Latest news with #Flexport
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Find out how Flexport's CEO, Ryan Petersen, builds when the rules keep changing at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025
TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 is happening October 27-29 at Moscone West in San Francisco, and we're bringing the big conversations to the . One of the biggest? What it takes to keep building when the rules won't stop shifting. Flexport CEO and founder Ryan Petersen knows a thing or two about weathering change. He launched the global logistics platform in 2013 and has since helped over 10,000 companies move more than $175 billion in merchandise across the globe. Flexport has raised $2.3 billion to date and redefined how supply chains are managed in a world increasingly shaped by uncertainty. But Petersen's insights go beyond shipping lanes. He's been vocal on everything from tariff policy to the rise of AI, and he doesn't just comment from the sidelines. He famously stepped away from the CEO role in 2022, only to return less than a year later to stabilize the business and steer the next chapter of growth. Founders, take note, this is a master class in resilience, clarity, and bold leadership. Petersen isn't bringing hypotheticals to the stage. He's bringing the firsthand experience of what it means to lead through volatility, reset strategy under pressure, and navigate a market where global policy, economic cycles, and tech innovation collide. He'll pull back the curtain to explore how Flexport stays focused when the market gets noisy, and what today's leaders need to know about balancing long-term strategy with short-term realities. Catch the session live on the Builders Stage, October 27-29 at Moscone West in San Francisco, part of the 20th anniversary of TechCrunch Disrupt. The final session time is coming soon. Save your spot and take advantage of early pricing with up to $675 off before rates go up. Register here to lock in your ticket discount. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
TechCrunch
3 days ago
- Business
- TechCrunch
Flexport's Ryan Petersen joins the Builders Stage at Disrupt 2025
TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 is happening October 27–29 at Moscone West in San Francisco, and we're bringing the big conversations to the Builders Stage. One of the biggest? What it takes to keep building when the rules won't stop shifting. When global logistics meets startup agility Flexport CEO and founder Ryan Petersen knows a thing or two about weathering change. He launched the global logistics platform in 2013 and has since helped over 10,000 companies move more than $175 billion in merchandise across the globe. Flexport has raised $2.3 billion to date and redefined how supply chains are managed in a world increasingly shaped by uncertainty. But Petersen's insights go beyond shipping lanes. He's been vocal on everything from tariff policy to the rise of AI, and he doesn't just comment from the sidelines. He famously stepped away from the CEO role in 2022, only to return less than a year later to stabilize the business and steer the next chapter of growth. Founders, take note, this is a masterclass in resilience, clarity, and bold leadership. How to lead through chaos and keep building Petersen isn't bringing hypotheticals to the stage. He's bringing the firsthand experience of what it means to lead through volatility, reset strategy under pressure, and navigate a market where global policy, economic cycles, and tech innovation collide. He'll pull back the curtain to explore how Flexport stays focused when the market gets noisy, and what today's leaders need to know about balancing long-term strategy with short-term realities. Catch the session live on the Builders Stage, October 27–29 at Moscone West in San Francisco, part of the 20th anniversary of TechCrunch Disrupt. The final session time is coming soon. Save your spot and take advantage of early pricing with up to $675 off before rates go up. Register here to lock in your ticket discount.
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
TradeCafe Appoints Flexport and PayPal Veteran Huey Lin to Board as Company Accelerates Global Expansion
Guadalupe, June 10, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Guadalupe, Nuevo León - Toronto, Canada – June 10, 2025 – TradeCafe, a global marketplace transforming how the global spot market for physical agri-commodities transacts, today announced the appointment of Huey Lin to its Board of Directors. Lin brings rare expertise at the intersection of global logistics and fintech from leadership roles at Flexport, Affirm, and PayPal. The appointment comes at a pivotal moment for TradeCafe as the company accelerates its mission to digitize the traditionally opaque and fragmented agri-commodity trading ecosystem. With global food security and supply chain resilience becoming increasingly critical, TradeCafe's platform addresses fundamental inefficiencies in how agricultural products move from producers to consumers worldwide. The company's technology-enabled approach is particularly vital as climate volatility and geopolitical tensions continue to impact global food supply chains, creating unprecedented demand for transparent, efficient trading solutions. Adding Lin to the board strengthens TradeCafe's board as the company expands its digital footprint and advances toward its next rounds of funding. Lin currently serves on the boards of the Singapore Exchange (SGX), Hang Seng Bank, and fintech unicorn Nium, bringing deep governance experience from both established institutions and high-growth technology companies. Her multi-market perspective spans Asia-Pacific and North American markets, providing invaluable insights for TradeCafe's global expansion strategy. Lin's appointment brings critical operational expertise from the intersection of global logistics and fintech. As President of Flexport Asia she scaled the company's most strategic and fastest-growing region and helped build technology-enabled supply chain solutions that revolutionized freight forwarding. At Affirm, she pioneered new financial products as a founding executive and COO, contributing to the company's transformation of consumer lending. Her foundation in payments innovation began at PayPal, where she was one of the first product managers driving international expansion during the company's formative years. Currently, Lin is an active angel investor and advisor to companies ranging from pre-seed to high-growth stages, with a particular focus on supply chain innovation and financial infrastructure. "We're thrilled to welcome Huey to the ," said Nicholas Walker, CEO of Bassett & Walker Inc., and Director of TradeCafe. "Her rare blend of operational depth and strategic foresight, from scaling cross-border operations at Flexport to driving transparency at PayPal and Affirm, aligns perfectly with our mission to transform the global protein trade. Her insights will be instrumental as we expand our digital marketplace." "TradeCafe is revolutionizing how physical agri-commodities are traded in spot markets the way PayPal transformed payments," said Lin. "I'm excited to help build infrastructure that makes global agri-commodity trading more efficient, transparent, and accessible for everyone." Lin's appointment signals TradeCafe's ambition to become the de facto clearinghouse for the $2 trillion global spot transaction market for physical agri-commodities, using technology to provide the transparency and efficiency currently missing in this industry. About TradeCafe TradeCafe is a forward thinking technology-driven global marketplace where buyers and sellers in the global spot transaction market for physical agri-commodities execute, finance, and fulfill transactions seamlessly. Having facilitated over $3 billion in transactions to date across more than 80 markets, TradeCafe is rapidly becoming the trusted infrastructure for spot agri-commodity trading. The platform's comprehensive suite of tools includes price discovery, transaction management, and end-to-end fulfillment and logistics capabilities. Learn more at Media Contact: John Dietrich Head of Marketing TradeCafe jdietrich@ +1 647-278-9269 ### For more information about Trade Cafe Group, contact the company here:Trade Cafe GroupJohn Dietrich6472789269jdietrich@ CONTACT: John Dietrich
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Firms launch tools to help shippers measure tariff costs
As shifting tariffs continue to impact global supply chains, Flexport and C.H. Robinson have introduced tools aimed at helping businesses navigate duties impacting international shipments. Flexport, a San Francisco-based global logistics technology company, recently launched the Flexport Tariff Simulator, a tool designed to help businesses estimate landed costs and navigate tariffs in real time. Third party logistics provider C.H. Robinson (Nasdaq: CHRW) has added the U.S. Tariff Impact Analysis tool to its global shipper platform to help businesses assess their overall duty exposure, while providing precise cost analysis of each shipment. Mike Short, president of global forwarding at C.H. Robinson said the tool assesses trade complexities more effectively. 'With this tool a national retailer could identify high-volume stock keeping units coming from one point of origin, then quickly compare total duty spend along various alternative sources — then reroute future supply where needed,' Short said in a news release. Ryan Petersen, Flexport founder and CEO, said their customers have been asking for more clarity on the impact of import tariffs on shipments. 'Our engineering team built the Flexport tariff simulator in response to meet that need in the face of all the uncertainty caused by rapid policy changes,' Petersen said in a news release. 'We want to help merchants avoid expensive surprises.' Flexport's tariff simulator includes an interactive map that allows users to see trade data around the world, including the total value of imports from a given country, the current average duty rate, and the percentage of total U.S. imports coming from that country. The tool is available to the general public at Along with the tariff simulator, Flexport is also launching a searchable catalog of harmonized tariff schedule codes to navigate classification requirements, special duty rates and customs clearance processes. Flexport and C.H. Robinson are not the only firms launching tools to help shippers, logistics professionals and consumers assess the impact of import tariffs. In March, UPS (NYSE: UPS) created an automatic tariff calculator for online shoppers — UPS Global Checkout. The parcel carrier's landed cost calculator allows e-commerce merchants to integrate it into their online stores so customers see the import duties, taxes and fees upfront at checkout. E-commerce platform provider Shopify (Nasdaq: SHOP) launched a tariff calculator in May that helps determine duties and taxes on international shipments. Agtools, a provider of software solutions for the food industry, debuted a tool in February that enables users to calculate import levies across all commodities in real time and create scenarios that will impact supply, merchandising and pricing. The post Firms launch tools to help shippers measure tariff costs appeared first on FreightWaves. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Up Close: In Conversation with Optilogic's John Ames Jr.
Up Close is Sourcing Journal's regular check-in with industry executives to get their take on topics ranging from their company's latest moves to personal style. In this Q&A, John Ames Jr., vice president business development at supply chain design platform Optilogic, shares how to prepare for disruption from tariffs and more, and why teams need a 'digital sandbox' for supply chain testing. Name: John Ames Vice president business developmentCompany: Optilogic More from Sourcing Journal Flexport Debuts Tariff Simulator as Customers 'Need Clarity on Costs' Logistics M&As: E2Open Taken Private in $2.1B Deal, UPS Sells Ware2Go to Stord Up Close: In Conversation with Archive Co-founder and CEO Emily Gittins Which other industry has the best handle on the supply chain? What can apparel learn? I think it's less about industry and it's more about the organization, the executives and the team that coordinates end-to-end supply chain processes. The better aligned they are on their overall vision, the better they coordinate across departments, the more aligned on end-to-end KPIs [key performance indicators], the better focused they are on customers and the more agile they are in decision-making tend to make…organizations perform better financially in the long term, regardless of industry. Where apparel can learn and is learning as it relates from supply chain is having a balanced focus on what good really means to their end-to-end supply chain. The growth in the digitalization of consumer channels means more adaptable replenishment to meet demand trends, less push and single season buys to more in-season replenishment, and an understanding of service, resilience and margin metrics on top of cost that in the past was the primary driver of supply chains. And now with tariffs adding to the issue, teams need to develop a digital sandbox of their end-to-end supply chains to test out alternative sourcing and pricing strategies on a continual basis to improve and feed planning and execution as new ways of producing and sourcing arise. What should be the apparel industry's top priority right now? How to thrive in a volatile world where disruptions are the new normal. Tariffs are just the latest thing. Next quarter a warehouse fire will occur, a strike will shut down a port, a flood will close a supplier's factory. Will brands just continue to react, or will they begin to understand how to better design their sourcing, buying and replenishment processes for their own stores, for online and for wholesale? With the tariff chaos going on right now, it's a good time to be reflective and redefine what a good supply chain means and how does it support the underlying vision or goal of the organization. Aligning the supply chain to enable the organization's success—however that is defined—would be a great priority. What innovation or development holds the greatest potential to improve operations in the apparel and textile industries? Circular supply chains, robotics, sustainable materials and artificial intelligence (AI) supported decision-making will drive a lot of innovation. Recycling blended and pure materials will mean more products can come back to brands to be rebuilt, upcycled, downcycled. The innovative companies are starting that today, and packaging reuse is legislated in Europe and will spread to other countries. Robotics in the form of automated milling processes will mean less labor, smaller batch sizes and more localized options for production. Biodegradable materials and recyclable materials will mean brands taking back their products to repurpose and less landfill of products. And AI will impact all elements of the apparel industry—demand analytics, supply chain planning and design, returns process, fraud detection, customer support and supply collaboration. Tell us about your company's latest product introduction: We just introduced our Lumina Tariff Optimizer to enable companies understand the impact of the new global tariffs and develop mitigation strategies to counter the impact of tariffs. It automatically predicts duty drawbacks and ties directly to current tariff and duty costs. How would you describe your corporate culture? We are a bunch of geeky supply chain people passionate about driving value to our customers. What's the best decision your company has made in the last year? To invest in our AI solution but to not buy into the hype that it is the only thing supply chain analysts should focus on. Where do you look for personal style inspiration? Mostly outdoor publications and brands as we spend a lot of time outside. How do you shop for clothing? How would you describe yourself as a fashion consumer? I look for the most sustainable brands and try to look past the greenwashing, then I try to find those doing style and fit along with sustainability. What are the top product attributes that you factor into your purchasing decisions? Material type, brand vision and sustainability ethos, where the product is made, style and fit—these things are important to keeping our planet healthy. Brands should be doing this, all brands. What is a retail experience that stands out to you? A small shop in Chelsea, Michigan called Chelsea Outfitters. It's a super shop with sustainable ethos, deep product expertise and engaged attitude without being pushy. And [it has a] super deep assortment while tied to online stock as well; very sophisticated for a small independent [store]. What makes you most optimistic? Things work out for a reason, karma [and] most humans want to do the right thing. 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