Following the inaugural Founders Camp in 2018, Chattanooga-based Dynamo VC has announced its 2019 program supported by headline sponsors Chick-fil-A, Covenant Transportation, Schneider National and FreightWaves.
The event will bring together stakeholders from the supply chain and mobility ecosystem to support startup founders scale their businesses and drive growth and traction. Dynamo is a seed fund focused on early stage technology businesses that have the potential to transform commerce with a concentration in logistics technology that encompasses supply chain and transportation.
Founders Camp will take place at the FreightWaves headquarters offices in downtown Chattanooga and will span three days. Startup founders will attend entrepreneur-centric workshops and participate in business development meetings with executives from 20 different corporations. According to Santosh Sankar, a partner at Dynamo VC, “The camp draws on Chattanooga’s rich heritage and expertise as the capital for supply chain technology – referred to as Freight Alley.” The camp starts the evening of September 30 and runs through October 3.
Startups in supply chain and mobility seeking to raise seed or series A round funding are the focus of Founders Camp. Participants will receive practical advice and introductions to potential customers and partners.
“Our week at Founders Camp led us to adding multi-million dollar revenue opportunities to our pipeline, valuable company building perspectives and involvement in one of the most potent supply chain networks in the world,” said LEAF Logistics CEO and co-founder Anshu Prasad regarding his company’s participation in Founders Camp 2018.
Founders will get face-to-face time with both mid-sized and large businesses to gain feedback on their product and discuss business development opportunities, providing the chance to leave with a great pipeline of potential customers and partners who are looking to solve problems and capture opportunities with technology.
Support from the ecosystem
“Chick-fil-A is delighted to continue its support of Founder’s Camp. We are eager to partner with supply chain technology startups to support our growth and address opportunities in a timely and cost-efficient manner,” said John Featherston, Senior Director of New Ventures, with the company.
As one of the nation’s leading fast food chains, Chick-fil-A has a nationwide food supply chain, and utilizes technology extensively in its operations.
Covenant Transportation, the Chattanooga-based provider of expedited, truckload, temperature controlled, regional and long-haul team driver delivery is also returning as a headline sponsor. In addition to its asset-based businesses, Covenant also operates a freight brokerage, Covenant Transportation Solutions, and a factoring company, Transport Financial Solutions.
According to Ryan Rogers, Covenant’s Chief Transformation Officer, “As a sponsor of the inaugural Founders Camp in 2018, we’re proud to return in 2019 and look forward to working with the startups that attend this October. Such programming complements our internal innovation and we look forward to sharing our 2018 success story later this summer.”
Schneider National, a leading provider of final mile, truckload, intermodal and logistics services is a new sponsor of Founders Camp. According to Schneider National’s Vice President of Strategy Brian Stuelpner, “Dynamo’s Founders Camp is a focused and effective program that brings together startups and forward-thinking industry players to drive forward changes in the supply chain for the benefit of all stakeholders.”
FreightWaves is also a new headline sponsor of Founders Camp. Craig Fuller, CEO and Founder of FreightWaves, will be sharing his experiences and will counsel participants on building industry-changing businesses. Fuller said, “Building a big company is not easy and I understand first-hand how important it is to have high-quality perspectives and advice early on as you build and scale your business. I’m excited to pay-it-forward and share my story and perspective around building a high growth, industry-changing business that’s serving a global audience.”
Companies interested in participating in Founders Camp should direct questions and inquiries to hello@dynamo.vc.