Dynamo Dispatch. A weekly update from Dynamo Ventures covering the latest and greatest in supply chain, mobility, and building venture-scale businesses.

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Weekly Commentary 💭

We have a couple of announcements we’d like to share with you…

🇺🇸 We couldn’t start this week without taking a moment to remember those whose lives were lost on Sept 11, 2001. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families who have been affected by this tragedy and we would like to thank our brave servicemen and women who put their lives on the line each day to ensure our safety and freedom.

🏭 Recently, there’s been a lot of chatter circulating around from media outlets using buzzwords like nearshoring and reshoring. In our latest blog post, we take a closer look at the future state of global supply chain footprints and the implications it has on VC.

🔎 You may begin to see some changes in our newsletter over the next few weeks. As our audience continues growing, we want to ensure the Dispatch remains one of the most informative, engaging newsletters across the industry.

We Are Dynamo,

Clay, Santosh, Jon, and the rest of the Dynamo team

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Supply Chain 📦

Inflation, Interest Rates To Further ‘Cool’ H2 US Imports: Retailers. American retailers believe imports will continue to decline into 2023, following increasing interest rates and inflation. Even though consumers are still buying goods, the cargo surge we faced during COVID will no longer be felt as consumer demand continues to cool. To read more on the future of global supply chains and their impact on US imports, consider Exclusive EU, US Step Up Russian Aluminium, And Nickel Imports Since Ukraine War.

🌟Economic Impact From Freight Rail Strike Could Total $2B Per Day. An upcoming labor deal for union members has been in progress since the beginning of 2020; however, negotiations appear to have failed entirely. As a result, rail stakeholders are becoming increasingly uneasy with the potential of a nationwide strike by union members with analysts predicting such a shutdown could result in a loss of $2B of output per day the strike continues. To learn more about this potential strike, consider reading Deadline To Avoid A National Rail Strike Which Could Cost Economy $2B A Day Is Near.

Uber Eats And Nuro Sign A 10-Year Deal To Do Robot Food Delivery In California And Texas. Beginning in Q3, Uber will deploy AV deliveries in Mountain View, CA and Houston, TX. Little has been released so far regarding the extent of their rollout. Want to dive deeper and learn more? Consider reading Uber Partners With Nuro In Push For Autonomous Food, Grocery Delivery and Uber Turns To Autonomous Vehicle Startup Nuro For Eats Deliveries.

Airports Should Enforce Digitisation To Improve Air Cargo, Says Stakeholders. Delegates who attended the Air Cargo Handling & Logistics conference in Athens claim that there has been a lack of cargo support and are now demanding that airports mandate stakeholders digitize through the use of cargo community systems. As of now, it seems as if airports are unwilling to understand the importance they hold in supporting local jobs and economies... To find out more about air cargo trends, consider reading Sagging Air Cargo Market Shows Turnaround Potential and Is Air Cargo Set For A Better-Thank-Expected Peak Season?

Why Does California Lag In Autonomous Freight Commercialization Testing? Despite being the first to pass legislation allowing the operation of AVs on its roadways, California still lags behind other markets in advancing AV freight shipping. In fact, members of the AV Industry Association maintain that it might be until 2023 that we see autonomous trucks taking over our roadways. Current expansion plans are focused on the Sun Belt states, with Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico beginning testing shortly. To read more on the future of autonomous freight, consider reading Paving The Way For Autonomous Trucking With Uber Freight.

China Faces Long-Term Export Threat, While Ocean Rates Plummet. As inventory rates throughout Europe and the US continue to rise, the global capacity to accept Chinese imports is decreasing. According to a survey conducted by the EU Chamber of Commerce in China, nearly 25% of respondents have considered the option of moving their property out of China due to legislation passed during COVID. If this trend continues, China’s freight index will continue to decline at a much steeper rate than the current 2.5% w/w.

Mobility 🚗

🌟The EV Family SUV Race Begins. The average price for an American EV vehicle currently hovers around $65K, largely dominated by the presence of Tesla. However, GM has plans to change that in an attempt to spur mass adoption after announcing that an EV version of its top-selling Equinox will be available in the fall of 2023 with an anticipated price point of $30K. "Having a vehicle in that size class, at that price point, with at least 250-300 miles of range — there's nobody even close to that," says Sam Abuelsamid, head of eMobility research at Guidehouse Insights. However, GM is not alone in this pursuit as Jeep Also Has Plans To Electrify Its SUVs In The Near Future. In addition, Mercedes Is Also Gearing Up To Release Electric Vans.

Airline Executives Adapt To The New Normal. Q2 2022 marked the first time since the pandemic began that airlines posted positive financial results. Staffing and labor shortages have dominated earnings call discussions during the past year, and while operational bottlenecks are far from being solved, they are overshadowed by airlines’ first profits since the onset of the pandemic. In addition, sustainability has finally made it into the strategic agenda of airlines. In related news, Google Is The Latest Company To Begin Restricting Employee Travel To 'Business Critical’ In Lieu Of Market Conditions. And unfortunately for supersonic flight proponents, Rolls Royces Is Backing Out Of Its Plans With Boom.

California Seeks To Spur Mass eBike Adoption. California announced $10M in funding to lower the cost of eBikes for residents, enlisting San Diego-based non-profit Pedal Ahead to administer the effort. The move marks the latest of the state’s attempt to be the leader in emission-free transportation. Speaking on the matter, Pedal Ahead founder Ed Clancy was quoted saying, "Over 271K miles have been ridden in over two years. The carbon emissions reductions of eBikes over cars have been 18.3 metric tons, or the equivalent of about 6K trees planted.” For further reading, check out The Rise Of Micromobility For Consumers. If you’re in the Bay Area, Consider Attending Micromobility In SF This Week.

NYC Taxis Might Be Making A Comeback. Despite suffering a decade of disruption due to the like of mass consumer adoption of rideshare apps such as Uber and Lyft, things might be slowly turning around for NYC taxis. The value of an NYC taxi medallion increased for the first time since 2014, raising to $137K this year, compared to $79K in 2021. Taxi medallions are regulated by NYC to manage cab supply, establish rates, and monitor routes, with some drivers making upwards of $80K per year. And while virtually anyone can drive Uber, a taxi driver must own one of the city’s 13.5K taxi medallions, making it a much more exclusive club. Despite this, Cities Around The World Are Starting To Embrace A More Car-Free Policy. And across the country, California Is Poised To Give Residents $1K For Not Owning A Car.

BMW Touts Longer Ranges And Faster Charging. As part of a larger strategy to overhaul its supply chain, the luxury car maker announced plans to source batteries from factories that enable longer ranges and faster charging than the prismatic cells BMW currently uses. The strategy includes partnerships with producers in Europe, China, and North America. “We are approaching an enormous technology leap,” Frank Weber, BMW’s development chief, told reporters, adding that BMW’s suppliers have agreed to produce the cells with renewable energy only and recycled cobalt, nickel, and lithium to cut production-related carbon emissions by as much as 60%. However, Some Lithium Producers Remain Unconvinced That Production Can Meet EV Targets. For more reading, consider reading EVs Could Be The Solution For Reinforcing The Grid.

Electrify America Seeks A More Consumer Friendly Look. This week, Electrify America announced major changes in its charging stations across North America, in an attempt to solidify its value proposition to EV users. The changes include labels that indicate charging levels, a new "balanced charging" system that delivers the maximum charge possible to each vehicle, and clearer payment options. The company had previously announced that it'll expand to 1.8K fast charging stations and 10K individual chargers across North America by 2026. In related news, Nissan Has Announced It’s First V2G Charging Station In North America. For further reading on the novel approach, Check Out This Piece On Smart EV Charging.

Fundraises and M&A 💸

Gig And Take Raises $1.5M Pre-Seed Round. Gig and Take creates and manages a flexible workforce for factories and warehouses. The round was led by Schematic Ventures with participation by Motivate Ventures and SHRM Labs. This capital will help fuel Gig and Take’s commercial expansion for the next two years.

CorePower Magnetics Raises $2.5M Pre-Seed. The Pittsburgh-based startup delivers state-of-the-art compact and efficient magnetic solutions targeting EVs and the grid. The round was led by Volta Energy Technologies, with participation from Evergreen Climate Innovations and Innovation Works. The fresh funds will be used to scale up revolutionary magnetics that will accelerate vehicle electrification and renewable adoption.

Shipmates Raises $2.7M Seed. Shipmates is an on-demand shipping platform that allows online businesses to book shipments in bulk from different couriers and compare their rates. The startup was backed by Y Combinator with participation from Cathexis Ventures, Wavemaker Partners, Taurus Ventures, Capital X, and Sketchnote Partners. The fresh funds will help the company scale up its platform to support more merchants in the Philippines and improve the country’s shipping infrastructure.

Tozero Raises $3.5M Pre-Seed. The Munich-based climate tech startup recycles lithium-ion batteries. The round was led by Atlantic Labs, with the participation of Verve Ventures, Possible Ventures, and individual investors. The platform will build its prototype plant in Munich, Germany - where one-third of Europe’s lithium-ion batteries are planned to be produced by 2030.

Qargo Raises $6M In Seed Funding. Based out of London, Qargo has built a next-gen transport management system (TMS) for road transport. The round was led by Fred Destin at Stride.VC alongside participation from noted executives Stephane Kurgan (ex-COO of King) and Breon Corcoran (CEO of WorldRemit, ex-CEO of Betfair). The fresh capital will go towards international expansion and extending its sales and customer success organization.

CashFlo Raises $8.7M In Series B Funding. A finance startup offers finance automation tools for corporates and SMEs. The round was led by General Catalyst with participation from existing investor Elevation Capital. Prominent angels such as Jupiter's Jitendra Gupta; Pine Labs’ Amrish Rau, Uni’s Nitin Gupta, and Atrium Angels also participated. The funds will be used to develop further its flagship proposition of invoice discounting and developing new automation products.

RealTime Robotics Raises $14.4M In Additional Funding. Realtime is a leader in collision-free autonomous motion planning for industrial robots. The round was co-led by Soundproof Ventures, Heroic Ventures, and SIP Global Partners. The funds will go towards helping the company scale and meet the growing industry demand for its software product, RapidPlan.

Pathway Power Raises $36M In The Unknown Series. Pathway is a utility-scale solar and battery storage developer for the renewables energy value chain. The round was led by The Forest Road Company. The funding will be used to continue scaling its portfolio of clean energy projects.

Lightyear Bags Raises $81.5M In Unknown Series. The Dutch car startup develops scalable grid-independent solar electric vehicles. The new funding comes in part from public money, including a chunk from the state-run Invest-NL and regional development agencies in the Netherlands, and also from the private funds SHV and DELA. The funds will also be used to get its first car — the Lightyear 0 — onto the road this year and develop a second vehicle, Lightyear 2, which is set to be significantly cheaper than the first.

TruKKer Raises $100M In Series C Funding. The Saudi Arabia-based startup offers Uber-like services for transportation by truck in the Middle East and elsewhere. The round was led by Bahrain-based asset manager Investcorp, with participation from Riyad Valley Capital, Egypt's Reliance Group, March Holding, and Mubadala Investment Co. The funds will be used to expand into new and existing markets to accelerate growth before its planned float.

Morse Micro Raises $140M In Series B Funding. Morse Micro is a fabless semiconductor company reinventing Wi-Fi for the IoT. The round was led by MegaChips Corporation with participation from existing investors such as Blackbird Ventures, Main Sequence Ventures, Clean Energy Finance Corporation, Skip Capital, Uniseed, SpringCapital, and Malcolm and Lucy Turnbull. The funds will be used to accelerate IoT connectivity and revolutionize the digital future.

Battle Motors Raises $150M In Series B. Battle Motors provides work-ready diesel, clean natural gas, and EV chassis for the refuse and recycling markets. They have raised money from a cornerstone global institutional investor. The new funding will be used to expand production capacity.

EnviroSpark Raises An Undisclosed Amount In Series A. The Atlanta-based company specializes in the design and installation of electric vehicle charging station solutions. The round was led by Ultra Capital. The fresh funds will be used to accelerate EnviroSpark's roadmap of features and expand its geographic footprint, accelerating the availability of EV infrastructure for more customers in North America.

Business Building 🛠️

Building Alone. We think it’s good practice to explore opinions that run contrary to one’s thinking. This is an example of that from the leader of an open source project and it definitely has some good points - learning the nitty gritty details and pushing forward with a singular vision. That said, you can go fast alone but to go far, do it together [with a team].

Building a Marketing Machine. A podcast interviewing Emily Kramer, the former marketing leader of Carta, Asana, and more covering the gamut of when to hire marketers, how to determine which type of marketing hire is best for your team, how to best work with marketing, and what red flags to look for.

Building Resilience During Economic Uncertainty. Research from McKinsey suggests that the strongest companies use economic downturns to improve and prepare for growth during the rebound. “Let’s take a few examples. Our research shows that in the pandemic, high-performing companies invested more time than others in clarifying their goals and setting strategies (business model resilience). They established small, cross-functional teams and empowered them to act (organizational resilience). They spent more time coaching and recognizing employees (also organizational resilience). They made hours and roles more flexible (operational resilience). And they spent more money on collaboration technologies (digital resilience).”

Who's Hiring? 👩‍💻

Service Desk Technician at SVT Robotics in Norfolk, VA.

Perception Sensor Specialist at Tangram Vision in Denver, CO (remote ok).

National Sales Representative at LogRock in Chicago, IL (remote ok).