlo — Tanjila Islam, Founder & CEO

  • Tanjila Islam is building TRADEFLO, a blockchain-powered platform to facilitate global trade and trade-financing with an initial focus on emerging markets. When she spoke at The New York Supply Chain Meetup’s event in April 2018, she had not yet started building TRADEFLO. However, after meeting an IBM executive at that event she began exploring building TRADEFLO in partnership with IBM. She’s been building TigerTrade for over a decade, and TRADEFLO is inspired by that experience. TigerTrade is the largest wholesale reseller of excess retail inventory.
  • The Blockchain in Transport Alliance (BiTA) focuses on creating open-source and royalty-free technology standards to encourage the adoption of blockchain in the transportation industry by bringing together technology companies, service providers, transportation companies, financiers, and insurers. Patrick Duffy is President of BiTA and he talks about the progress they’ve made in the two years or so that the organization has existed.
  • BlockScience’s Michael Zarghan and Harry Goodnight touched on supply chains as cyberphysical systems, what blockchains enable, and the implications on operations research, applied AI, and distributed systems. They believe that blockchains are ideally suited for describing and establishing supply chain network ontologies. They emphasize that corporate executives need to start thinking about ecosystems.

BLOCKCHAIN TRACK II

Link to YouTube Video: #SCIT2019 Day I Blockchain Track II

Given some of the lessons learned, what work is being done to bring blockchain + supply chain from the lab and into the real world? Kelly and Rob are returning speakers: They have each spoken at past meetups organized by The New York Supply Chain Meetup on the topic of blockchain in supply chain.

Emcee — Kelly LeValley Hunt, Blockchain Specialist, Forbes 2018 Blockchain “Pioneer”, Microsoft’s 2018 Women in Blockchain Award for Hyper-growth & Innovation

Inflection Point Blockchain Advisors — Joshua Klayman, Founder & CEO

MState — Rob Bailey, Co-founder & CEO

r3 — Alisa DiCaprio, Head of Trade and Supply Chain

  • We’re in the early days of figuring out how blockchains will impact supply chains and it is important to get try to get the fundamentals right.
  • Companies interested in figuring out how to deploy blockchain can tap into a wealth of resources, partnerships, and organizations focused on understanding how blockchains can be integrated into supply chains – no one has to go it alone.
  • There are many more blockchain projects that no one is publicizing than those that are in the news. There are a lot of questions that remain open.
  • Blockchain in supply chain is complicated by the fact that data traverses multiple legal jurisdictions. There are also relevant questions that surround laws specific to specific industries. This is an important part of the conversation. The role of incumbents is a source of concern.
  • Blockchain is a point of convergence of many other technologies. Container shipping is one of the industries doing early work on this issue. Here, blockchains function as a permissioned data transfer layer.
  • Supply chain might require the development of new blockchain protocols that are uniquely designed for application in supply chain.
  • There’s an outstanding question about the utility of product provenance for mass consumers. 
  • Here’s the reading list Kelly refers to during the conversation. 

Day Two Session Highlights – BUILDERS

The second day of #SCIT2019 focused on people and organizations who are building new innovations for supply chain. 

Keynote with Q&A: Rosemarie Truman, Center For Advanced Innovation

Title: SCALE – Supply Chain and Logistics Enterprises

Link to YouTube Video: #SCIT2019 Day II Welcome Remarks & Keynote

Rosemarie Truman is an entrepreneur, growth strategist, distinguished corporate executive, angel investor and prolific startup catalyst. She is the Founder and CEO of the Center for Advancing Innovation (CAI), a 501c3 non-profit which identifies breakthrough inventions and maximizes their commercial potential. 

SCALE – Supply Chain and Logistics Enterprises is a global contest to disrupt retail supply chain, logistics, and transportation. SCALE is orchestrated by the Center for Advancing Innovation (CAI) in partnership with the Walton Family Foundation. CAI’s past challenges were the catalyst for 200+ startups and 2000+ knowledge-based jobs in the past 4 years. 

The rest of the day featured presentations from start-ups around the globe as well as a guest presenter from the Singapore Economic Development Board.

STARTUP SHOWCASES

BLOCK I – Emcee: Sapna Shah, Principal, Red Giraffe Advisors

MILANER

Elisa Rossi is co-founder MILANER. MILANER empowers the world’s top luxury manufacturers to sell direct to consumers for the first time. MILANER has operations in Europe and San Francisco, CA.

Link to YouTube Video: MILANER

FAST Applications

Adam Yaron is ceo of FAST Applications. FAST Applications designs, develops, and manages professional networking software solutions for the freight industry.

Link to YouTube Video: FAST Applications

limbiq, by Setlog

Guido Brackelsberg is a founding partner and managing director of Setlog. Setlog develops supply chain management software that optimizes transparency, digitalization and real-time data exchange. In this presentation, Guido premieres limbiq, a new platform for digital procurement that has been developed by Setlog.

Link to YouTube Video: limbiq by Setlog

FreightWaves Sonar

Description: Patrick Duffy is President of Blockchain in Transport Alliance, a sister organization of FreightWaves. FreightWaves is a provider of data for the freight markets. Patrick showcases Sonar, a platform that brings together millions of disparate freight market data points with a robust analytics toolset and the market intelligence of the FreightWaves team. FreightWaves operates from Chattanooga, TN.

Link to YouTube Video: FreightWaves Sonar

Queen of Raw

Description: Stephanie Benedetto is founder & CEO of Queen of Raw. Queen of Raw turns pollution into profits across the textile supply chain by building a marketplace for brands to sell excess and scrap textiles rather than warehousing or shipping and incinerating them at a loss. Their analytics tools provide real-time actionable insights, helping to create transparency and efficiency. Queen of Raw operates from New York, NY.

Link to YouTube Video: Queen of Raw

Voyage Control

Description: Jameson Peterson is Head of Construction Solutions at Voyage Control,  a cutting-edge ‘Air Traffic Control’ for inbound logistics management. 

A powerful and easy-to-use software platform, Voyage Control enables ground transport hubs to proactively manage, optimise, track, and communicate with their traffic. Voyage Control has operations in the UK and the US.

Link to YouTube Video: Voyage Control

BLOCK II – Emcee: – Michael Rentz, Founder, The Charleston Supply Chain Meetup

Optimal Dynamics

Daniel Powell is co-founder and CEO of Optimal Dynamics, a NY-based company bringing advanced AI to the supply chain and logistics industry. Based on over 30 years of innovation, Optimal Dynamics is changing how companies operate. 

Link to YouTube Video: Optimal Dynamics

Singapore Economic Development Board 

Samuel Chan is the regional vice president for the Americas at the Singapore Economic Development Board (SEDB). SEDB is a statutory board of the Government of Singapore that plans and executes strategies to sustain Singapore as a leading global hub for business and investment. *This is not a startup showcase, but rather an update on what’s happening in Singapore as the government facilitates and enables supply chain innovation to boost economic growth.

Link to YouTube Video: Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB)

PeerLedger

Dawn Jutla is founder and president of PeerLedger. PeerLedger uses cutting-edge blockchain technology to help companies collaborate to protect human rights, improve environmental performance and significantly reduce key risks, such as counterfeiting and safety, in their supply chains. PeerLedger is based in Halifax, Canada.

Link to YouTube Video: PeerLedger

ELSE Corp

Andrey Golub is founder and CEO of ELSE Corp, an Italian B2B and B2B/2C startup. Headquartered in Italy, ELSE Corp, designs new technological solutions for virtual retail and cloud manufacturing. 

Link to YouTube Video: ELSE Corp

Kontainers

Graham Parker is co-founder and CEO of Kontainers, an ocean freight platform serving some of the biggest brands in shipping. Kontainers allows users to get instant container shipping rates and transact entire shipments online in under one minute. Containers has operations in the UK, and in New York, NY.

Link to YouTube Video: Kontainers

Locus

Shaun Siler is vice president of sales for North America at Locus. Locus is a global decision-making platform in the supply chain that uses deep learning and proprietary algorithms to automate all human decisions required to transport a package or a person, between any two points on earth. Locus is headquartered in Bangalore, India and is establishing operations in the United States.

Link to YouTube Video: Locus

The Worldwide Supply Chain Federation

The Worldwide Supply Chain Federation is the collaborative, and mutually supportive coalition of open and multidisciplinary grassroots communities focused on technology and innovation in the global supply chain industry. Founded in August 2017, The New York Supply Chain Meetup is the founding chapter of #TWSCF with a sister chapter launched in Charleston, SC, and other chapters in the process of forming in Vancouver, Athens, Singapore, Bangalore, Chicago, San Francisco and other cities around the world. There are more than 1900 members in New York, and 2700+ members globally.

Filed Under: #TNYSCM, #TWSCF, Communities, Conferences, Innovation, Meetups, REFASHIOND Ventures, Supply Chain, Technology Tagged With: #TNYSCM, #TWSCF, Community Building, Early Stage Startups, Innovation, REFASHIOND Ventures, Startup Communities, Startups, Supply Chain, Technology, Venture Capital

#UnderConstruction | Why Is A Global Grassroots Supply Chain Community Starting in NYC, and Charleston, SC?

February 14, 2019 by Brian Laung Aoaeh

Disclaimer: This blog post reflects my personal opinions only. It does not represent the opinions of REFASHIOND Ventures, or REFASHIOND CO:LAB. It does not represent the opinions of The New York Supply Chain Meetup, or The Worldwide Supply Chain Federation. It does not reflect the opinions of any other person who is associated with any of those entities. This blog post does not represent the opinion of any other individual or organization that is mentioned by the author.

ANNOUNCEMENT – We’re Coming to Charleston, SC!

The Worldwide Supply Chain Federation is launching a sister chapter in Charleston, South Carolina: The Charleston Supply Chain Meetup (#TCHSSCM). It is being organized by G. Michael Rentz, Jr., CEO and Co-founder of Antimatter.

The Charleston Supply Chain Meetup will host its launch event on Wednesday, March 27 from 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM at the South Carolina Ports Authority’s new headquarters. The event will be highlighted by a keynote address by Jim Newsome, President and Chief Executive Officer of The South Carolina Ports Authority. Other details are being finalized, and will be posted to the event page on Meetup.com.

When I asked Michael about his motivations for wanting to start organizing The Charleston Supply Chain Meetup, he said: “After nearly 3 years working in global trade and logistics at Maersk, I was amazed by the enthusiasm and expertise that I encountered in the community in New York City. I believe that enthusiasm and expertise exists in other places too, and I am excited to start building the community in Charleston, South Carolina, to harness that potential entrepreneurial energy and passion and to build collaborative connections with the other chapters in our growing and global network of communities.” He goes further to say: “The goal of The Charleston Supply Chain Meetup is to leverage the existing assets, players, and progress already accomplished in the state by both people, agencies, and companies – by bringing them together, nurturing conversations, building relationships, and then watching something special develop.”

A Shot of the NYC Skyline – January 2018

HOW DID WE GET HERE?

After launching The New York Supply Chain Meetup in November 2017, we attracted speakers from emerging supply chain technology startups, as well as companies like SAP, IBM, Maersk, UPS, Tapestry, A.T. Kearny, L’Oreal, ALDO Group, EY, and GS1-US over the course of our first year.

We celebrated the one year anniversary of our public launch in NYC with an anniversary party on November 15, 2018. We followed that with the launch of a sister chapter in Bangalore on November 24, 2018.

Since our launch in NYC;

  • We have become the largest, most active, and fastest growing community on Meetup that focuses on the intersection of supply chains, technology and innovation.
  • We have more than 1,600 members in The New York Supply Chain Meetup, and more than 1,700 across the network.
  • Other chapters in process include; Vancouver, Athens, Singapore, and Chicago.

According to Mercedes Delgado and Karen Mills, in their book The Supply Chain Economy: A New Framework for Understanding Innovation and Services; “The U.S. supply chain contains 37% of all jobs, employing 44 million people. These jobs have significantly higher than average wages, and account for much of the innovative activity in the economy.” This makes the community we have set out to build one that offers enormous promise for collaboration between cities, states, and companies as well about how supply chain can function as a foundation for economic growth. The work we are doing to build this community is driven by our motivation to bring together two key groups of people;

  • The people inventing new technologies and developing new innovations for supply chains, and
  • The people who make buying decisions related to deploying new technologies and innovations within the supply chains on which businesses are reliant for their commercial operations.
    • I believe firmly that supply chain is the basis on which companies win or lose competitive advantage. It is arguably the basis on which communities, countries, and societies prosper or fail.
#TNYSCM02 – January 2018 at SAP in NYC

WHY ARE WE BUILDING THIS COMMUNITY?

When I asked Lisa Morales-Hellebo to help me build The New York Supply Chain Meetup in August 2017, it was because we share the belief that the world is in the early stages of one of the largest sector-driven opportunities of our lifetime, the secular refashioning of global supply chains. The innovations that drive the technology-led reinvention of global supply chains will begin at the grassroots. We started in New York City, but our vision has always been that we would ultimately build a global network of interconnected, and mutually cooperative communities that nurture, champion, and support the entrepreneurs, innovators, and technologists who will propel this transformation.

We also believe that software-enabled technologies will lead to the rearrangement of supply chains all over the world. This process will cause the reorganization of industrial processes, the displacement of incumbent market leaders, and the disruption of formerly stable markets. We are building a decentralized network of open and multidisciplinary communities to act as catalysts in the adoption of the technological innovations that accelerate the reinvention of global supply chain networks.

Our strategic goals for 2019 are:

  • To grow the number of chapters in our global network of communities – both internationally and within the United States,
  • To continue to engage our members with rich programming and networking opportunities,
  • To recruit sponsors and other partners who believe that supply chain, technology, and innovation serve as a powerful economic multiplier and as a catalyst for a sustainable and profitable future.

I am excited that we can formally announce the new chapter in Charleston, SC. I met Michael in early 2018. We have become friends over that period – talking on the phone, and texting one another multiple times each week. I believe he’s exactly the sort of person who can act as a catalyst around which a thriving community develops.

About The Worldwide Supply Chain Federation

The Worldwide Supply Chain Federation is the collaborative, and mutually supportive coalition of open and multidisciplinary grassroots communities focused on technology and innovation in the global supply chain industry. Founded in August, 2017, The New York Supply Chain Meetup is its founding chapter. Local chapters are run by volunteer organizers who each build a team to manage chapter activities and events. You can learn more here: The Worldwide Supply Chain Federation – Our Manifesto.

About REFASHIOND Ventures

REFASHIOND Ventures is an emerging early stage venture capital firm that is being built to invest in early-stage startups creating innovations to reinvent global supply chain networks. REFASHIOND Ventures is based in New York City. The Worldwide Supply Chain Federation and The New York Supply Chain Meetup are initiatives of REFASHIOND Ventures.

Update #1, Thu Feb 14 2019, at 21:05 EST: To fix some mechanical errors, and add bullet about supply chain and competitive advantage.

Filed Under: #TNYSCM, Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Meetups, REFASHIOND Ventures, Startups, Supply Chain, Technology, Venture Capital Tagged With: Community Building, Innovation, REFASHIOND Ventures, Startup Communities, Startups, Supply Chain, Technology, The New York Supply Chain Meetup, The Worldwide Supply Chain Federation, Venture Capital

#UnderConstruction | Why Is A Global Grassroots Supply Chain Community Starting in NYC, and Bangalore?

November 6, 2018 by Brian Laung Aoaeh

Disclaimer: This blog post reflects my personal opinions only. It does not represent the opinions of REFASHIOND Ventures, or REFASHIOND CO:LAB. It does not represent the opinions of The New York Supply Chain Meetup, or The Worldwide Supply Chain Federation. It does not reflect the opinions of any other person who is associated with any of those entities. This blog post does not represent the opinion of any other individual or organization that is mentioned by the author.

Acknowledgement: I am grateful to Anisha Surana, of Locus, for helping me with research about Bangalore, and India. She’s also been the point-person as we’ve worked across time zones to get things going in Bangalore. She’s been phenomenally helpful, even when our team in NYC has been stretched for time and other resources, and therefore less responsive than we should be.

Introduction

After thinking about value chains and supply chains since August 2014, I decided in August 2017 that I should focus the remainder of my career as a venture capitalist on becoming a supply chain specialist. So on August 23, 2017 I decided to start The New York Supply Chain Meetup. You can read about how I got there here: #UnderConstruction | Why A Supply Chain Meetup in New York? In summary: New York City does an enormous amount of business with the rest of the world. Therefore, it is a wonderful laboratory for stress-testing technological innovations for supply chain. Moreover, it is also a great gateway for supply chain tech startups that seek to grow in the North American market.

We Started In NYC! We optimize for enthusiasm.

Friday, November 16, 2018 will mark one year since our first public event, which you can read about here: Progress Report | #TNYSCM Minimum Viable Launch – Building A Supply Chain Community. We are celebrating that milestone with an event on Thursday, November 15 which you can read about here: #TNYSCM09 / Keynote, Showcase & 1 Year Anniversary Celebration.

Over the course of our first year:

  • Our kickoff on November 16, 2017 attracted about 150 people.
  • We have grown to 1,370+ members in NYC.
  • We typically have 100+ people attend each meetup . . . and they do not show up for the food or alcohol, as one of our members who has travelled from Philadelphia to attend our meetups on more than three occasions told a friend who was visiting from Europe. Our gatherings are very engaging affairs, and people have always tended to stay well after the end of each event to talk to one another.
  • We have helped some of our members connect with potential customers, and some of our speakers have gone on to raise significant amounts of capital from VCs or are on the verge of raising capital from early stage investors.
  • With far less in terms of resources, we have become the biggest  and most active community on Meetup.com that focuses on supply chain, technology, and innovation. We’re more than 10x as big as the Supply Chain Meetup of NYC – It turns out copying our name  and our mantra was insufficient to foster growth, and they have not had an event since April 2018. We’re more than 3x as big as the Future of Supply Chain & Logistics which is in Sunnyvale, California and is organized by Plug and Play Supply Chain & Logistics – They have not organized an event since October 2017; This is pretty amazing given that Plug and Play’s many corporate partners are reported to each pay $300K per year for the privilege of being part of that community. To be fair to Plug and Play, perhaps they have invested in a proprietary platform and so meetup.com is no longer a fair reflection of their size and scale.
  • We published The Worldwide Supply Chain Federation – Our Manifesto as a rallying cry to gather people who share our obsessive enthusiasm for supply chain, technology, innovation, and startups.

We started The New York Supply Chain Meetup with a deceptively simple but ambitious mission:

To nurture and grow the world’s foremost open, global, multidisciplinary community of people devoted to building the supply chain networks of the future — starting in NYC.

Soon after that we built on that mission statement by developing this vision:

To create a global movement; the largest community on the planet of people obsessed with supply chain technology, who are trying to develop new products and build new companies – while learning from each other, and supporting one another.

Now, We Are Launching A Community In Bangalore!

During this year of bootstrapping our community, we have built on our early progress in NYC, and are now on the verge of launching chapters outside New York City. On November 24, 2018, The Bangalore Supply Chain Meetup will have its public launch, establishing itself as the first international chapter of The Worldwide Supply Chain Federation.

We are excited that Bangalore is the next chapter to launch after NYC. In all the time that I have been studying about the economic impact more efficient supply chains can have on the world, it has become clear to me that the developing world stands to benefit the most from technological innovation in supply chain. As a boy growing up in Northern Ghana and Northern Nigeria, I was always amazed by the durability of buses made by Tata Motors. I find it personally meaningful, that a supply chain community I am helping to start is building its first international presence in the home of Tata Motors. Here are some highlights about India, and Bangalore specifically:

  • According to the IMF’s Country Focus (August 2018): “India’s economy is picking up and growth prospects look bright—partly thanks to the implementation of recent policies, such as the nationwide goods and services tax. As one of the world’s fastest-growing economies—accounting for about 15 percent of global growth—India’s economy has helped to lift millions out of poverty.”
  • Information technology firms in Bangalore employ about 35% of India’s aggregate pool of about 2.5 million information technology professionals. Bangalore’s IT firms account for the highest IT-related exports from India. Bangalore’s growth as India’s IT capital has been helped by heavy investments by India’s Central Government as well as support from the Karnataka State Government. Bangalore accounts for 87% of Karnataka’s economy and 98% of the state’s software exports.
  • According to a 2016 report from the Associated Chambers of Commerce & Industry of India; The country could save $50 billion if logistics costs as a percentage of India’s GDP were to decrease from 13 percent to 9 percent. In other words, every percentage point gain in supply chain logistics efficiency could lead to $12.5 billion of savings for India’s economy. That is $12.5 billion that could be invested in more productive areas to spur more economic growth in India.

What is even more exciting than that? Our chapter in Bangalore is being launched through the dedicated effort of the team at Locus. I met Nishith Rastogi, Co-Founder & CEO of Locus, in June 2018, in NYC, while he was visiting the United States. We originally planned to chat for about 30 minutes. Instead we wound up spending nearly two hours chatting about the problems Locus is solving for its customers. This is a problem I have been interested in since 2016 – In fact, I discussed it at considerable length when I published: Industry Study: Freight Trucking (#Startups) and Updates – Industry Study: Freight Trucking (#Startups).

According to CrunchBase: Locus is an intelligent logistics automation platform with a built-in route planning and vehicle allocation engine which improves consistency and efficiency of operations, higher customer satisfaction with high adherence to service-level agreements (SLAs) & last-mile live tracking. The platform helps companies and enterprises in e-commerce, food delivery, fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) and other verticals to automate and optimize their logistics. The product suite comprises of a route deviation engine, order dispatch automation, a field user app, route optimizations, scheduling, tracking for end-customer, predictive analytics and other services and products. Locus offers the entire technology stack, in the form of a platform as a service.

According to CBInsights; Locus has raised $6.75 million from angel investors and institutional venture capitalists in India, Singapore, Japan, and California. Locus is also a graduate of Microsoft ScaleUp. When I met Nishith, he told me that the company was growing its business very rapidly in India, Indonesia, and other markets in Asia. Locus is now looking to grow it’s business in the United States, and has opted to begin that process by establishing a presence in New York City.

Finally, Nishith and I talked about the idea that propelled the formation of The New York Supply Chain Meetup. He grasped it immediately, and expressed a desire to build a community in Bangalore, one that would be connected with our community in New York City, and that would also subsequently be connected with every other chapter that launches in other parts of the world.

I explained that one of the goals of the community we were forming in NYC was for startups like Locus, and entrepreneurs like Nishith and his co-founders, to have a ready-made community of like-minded and helpful people they could connect with in NYC once they were ready to establish a presence here. That benefit should also work in reverse  . . . Obviously, that becomes more effective if the community in NYC collaborates actively with a similar community in Bangalore. That is how the idea for The Bangalore Supply Chain Meetup (#TBLRSCM) was born. It is a microcosm of how we hope The Worldwide Supply Chain Federation will function in helping early-stage startups building new technologies and new innovations to make global supply chains more efficient connect with New York City for customers, for talent and expertise, and for financial capital . . . . . No matter where they were founded, if they are expanding into the United States, we want them to call NYC home first, and we will become the community that welcomes them here.

Since our conversation in June, Nishith and his team at Locus have been hard at work putting things in place for the public launch. We would not have made it this far without the dedicated hard work of the team at Locus. They have taken on this initiative on top of their already very demanding responsibilities.

Our team in NYC could not be more excited about seeing The Bangalore Supply Chain Meetup get off the ground. You can help by telling anyone you know in Bangalore who may want to be part of the community that is forming there to look for the group on meetup.com. You may also signup for the launch of The Bangalore Supply Chain Meetup on the event page here.

What Problems Will Our Community Help To Solve?

Some of the complaints I’ve heard from startup founders who are building new technology for the supply chain market, or new technology-enabled products with supply chain functionality are:

  • How do we find enterprise partners for our first pilot? How do we find the individuals who will be our internal champions as we try to win our very first enterprise customers? 
  • How do we find supply chain professionals who can help us understand how our product would be used by professionals in the industry?
  • How do we identify talented people who understand technology but also understand supply chain so that we can recruit them to join our team?
  • How do we find professional service providers who understand the nuances of what we’re trying to do and can help us with tailored advice?
  • How do we find other investors like you?

From large companies we’ve heard comments like; We’ve been grappling with this problem for decades, and we can no longer afford to do things the way we have done them in the past. However, we do not know the people doing the kind of research that could lead to a better solution. Do you know anyone we may not have heard about who’s thinking about this?

So, as part of The New York Supply Chain Meetup, and ultimately as part of The Worldwide Supply Chain Federation, we will create a partnership network which will help us tackle those sorts of concerns very directly.

The Worldwide Supply Chain Federation is the collaborative, and mutually supportive coalition of grassroots communities focused on technology and innovation in the global supply chain industry. The New York Supply Chain Meetup is its founding chapter.

We wouldn’t have made it this far without the generous support of the following people and organizations;

  • Jessica Lin and Allie Felix from Work-Bench: Who reached out to me even before I had clearly organized my thinking. Allie now runs programming and partnerships at the Embarc Collective. Work-Bench sponsored us by donating space for our events during our first year.
  • Michelle Shen from UPS: UPS supported us by contributing towards food and beverage for our launch last November. Michelle has also been a sounding board for us when we’ve had questions about how large organizations like UPS might think about working with nascent communities like ours.
  • Akshata Philar from SAP.iO. SAP.iO hosted us on alternate months at their office in NYC, providing space as well as food and drink for our members. Her colleague, Kange Kaneene of SAP Ariba has road-tested some of our ideas as we’ve worked on growing during the course of 2018.
  • Matt Turk of FirstMark, and founder of Data Driven NYC, and Jon Zanoff of Techstars, and Founder of Empire Startups, both graciously shared their individual experiences of getting startup communities off the ground in NYC.
  • My former teammates at KEC Ventures/Particle Ventures, indulged me when I told them I had started a supply chain meetup – this is after I had decided to become a supply chain specialist. KEC Ventures/Particle Ventures supported the meetup financially by covering the cost of food and drink for some of #TNYSCM’s events. My teammates gave me ideas about how to get things off the ground, and Susan Belding came to my rescue by helping me figure out some of the event-day logistics as we got going.

Last but not least: Lisa agreed to become my co-founder when I called her in a “panic” on August 24, 2017. We have been learning about supply chain, technology, and innovation together since we first met in June 2016. We are now in the early days of building a specialist supply chain early-stage technology venture capital firm. She shares my obsessive enthusiasm for all things supply chain + technology + innovation. I couldn’t have done this without her help.

We have been lucky to have a large team of volunteer co-organizers: Brian Lindquist, Paula Cadman-Mendoza, Christian McKenzie, Nathan Sjoholm, Tina Kang, Santosh Sankar, Joy Fan, Elizabeth Salcedo, Leslie Cohen, Natan Reddy, and Daniel James. I have a firm belief that nothing of significance can be accomplished without the concerted and significant effort of a team. As I look back on the past year, I am grateful for the contributions from every member of our team. It’s through their efforts that we have been able to accomplish so much with so little.

Looking Forward: Our Plans For 2019

We figured that 2018 would be our experimental year: We have small groups of people who expressed interest in forming communities in Vancouver, Singapore, and Athens over the course of 2018. However, we have deliberately moved slowly in order to allow the chapter that demonstrates the most enthusiasm to get organized first, while we learn the lessons we can from that experience. We expect 2019 to be a year in which The Worldwide Supply Chain Federation grows by launching at least one additional chapter per quarter . . . In other words, I expect that we will have at least 6 active chapters around the world a year from now. Ultimately, our goal is to bring our community together for an annual conference in NYC, starting sometime in 2020.

If you would like to help us make this happen: Consider joining one of the communities we’ve already started, or consider starting one where you live. We can always use more volunteers. We do not yet have a committed sponsor. If you’re a company that wants to discuss becoming a sponsor, let us know. Our contact information is available via our manifesto, and we’re easy to find online.

Forward!

My Supply Chain Credo

About Locus: Locus is a decision-making platform in the supply chain that automates human decisions required to transport a package or a person, between any two points on earth, delivering gains along efficiency, consistency, and transparency in operations. The company’s premier logistics optimisation solutions include route optimisation, real-time tracking of orders, insights and analytics, optimised permanent journey plans and automated shipment sorting.

Update #1: November 8, 2018 at 12:45 to update disclaimer, add link to event page at Locus’ website, and add “About Locus” section.

Update #2: November 9, 2018 at 22:53 to update event links for #TBLRSCM in order to avoid confusing people.

Filed Under: #TNYSCM, Communities, Entrepreneurship, Meetups, Shipping, Startups, Strategy, Supply Chain, Technology, Trucking, Venture Capital Tagged With: #TNYSCM, #TWSCF, Community Building, Early Stage Startups, Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Logistics & Supply Chain, Logistics and Supply Chain, Startups, Technology, Venture Capital

#CountDown: 11 Days To #TNYSCM06: Convergence Across the New Apparel Supply Chain

May 13, 2018 by Brian Laung Aoaeh

A cross-section of the audience at #TNYSCM #02, January 2018.

We’re now just a little over a week away from The New York Supply Chain Meetup’s sixth gathering. The purpose of this post is to outline our plans for that event, and preview what we expect to do in June. We’re still in the early days of building this community, so much of this is subject to change, especially as we go through the process of recruiting sponsors.

#WorkInProgress: Before the preview, however, some news by way of an update; In the 8 months or so since I decided I wanted to hang out with “my people” at a meetup in NYC that focuses on supply chain, technology, and innovation, The New York Supply Chain Meetup (#TNYSCM) has grown to more than 1,000 members. #TNYSCM is the originating chapter of The Worldwide Supply Chain Federation – a global network of meetups focused on supply chain, technology, and innovation. We are currently in the process of establishing The Singapore Supply Chain Meetup (#TSGSCM) and The Vancouver Supply Chain Meetup (#TVRSCM). We are exploring chapters in Australia and Europe. It’s early days for The Worldwide Supply Chain Federation . . . so there isn’t much to report, except; We’re working on it.

Our Mission

To nurture and grow the world’s foremost open, global, multidisciplinary community of people devoted to building the supply chain networks of the future – starting in NYC.

Our Mantra

The past ran on supply chains. The present runs on supply chains. The future will run on supply chains. The world is a supply chain.™

We are actively recruiting corporate sponsors with ambitions that match ours. If you’d like to hear more, please reach us through our website or another social channel.

The New York Supply Chain Meetup is powered by Particle Ventures, a seed-stage fund in New York City that invests in Supply Chain & Industrial Intelligence. Particle is built by the same team that launched KEC Ventures.

#TNYSCM06 is sponsored by SAP.iO, a venture studio, a venture fund, and a startup foundry that helps innovators inside and outside of SAP build products, find customers, and change industries.

[maxbutton id=”1″ ]

Logistical Details: #TNYSCM06

  • Date: Thursday, May 24, 2018
  • Time: 17:30 – 21:00
  • Location: SAP America, 10 Hudson Yards, 48th Floor, New York, NY. Please register by following the link above.

#TNYSCM06 will feature a showcase and a panel discussion.

Agenda

5:30 PM – 5:55 PM: Pre-event Networking
5:55 PM – 6:00 PM: Welcome Remarks (#TNYSCM, SAP.iO)
6:00 PM – 7:15 PM: Showcase (85 minutes / 10 minutes + 4 minutes Q&A each)
7:15 PM – 7:20 PM: Bio Break
7:20 PM – 8:25 PM: Panel Discussion (50 minutes), Q&A (10 minutes) 8:25 PM – 8:30 PM Closing Remarks

MC: Christian McKenzie (@Xian_Mckenzie)

Startup Showcase

Our showcase presenters are;

  1. Trendalytics
  2. Case Equity Partners
  3. Sewbo
  4. Fuse Inventory
  5. Bolt Threads
  6. Loomia

Panel

The panel will be moderated by Lisa Morales-Hellebo. Lisa is #TNYSCM’s co-founder, she is also building REFASHIOND, a fund that will play a pioneering role in reinventing the global fashion and apparel retail industry.

Our panelists are;

  1. Joe Sartre, Partner, Bleu Capital
  2. Leslie Harwell, Managing Partner, Alante Capital
  3. Nathan Cray, VP, Integrations & Operations, ALDO Group
  4. John Silverstein, VP, Operations, CGS (Computer Generated Solutions)

Preview — #TNYSCM  in June

Here is what our team of organizers is working on for June.

  • June 21: A Sourcing 101 workshop for startups building physical products. More details coming soon via our meetup page. So sign up there in order to be among the first to know when we announce the details. We are working on an event title, but all the other details are complete.

Other Upcoming Supply Chain Events

  • Transparency18: This is the flagship event series started by the founders of the Blockchain in Transport Alliance. It follows BiTA’s Spring Symposium, a members only event that occurs on May 21, 2018. I will attend both days of Transparency 18 on May 22 and May 23.

[maxbutton id=”1″ ]

 

Filed Under: #TNYSCM, Communities, Innovation, Investment Analysis, Investment Themes, Investment Thesis, Meetups, Startups, Supply Chain, Technology, Venture Capital Tagged With: #TNYSCM, #TSGSCM, #TVRSCM, #TWSCF, Community Building, Early Stage Startups, Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Logistics & Supply Chain, Logistics and Supply Chain, Technology, Venture Capital

Update #02 | Request For Startups: MaritimeTech Edition

March 31, 2018 by Brian Laung Aoaeh

Dr. Christopher Clott delivers the opening remarks at the kickoff event for Maritime Global Technologies Innovation Center at SUNY Maritime College on Thursday, March 15, 2018. Photo Credit: Virna Wong, SUNY Maritime College.

Note/Disclaimer:

  1. This blog post represents my opinions only. It does not represent the opinions of my teammates at Particle Ventures (formerly known as KEC Ventures), either individually or collectively.
  2. This blog post does not represent the opinions of any one at Maritime Global Technologies Innovation Center (MGTIC), SUNY Maritime College, or any of their related affiliates.
  3. This blog post does not represent the opinion of The New York Supply Chain Meetup (#TNYSCM), nor does it represent the opinion of any of my co-organizers at #TNYSCM.
  4. This blog post does not represent the opinions of any of the individuals or companies that is specifically mentioned as a result of their participation at the event that this article covers.
  5. Where I felt it would be helpful, in some cases, I have added supplementary background that wasn’t part of the presentation.

This blog post is the third in a series that I have been writing about our effort to create a maritime technology innovation hub in New York City. You can read the preceding instalments here and here, respectively. You can also read my blog posts on trucking; here, and an update here, as well as shipping; here, with an update here.

We finally held the kickoff event for Maritime Global Technologies Innovation Center (MGTIC) at SUNY Maritime College on Thursday, March 15, 2018. It was a reverse pitch that brought together maritime industry professionals and entrepreneurs, developers, journalists, and investors. The reverse pitch format involved leaders from the industry pitching pain points for which their companies are looking for innovative solutions – naturally the unspoken assumption is that these are problems faced by the maritime shipping industry as a whole. Therefore responding to these reverse pitches would be the first step in an entrepreneur’s effort to prove the market.

This is my recap of the reverse pitch.

Background: What Does MGTIC Do?

MGTIC’s goal is to help turn challenges faced by the global maritime industry into profitable opportunities for incumbent companies AND new entrant software technology startups. Basically, MGTIC connects the maritime industry, technology startups, and investors in a neutral and collaborative environment in which they can pursue mutually beneficial relationships and partnerships. The center hopes to accomplish this goal by marshalling the extensive resources available through the State University of New York network, as well as the resources and professional expertise available because of its location in New York City.

Opening Remarks & Keynote

MGTIC is founded by two members of the faculty at SUNY Maritime College;

  1. Dr. Christopher Clott, ABS Chair of Marine Transportation and Logistics at SUNY Maritime College, and
  2. Dr. Richard Burke, ABS Professor of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering.

They reminded the audience of MGTIC’s goals, and set the stage for the remainder of the event. Dr. Michael A. Alfultis, 11th President of SUNY Maritime College welcomed us to the campus, and emphasized that SUNY Maritime College must play a role in shaping the future of the global maritime industry give the role it plays in training men and women who go on to fill positions of leadership in the industry. MGTIC is the first step in the effort to harness the changes that the industry must inevitably grapple with as time progresses.

The keynote address was delivered by Roger Matus. He walked us through the basic highlights of Prof. Clayton Christensen’s process of Disruptive Innovation, ending with the following summarizing points;

  • Tech startups seek markets that they can disrupt. The purpose of a reverse pitch is to educate entrepreneurs, founders, and technologists about markets that may be ripe for a disruptive new product or business model.
  • The initial goal a startup should pursue is a proof-of-concept, or a minimum viable product that early-adopter customers are willing to pay for in order to prove that a market exists.
  • A successful proof-of-concept should lead to a iterative and circular process of hypothesis development, creation, and learning . . . Customer development, basically, to use the term of art.
  • Many startups will lose money, but some will get acquired if they successfully prove the existence of a new market.
  • The pay-off entrepreneurs and investors is in the form of equity. If things work out then that equity undergoes a substantial increase in value.

Pitch #01: Fuel Analysis Automation – Bunker Procurement & Oil Data

Josh Shapiro, Chief Operating Officer at Liberty Maritime Corporation, delivered the first reverse pitch. Liberty is a New York-based commercial shipping company which operates a fleet of 6 U.S. flag and various foreign flag vessels that transport ” . . . bulk, break bulk and bagged commodities as well as a variety of Roll On/Roll Off (Ro/Ro) cargos around the world for the U.S. Government, the United Nations, Private Voluntary Organizations (PVO’s) and private commercial entities.” ((Quoting from Liberty Maritime’s website. Accessed Saturday, Mar 31, 2018.))

Fuel costs can account for as much as 50 to 60 percent of operating costs for a shipping company. Generally, this means that shipping companies are constantly under pressure from rising costs of crude oil, and try as much as possible to pass these costs on to their customers. However, more pressing is the announcement by the International Maritime Organization that its regulations to limit sulphur oxide emissions will come into effect on January 1, 2020. The current limit is 3.50% m/m (mass by mass). Come January 2020, the new limit will be 0.5% m/m. You can read more about this here: IMO Sulphur 2020 – Cutting Sulphur Oxide Emissions.

As one might imagine, given that fuel costs account for such a significant chunk of a shipping company’s operating costs, carriers like Liberty Maritime Corporation gather a lot of market data about fuel. Among other things, they;

  • Gather general data about heavy fuel oil (HFO) and Marine Gas Oil (MGO),
  • Gather data on futures, forwards, and other financial derivatives related to the fuel markets,
  • Perform hedging, speculation, and correlation analyses, and
  • Use their data to customize advantageous fuel procurement or fuel hedging strategies.

Unfortunately the state of the art for this kind of work is not user-friendly. So the need here is for a system that;

  • Has an easy to use, easy to understand general user interface that does not require years and years of training, and that will minimize mistakes,
  • Can run and report on various future scenarios based on previously established criteria,
  • Can combine proprietary, open source, and other third-party data to perform the analyses required,
  • Is customizable given the needs of a specific customer, and
  • Is affordably priced, with add-ons and upgrades that can be purchased at extra cost.

Pitch #02: Blockchain in Logistics

Josh Shapiro presented the second reverse pitch as well, this time he focused on blockchain in logistics. This is a topic I have previously blogged about here: Update #01: White Paper | Towards A Supply Chain Operating System and as I highlighted, it was a major topic of discussion at #TPM2018: The Woodstock Of International Container Shipping & Logistics.

Josh highlighted the following problems and opportunities;

  • Recording the quantity and transfer of assets like pallets, trailers, containers, etc,
  • Tracking purchase orders, shipment notifications, or other trade-related documentation,
  • Assigning or verifying the provenance and integrity of products
  • Linking goods in the physical world with a virtual or digital twin in order to enable tracking using serial numbers, barcodes, RFID, etc,
  • Sharing information about processes like manufacturing, product assembly, delivery, and maintenance.

This touches on two themes that have been repeated in conversations I have had with people in the maritime industry about the role that distributed ledgers might play in how the industry operates in the future;  The first is Supply Chain Transparency: This is the extent to which information about every organizational entity in a supply chain is readily available to every other participant in the supply chain. The second is Supply Chain Visibility: This is the extent to which all participants in a supply chain can track the movement of parts, components, materials, and finished products as they travel in all directions within the supply chain as goods travel from suppliers to the end-use customer. Taken together, increased Supply Chain Transparency and Supply Chain Visibility reduces operational risk and increases customer satisfaction.

Pitch #03: Cybersecurity in the Maritime Industry

Anthony Patti, Vice President of Global Cybersecurity Services at Duff & Phelps delivered the third reverse pitch. Duff & Phelps is a global advisory firm which assists its “. . . clients in the areas of valuation, corporate finance, disputes and investigations, compliance and regulatory matters, and other governance-related issues.”

After a brief overview of the basics of a corporate cybersecurity program. Anthony discussed the state of cybersecurity in the maritime industry and why it’s vulnerable to attacks;

  • Increased use of computer services, technology, and automation,
  • Lack of encryption,
  • Across the board, there’s a lack of cybersecurity awareness and training,
  • Safeguarding against cyber attacks can be expensive, and finally
  • People in the industry feel that there’s a low risk and they do not understand the threat.

As the maritime industry continues to embrace automation and software technology the systems he thinks are most vulnerable to attack include, but are not limited to;

  • Bridge Systems – these are the interconnected systems that enable centralized monitoring of various navigational, propulsion, engine, and other operating information about a ship. This is usually accomplished by gathering and presenting the information from a ship’s systems to a group of screens from which personnel monitor the ship.
  • Global Positioning Systems
  • Cargo Handling & Management Systems
  • Propulsion and Machinery Management & Power Control Systems
  • Access Control Systems
  • Passenger Servicing & Management Systems
  • Passenger Facing Public Networks
  • Administrative & Crew Welfare Systems
  • Communication Systems

Cybersecurity and Maritime Industry in The News – Anthony Patti, Duff & Phelps.

As an example, he discussed one scenario that could arise from a cyber-attack; A collision could be initiated after a ships navigation system is hacked. This could lead to;

  • Physical loss of, or severe damage to ships and other equipment,
  • Physical injury to crew, and possible loss of life,
  • Loss of cargo through damage, or theft,
  • Pollution,
  • Business interruption,
  • Disruption to port and terminal activities leading to broader, economy-wide aftershocks and losses due to interruptions in the flow of trade and commerce.

To wrap things up Anthony suggests that the perfect cybersecurity solution for the maritime industry would;

  • Automatically track all information technology and operating technology systems,
  • Automatically monitor for all vulnerabilities,
  • Automatically track patch management,
  • Automatically monitor access controls and audit/log access,
  • Automatically monitor ship-to-shore interfaces, and all systems connected to the internet,
  • Automatically monitor all systems, especially those supplied by third parties, for unauthorized access and entry to shipboard equipments and network systems,
  • Train personnel to correctly use and monitor systems connected to the internet, and
  • Provide a command-center-style dashboard for shoreside and onboard personnel to understand if there are any issues that require special attention, assessment, or remediation.

As is the case with fuel regulations, cybersecurity is an issue that the International Maritime Organization is taking seriously – new regulations come into effect on January 1, 2021. You can read more here: Maritime Cyber Risk. Also, The Baltic and International Maritime Council’s Joint Industry Guidelines On Cyber Security.

An example of how easy it is to gain access to some communication systems on a ship; Anthony Patti – Duff & Phelps.

Pitch #04: Port Trucking & Terminals

Chris Gabarino, Vice President of Operations at Port Newark Container Terminal (PNCT) delivered the fourth reverse pitch. PNCT “. . . located in Port Newark, New Jersey occupies 267 acres, handling over 700,000 containers annually. PNCT secured a long-term extension of its lease agreement with the Port Authority of New York/New Jersey with options through 2050.

As one of the largest infrastructure projects in New Jersey, PNCT will invest $500 million into the expansion before the year 2030. The expansion is expected to double the number of containers moving through the terminal, creating significant economic growth within the region.

PNCT has already doubled its on-dock rail capacity, purchased three (3) super post-Panamax ship-to-shore cranes and has significantly expanded and improved its fleet of container handling equipment and support yard. PNCT is ready today for the ultra large container vessels which will be calling the Port of NY/NJ once the Bayonne Bridge is raised.

Further expansion plans include the development of 74 additional acres, a new gate facility, additional berth deepening and upgraded container handling equipment including additional super post-Panamax ship-to-shore cranes.” ((Quoting from PNCT’s website. Accessed on Saturday, Mar 31, 2018.))

The problem: Terminal operators lack visibility into what is happening at the ports. As a result there are significant, and many believe unnecessary delays in getting goods in and out of the port as quickly as possible.

This is a major problem, since nearly 80 percent – measured in tons, if not more, of trade between the United States and its international trading partners passes through the nations ports. Ports work in tandem with carriers, labor, logistics service providers, professional services providers – like finance, contract lawyers, etc., government agencies, local communities, importers and exporters, rail operators, and others.

The opportunity: A product that reduces trucker wait time and increases trucker turn time at a terminal by linking terminals with the greater shipping and trucking community by;

  • Providing visibility into a terminal’s real-time inventory for the port drayage, trucking, and shipping community,
  • Matching real-time shipper needs with top-box inventory at the terminal,
  • Enabling truckers to react in a timely manner to changes in freight status.

Pitch #05: Compliance

Kelly Raia, a trade compliance and supply chain specialist at Blue Tiger International, presented the fifth reverse pitch.

International supply chain trade compliance is the process that ensures that goods leaving or entering a country’s borders comply with all relevant rules, regulations, and laws. So the goal of international trade compliance is maximizing the adherence to relevant rules, regulations, and laws while simultaneously facilitating the free flow of goods across national and international borders. According to Crane Worldwide Logistics; Trade compliance includes export control and reporting, import clearance, anti-bribery, antitrust and competition analysis, third-party agent vetting and management, supply chain security, and overall assessment and management of trade and regulatory risk. Trade compliance is interactive and all-inclusive. ((Lightly paraphrased from http://www.craneww.com/what-is-trade-compliance/. Accessed Saturday, Mar 31, 2018.))

The product for this market would;

  • Enable companies to maintain good trade compliance policies for the aspects of their business that involve international trade,
  • Enable companies to implement, maintain, and monitor standard operating procedures for parts of their business that involve international trade.

For imports some of the activities that such a product would facilitate include; Classification, Valuation, Country of Origin Marking, Use of Trade Agreements, and Recordkeeping.

For exports some of the activities that such a product would facilitate include; Denied Part Screening, AES Filing, Export License Requirement Documentation, Use of Trade Agreements, and Recordkeeping.

Pitch #06: Maritime & Marine Risk Management

Scott Parry, Senior Marine Risk Consultant at Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty (AGCS), presented the sixth reverse pitch. “Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty (AGCS) is the Allianz center of expertise for large corporate, industrial and specialty insurance.” AGCS has a worldwide network in over 210 countries and territories, and it is one of the very few global insurers with an exclusive focus on the needs of global corporate and specialty clients.

At a high level;

  • The world of insurance is changing, and data is becoming more important to the underwriting process than in the past because so much more data is now available.
  • Insurance carriers need to adapt to emerging technology trends in order to increase their ability to more adequately tune their processes to match each clients unique business needs.
  • The increasing trend towards mega-ships represents an accumulation of risk and uncertainty. How should insurers prepare to face this development?
  • How can insurers do a better job of harnessing real-time supply chain data?
  • How should the trends in cybersecurity risk factor into an insurers underwriting processes?
  • What technology can be developed to reduce loss due to cargo theft?

Pitch #07: Electronic Logging in Trucking

Matt Guasco, Owner, INF Marketing and Logistics discussed issues facing the drayage and long-haul trucking markets. Matt’s company represents Logistic Services USA, a company that “specializes in providing true “End to End” logistics solutions. We utilize our companies assets (fleet of trucks, warehousing, technology) and our non-asset partnerships to provide a truly seamless and flexible logistics solution. We simplify the process and give our customers world class reporting capabilities and real time tracking throughout the entire life-cycle.” ((Quoting from http://logisticservicesusa.com/. Accessed on Saturday, Mar 31, 2018.)) They provide port drayage, long-haul and short-haul trucking services, trans-loading and warehousing services throughout the United States.

According to Matt; The introduction of Electronic Logging Devices (ELD) and the attendant shortening of allowable hours has created a host of problems for his clients. However, ELDs are here to stay since the argument that we should return to an environment of less safety is an untenable one to make – ELDs permanently and automatically record a driver’s hours of service and rest periods. For example, a long-haul driver is allowed 11 hours of drive time over a consecutive 14 hours during which that driver is on duty. The introduction of ELDs has has caused an uptick in operating costs truckers of about $40 per truck per month. As a result of the ELD mandate, and other accompanying factors, American Truck Business Services (ATBS) predicts an eventual capacity shortage of between 200,000 and 300,000 trucks. Even before things get as bad as ATBS predicts, rates are already being driven up as some truckers can now pick and choose what freight to transport and some carriers simply refuse to honor existing contracts. Also, poor availability of equipment in the drayage markets eats away at precious time and exacerbates the problem. He admits that the ELD mandate will decrease truck accidents and reduce insurance costs.

The Need: Software that will enable trucking companies to increase capacity and decrease transit times, while adhering to the ELD mandates.

My additional comment; It would also be great if such software could increase fuel efficiency in the process – fuel costs account for about 30 – 40 percent of operating costs in the trucking industry.

Pitch #08: Ocean Carrier Differentiation & Marketing Strategy

The eighth, and final reverse pitch came from Peter Mastandrea, Port Captain and Manager of U.S. East Coast Marine and Terminal Operations for Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM). HMM is the 14th largest container carrier in the world and is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. According to HMM’s website;

  • HMM is an integrated logistics company, operating around 130 state-of-the-art vessels. HMM worldwide global service networks, Diverse logistics facilities, leading IT shipping related systems, a professional highly trained staff, and continual effort to provide premier transportation services.
  • HMM has formed a global business network with four international head-quarters, 27 subsidiaries, 76 branches, five overseas offices and 10 liaison offices. It is highly regarded as one of the world’s top integrated-logistics companies with its targeted market prospects, efficient organization, top personnel, and advanced internet systems.
  • HMM transports nationally strategic materials such as crude oil, iron ore/coal and diverse special products as well as import/export goods. Earnings are eight trillion Korean won per year, clearly playing a major role in Korea as a vital economic artery.
  • HMM invests to continuously expand vessel fleet, acquires container terminals in the worldwide primary location and inland logistics facilities, and develops premiere customer oriented IT system. As a result of these endeavors, HMM will become a world top integrated logistics company giving “Hope to shareholders, satisfaction to customers and pride to employees”.

But, enough with the propaganda . . . You want to know what Peter had to say. 

The container shipping industry is largely built around alliances. For background on shipping alliances you can read this blog post from Xeneta.

In a world in which each of the 10 biggest container shipping companies belongs to one of 3 alliances, how does HMM survive as an independent player?

What strategic messaging should HMM develop to set itself apart from the hordes, in a good way? Is there are marketing strategy that HMM ought to be deploying if it is convinced that operating outside the alliance structure is the path it should pursue?

There are bigger ideological issues at play here. For example, conversations I have had with people since I wrote the two shipping blog posts that I referred to at the beginning of this article suggest that the Chinese government has decided that it is in China’s national interest to enable a Chinese shipping companies to become big enough to dominate global maritime trade. After all, the thinking goes, if China is the world’s factory, why should the goods it ships to the rest of the world travel on ships owned by Europeans. Early steps in this direction may be seen in the merger between COSCO – a Chinese state-owned shipping carrier, and the Hong Kong-based Orient Overseas International Line (OOIL) and its container shipping subsidiary, Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL). According to this article by Bill Mongelluzo in the Journal of Commerce, the merger will make the combined entity the largest carrier of US imports.

Similar nationalistic tendencies may be the driver behind the decision by Japanese shipping lines Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (K Line), Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK), and Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) to operate jointly as the Ocean Network Express (ONE), which began operations in April 2018.

So, what is Korea to do? Does she draw a line in the sand and put full force of the power and might of the government of Korea behind Korea’s shipping companies, enabling them to operate as HMM would like to operate, or does she let the markets dictate what will happen with the possibility that Maersk, or another of the top 10 shipping companies by market share comes in and acquires HMM and other Korean carriers? How would the current geopolitical situation between North and South Korea affect thinking around this topic.

To wrap up the discussion about the reverse pitches, I will borrow the advice Josh Shapiro gave entrepreneurs in the audience; Focus on products that

  • Increase profitability,
  • Reduce operating costs,
  • Increase operating efficiency and supply chain information integrity, or
  • Simplify regulatory compliance.

Next Steps

MGTIC is now collecting proposals for presentations for possible inclusion at an event to be held during the Marine Money Conference. This would be on Tuesday June 19, 2018 at The Pierre Hotel in New York City.

The team is most interested in proposals that respond specifically to the areas pitched at this March 15, 2018 Reverse Pitch. However, they will consider other proposals too. 

The proposals should be brief, clear and to the point, no more than 2-5 pages. They will create a proposal template that will be published on MGTIC’s website but in the meantime proposals should at a minimum provide the teams’ preliminary thinking about the following areas:

  • Overview
  • How it works
  • Business model
  • Customer segments
  • Revenue streams

 

Proposals should be sent to mgtic@sunymaritime.edu.

They’d like proposals as soon as possible but will consider all entries up to Thursday, April 12.  Include a point of contact. Given the tight turnaround time, feel free to ask about an extension of the timeline. I assume they’ll consider such requests on a case-by-case basis.

Good luck.

MGTIC is a joint-initiative by SUNY Maritime and EEX Maritime to create a maritime technology center in New York City. This center will benefit from the central position that SUNY Maritime occupies in the global shipping industry, the network and know-how that EEX Maritime is building as a connector between technology startups and the shipping industry, and the prominent role that New York City occupies in the global supply chain market.

About SUNY Maritime: SUNY Maritime College is one of six state maritime academies in the United States. Located 30 minutes from mid-town Manhattan, Maritime College educates dynamic leaders for the global maritime industry.

About EEX Maritime: EEX Maritime is a joint-venture between MarineCycles and EEX. EEX Maritime helps startups gain access to the global shipping market through its hubs of activity in Helsinki, New York, and Singapore.

Filed Under: Communities, Conferences, Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Shipping, Startups, Supply Chain, Technology, Venture Capital Tagged With: Community Building, Early Stage Startups, Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Logistics & Supply Chain, Ocean Freight Shipping, Startups, Technology, Venture Capital

#CountDown: 3 Days to #TNYSCM04 – Supply Chain & Artificial Intelligence

March 11, 2018 by Brian Laung Aoaeh

A cross-section of the audience at #TNYSCM #02, January 2018.

We’re now less than a week from The New York Supply Chain Meetup’s fourth gathering. The purpose of this post is to outline our plans for that event, and preview what we expect to do between now and June 2018 . . . We’re still in the early days of building this community, so much of this is subject to change, especially as we go through the process of recruiting sponsors.

Our Mission

To nurture and grow the world’s foremost open, global, multidisciplinary community of people devoted to building the supply chain networks of the future – starting in NYC.

Become a coporate sponsor. Email me at: brian@tnyscm.com for more details about our vision, and the team that’s working behind the scenes to build this community.

The New York Supply Chain Meetup is powered by Particle Ventures, a seed-stage fund based in NYC that invests in Supply Chain & Industrial Intelligence. Particle is built by the same team that launched KEC Ventures.

Logistical Details: #TNYSCM #04

  • Date: Thursday, March 15, 2018.
  • Time: 17:30–20:30
  • Location: SAP America, 10 Hudson Yards - 48th Floor, New York, NY. An organizer will be downstairs, at the security counter.

#TNYSCM #04 combines a Lightning Talk, a "Fire-Side" Chat, and a Showcase. It is sponsored by SAP.iO and co-hosted by The New York Supply Chain Meetup and the New York City Bots and Artificial Intelligence Meetup.

SAP.iO helps innovators inside and outside of SAP build products, find customers, and change industries.

REGISTER HERE!

Agenda

5:30 PM - 5:55 PM: Pre-event Networking
5:55 PM - 6:00 PM: Welcome Remarks (#TNYSCM, NYCBAI, SAP.iO)
6:00 PM - 6:30 PM: Lightning Talk (15 Minutes), Q&A (15 Minutes)
6:30 PM - 6:50 PM: "Fire-Side" Chat (15 Minutes), Q&A (15 Minutes)
7:00 PM - 8:00 PM: Showcase (10 Minutes, with 5 Minutes of Q&A, each)
8:00 PM - 8:30 PM: Closing Remarks, Post-event Networking

Lightning Talk: Evolution & Use Cases of Artificial Intelligence in Supply Chain, From An Industry And SAP Point of View

David Judge (@DHJudge) is Vice President of Predictive Analytics and Machine Learning products at SAP. He guides product strategy and drives increased market awareness for SAP Leonardo.

Geoff Maxwell (@geofflm) is Global Head of Business Strategy and Execution Analytics and SAP Leonardo. He is responsible for go to market strategy for SAP’s portfolio of Leonardo solutions.

Fireside Chat: The Future of AI-Driven Transformation in Retail Supply Chains, and in Government Agencies.

José P. Chan is VP Business Development for Celect, a predictive analytics firm founded out of MIT, which helps retailers optimize their inventory portfolios in stores and across the supply chain. Previously, he worked internationally in retail for over two decades with LVMH, Richemont and Roberto Cavalli. José has held senior management positions and has extensive experience in buying, marketing, merchandising, planning, and has run retail store networks. He holds an SM from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, an MBA from University of Rochester, a BS from Cornell University and an AAS from the Fashion Institute of Technology.

Sameer Anand is a Partner with A.T. Kearney’s operations practice with over 16 years of experience in management consulting. He advises clients on large scale transformations to drive step changes in productivity with an underpinning of analytics and digital across CPG, retail, industrial products, and high tech industries. His areas of expertise include consumer products, manufacturing, supply chain planning, sourcing, bracket pricing, logistics, and advanced analytics. Prior to joining A.T. Kearney, Sameer worked at Deloitte and American Airlines.

REGISTER HERE!

Showcase Presentations

At #TNYSCM #04 we'll have 3 startups talk about the artificial intelligence-driven products they are building for the supply chain logistics industry. They will appear in the following order;

ClearMetal (@ClearMetalInc): Founded in 2014, and based in San Francisco, CA, ClearMetal provides predictive data and analytics for the supply chain logistics industry, enabling its customers to unlock increased efficiencies in global trade as ClearMetal enables them to solve complex problems using a data-driven approach. According to CrunchBase and CBInsights ClearMetal has raised $12M over two rounds of financing, most recently raising $9.0M in its Series A financing which was led by Innovation Endeavors. SAP.iO is an investor in ClearMetal.

Wise Systems (@goWiseSystems): Founded in 2014, and based in Cambridge, MA,  Wise Systems develops route-optimization software that schedules last-mile delivery truck drivers while considering multiple constraints like customer time windows, traffic, and service time. Wise automatically dispatches schedules to drivers and the software recalculates and updates schedules in real-time as things change in real-time. According to CrunchBase and CBInsights, Wise Systems has raised $1.1M in seed capital. Dynamo Accelerator is an investor in Wise Systems. Santosh Sankar, a co-organizer of The New York Supply Chain Meetup, is also a co-founder & director of Dynamo.

Optimal Dynamics: Based in Princeton, NJ, Optimal Dynamics brings AI to the trucking industry based on over 30 years of academic research and development centered on the use of Computational Stochastic Optimization and Learning in solving problems related to dynamic assignment problems in transportation and logistics. Optimal Dynamics recently raised an undisclosed amount in pre-seed funding.

REGISTER HERE!

Preview — #TNYSCM  in April, May, June

Here is what our team of organizers is working on, between now and June.

  • April 26: A panel discussion and keynote presentation, focused on the issues that have kept blockchain and other distributed ledger technologies in the lab and out of the real world. The keynote presentation is by Silvio Micali, he will talk about his work creating Algorand. THIS IS GOING TO BE BIG!
  • May 24: A showcase of startups in Fashion, Apparel, and Retail supply chain. THIS IS GOING TO BE BIG!
  • June 21: A Sourcing 101 workshop for startups building physical products.

Other "Upcoming" Supply Chain Events

  • TPM2018: Is now behind us. It was awesome. Read my blog post about it here: #TPM2018: The Woodstock Of International Container Shipping & Logistics
  • Maritime Global Technologies: Reverse Pitch on March 15, 2018 from 09:30–12:30. MGTIC is an initiative of SUNY Maritime College to build a global maritime technology innovation hub by bringing together all that the New York City metro-region has to offer entrepreneurs building software for the global shipping and maritime logistics market. I’m a member of the advisory board and have previously blogged about it here and here. I will be there. Say hello, if we've never met before
  • Transparency18: This is the flagship event series started by the founders of the Blockchain in Transport Alliance. It follows BiTA’s Spring Symposium, a members only event that occurs on May 21, 2018. I will attend both days of Transparency 18 May 22 and May 23.

Filed Under: #TNYSCM, Co-Founder Stories, Communities, Customer Development, Entrepreneurship, Investment Themes, Investment Thesis, Sales and Marketing, Shipping, Supply Chain, Technology, Trucking, Venture Capital Tagged With: #TNYSCM, Business Models, Business Strategy, Community Building, Early Stage Startups, Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Logistics & Supply Chain, Logistics and Supply Chain, Startup Communities, Strategy, Technology, Venture Capital

  • Go to page 1
  • Go to page 2
  • Go to Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

Search Innovation Footprints

Archives

Tag Cloud

#MarketVoicesAtFreightWaves #TNYSCM #TWSCF Behavioral Finance Blockchain Business Model Canvas Business Models Business Strategy Community Building Competitive Strategy Conferences Cryptocurrencies Disruptive Innovation Distributed Ledger Technologies Due Diligence Early Stage Startups Economic Moat Entrepreneurship Industry Study Innovation Investment Analysis Investment Thesis Investor meeting Logistics & Supply Chain Logistics and Supply Chain Long Read Network Effect Ocean Freight Shipping Persuasion Pitching REFASHIOND Ventures Startup Communities Startups Strategy Supply Chain Supply Chain Finance Supply Chain Logistics Supply Chain Management Switching Costs Team building Teamwork Technology Value Creation Venture Capital Viral Marketing

Footer

Calendar

January 2021
S M T W T F S
 12
3456789
10111213141516
17181920212223
24252627282930
31  
« Oct    

Categories

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

© 2021 · Innovation Footprints. All Rights Reserved.