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J.B. Hunt, UP.Labs create FreightTech lab

This is UP.Labs’ fourth corporate partnership for innovation

Grace Sharkey
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J.B. Hunt has created a technology innovation lab with UP.Labs. (Photo: Jim Allen/FreightWaves)

J.B. Hunt Transport Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) announced Wednesday it is teaming up with venture group UP.Labs to create a logistics-focused technology incubator for startups looking to solve industry challenges.

“From the inception of modern intermodal transit to digital freight matching platforms to emerging safety technology and beyond, J.B. Hunt has always been people focused, technology empowered and capacity driven, and we’ve been on an innovation journey since our founding in 1961. … Our collaboration with UP.Labs will continue this journey as we look for new ways to disrupt, adapt and accelerate across the transportation industry,” said Shelley Simpson, president and CEO at J.B. Hunt, in a news release.

The Logistics Venture Lab will be looking for six companies to join its incubator over the next three years to focus on leveraging FreightTech within service areas including brokerage, dedicated transportation, intermodal and truckload freight.

“I’m thrilled to be collaborating with J.B. Hunt, a leader in the transportation and logistics industry,” said John Kuolt, founder and CEO of UP.Labs, in the news release. “Through the Logistics Venture Lab, we will launch startups rooted in big data, GenAI, and emerging technologies to solve industry problems with some of the world’s best entrepreneurs.”


Kuolt also celebrated UP.Labs’ previous successful investment partnerships with Porsche AG, which started in 2022, and Alaska Airlines, creating Airline Venture Lab in 2023

UP.Labs announced Wednesday as well that its partnership with Alaska Airlines committed $5 million to fund Odysee, an AI-powered flight schedule optimization solution.

This lab partnership with J.B. Hunt marks UP.Labs’ fourth innovation partnership.


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Grace Sharkey

Grace Sharkey is a professional in the logistics and transportation industry with experience in journalism, digital content creation and decision-making roles in the third-party logistics space. Prior to joining FreightWaves, Grace led a startup brokerage to more than $80 million in revenue, holding roles of increasing responsibility, including director of sales, vice president of business development and chief strategy officer. She is currently a staff writer, podcast producer and SiriusXM radio host for FreightWaves, a leading provider of news, data and analytics for the logistics industry. She holds a bachelor’s degree in international relations from Michigan State University. You can contact her at gsharkey@freightwaves.com.