Pitchbook

Can wireless EV charging become an infrastructure player?

Wireless charging of electric vehicles — literally parking a vehicle over a concrete-embedded charging plate and magnetically connecting to a vehicle — is a niche mostly restricted to transit buses and yard tractors that pull containers around a distribution yard. 

But as the rollout of plug-in charging is slowed by infrastructure buildout and lack of timely energizing, the underground solution also known as inductive charging could expand to other uses.

Expensive approach with a swift payback

“We...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/can-wireless-ev-charging-become-an-infrastructure-player

How soon will we see an autonomous trucking shakeout?

It is pretty much acknowledged across the trucking industry that a consolidation of players in autonomous trucking is coming. Money is tight. Borrowing is expensive. Share prices and corresponding book values are in the dumper. 

The coming shakeout

No single factor proves a shakeout among autonomous trucking players is coming. But an accumulation of evidence suggests that not all of today’s entrants will survive as independents.

PitchBook writes of mobility tech in its 2023 Industry and Technology...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/how-soon-will-we-see-an-autonomous-trucking-shakeout

Modern Shipper Top 10: Warehouse automation and fulfillment

Modern Shipper launched in February with a mission of highlighting the ever-growing last mile of the supply chain. Throughout the year, we learned a lot, and our readers helped inform us of plenty more.

Looking back on the year that was, there were plenty of stories that resonated with our readers — from drones to automation, from gig workers to last-mile delivery providers. Of course, we can’t forget e-commerce, which is rapidly changing the supply chain and everything and everybody that...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/modern-shipper-top-10-warehouse-automation-and-fulfillment

Supply chain tech VC investment exceeds $7B for 3rd straight quarter

New venture capitalists have entered the supply chain technology space. Larger checks and higher valuations from Tiger Global and Softbank are changing the landscape, but mature startups and incumbents are also scaling their M&A capabilities.

Venture capital investment in supply chain technology startups remained robust in the third quarter of 2021, coming in at $7.8 billion for the United States and Europe. That number represents a cooling from the segment’s most recent peak in the first...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/supply-chain-tech-vc-investment-exceeds-7b-for-3rd-straight-quarter

It’s time to embrace chaos in the supply chain

When I first launched FreightWaves, I would get asked if I could build a media and data business solely dedicated to supply chain and logistics. To many this seemed like a boring and niche topic that few would ever care about. I would point out that logistics is 12% of global GDP, and 40% of the global economy is tied to logistics-dependent industries, with billions of jobs relying upon a functioning supply chain. 

Supply chains are under constant stress. A winter storm, hurricane, labor strike...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/its-time-to-embrace-chaos-in-the-supply-chain

Ghost kitchens staying power gets its first test

On Thursday, Just Kitchen Holdings Corp. (TSXV: JK), an operator of ghost kitchens in Taiwan, will make its public debut on the TSX Venture Exchange in Canada. The company believes it is the first ghost kitchen operator to debut on a North American stock exchange, but it also provides a first glimpse into the faith the markets have on a concept that has exploded since the onset of the COVID pandemic.

U.S. food delivery sales surpassed $19 billion in 2019, but that is just the start. Tracking...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/ghost-kitchens-staying-power-gets-its-first-test

5 tips for FreightTech startups raising venture capital

The FreightTech scene is almost unrecognizable from when venture capitalists discovered it as a marketplace in 2015. Since then, investment in the space has grown exponentially, but what venture capitalists are looking for has also changed. Here we give FreightTech founders five tips for successfully raising venture capital (VC) money today.

1. Understand where you are in the VC cycle.

Understanding where you are in the VC cycle is one of the most important yet overlooked things you can do to...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/5-tips-for-freighttech-startups-raising-venture-capital

Report: Warehouse robotics investment surges 57% in 2020

  • A PitchBook report documents a surge of investment in the warehouse robotics space.
  • Survey points to renewed investor interest in supply chain tech opportunities

Investment in warehouse robotics technology startups clocked in at $381 million in the first quarter of 2020, up 57% from the same period in 2019. 

That’s one of the key stats from PitchBook’s new Q1 2020 Supply Chain Tech analyst report. The study examines venture capital (VC) investment levels, trends, new business models and notable...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/report:-warehouse-robotics-investment-surges-57%-in-2020