Flexe offers on-demand warehousing through an AirBnB-like network. They currently have more than 1000 warehouses connected by a single software platform. Unlike traditional solutions, FLEXE makes warehousing available on-demand and uses software to streamline the entire process. They have raised more than 20 million dollars, have consistently tripled in size every year in the past 3 years, and were awarded 18th overall on Deloitte’s Technology Fast 500 companies.
Karl Siebrecht is the Co-Founder and CEO, and is a seasoned technology executive, with leadership experience in both startups and large, global corporations. Prior to co-founding FLEXE, Karl was CEO of AdReady, a Seattle-based advertising technology company. He is also a founding Board member of EnergySavvy, a SaaS-based solution for energy efficiency management. Previously, Karl was President of Atlas at aQuantive, before its $6B acquisition by Microsoft, and earlier in his career, he was a Manager at Bain & Company in Boston and a Diving Officer in the U.S. Navy.
Listen to the full discussion here:
- Stream by clicking here.
- Download as an MP3 here.
Connect with the Guest:
Karl Siebrecht: LinkedIn | Twitter | Company Website
Some of the highlights from the podcast:
- From a diving officer to the CEO of a technology company
- What are some of the large scale clients that you work with? Walmart, WholeGreens, Casper.
- On-demand warehousing vs traditional warehousing ANALOGY to cloud computing vs data centers
- Accountability for the goods in the warehouse – is it on Flexe or the operators?
- We work as an extension of the client’s operations team
- How flexible is your model? What are the limits?
- Move FAST and DON’T BREAK things!
- Surround yourself with great people!
Show notes:
- [01:34] From a diving officer to the CEO of a technology company. How did that happen?
- [07:44] What are some of the large scale clients that you work with? And what is the model you work on?
- [10:15] What is the distribution between on-demand warehousing and long term leases?
- [17:08] Who is accountable for meeting the Service Level Agreements (SLAs) dwell time, loading windows, etc.? Who is liable for handling and the storage of the goods?
- [21:08] How does Flexe audit the physical conditions of the warehouses?
- [24:24] How truly flexible is your model? Are there minimum commitments to time/quantity, movements?
- [29:10] What are your challenges in terms of growing and scaling your business?
- [34:10] When are you coming to Asia?
- [37:05] What is the most challenging part about finding and attracting the right talent?
- [41:01] What is the best piece of advice that you have received throughout your professional journey?
Quote from the Episode:
About the Host:
The host, Radu Palamariu is the co-author of “From Source to Sold – Stories of Leadership in Supply Chain”. He has been named one of the top 3 Global Supply Chain Influencers on LinkedIn and was featured in Forbes, Bloomberg, WEF, Bangkok Post, and MIT Supply Chain Talent magazine. Radu invites executives to share stories and perspectives around technology, logistics, e-commerce, supply chain, and manufacturing, and their views on how the future will look.
Alcott Global connects and upgrades the supply chain ecosystem by finding the right talent through executive search, developing talent through learning solutions, and meeting supply chain technology needs through a comprehensive crunch base marketplace.
The supply chain executive search has been our focus since the very beginning, offering recruitment services for top-tier supply chain roles at every level of the end-to-end supply chain: plan, source / procure, make, and deliver. Our consultants have years of experience in placing top talent, in North America, LATAM, Europe, the Middle East & Africa, and APAC, and besides speed, one of our biggest strengths is our network within the supply chain industry, and we capitalize on it to find the best solutions.
Through the years, we have grown as an organization and our offerings with it. One of our initiatives, the learning solutions- training and supply chain academy, is focused on transforming leadership- self-leadership, executive presence, influence capital, and business acumen. Through Supplify, we aim to match corporations with the top technology companies to solve their supply chain and logistics challenges with a focus on innovation and digital transformation.
We are in constant touch with the leaders in supply chain, inviting them to inspire the supply chain professionals in thought-provoking podcast episodes and events, and showcasing what is possible at the yearly Leaders in Supply Chain Awards.
Related Episodes:
Episode #04: Roxane Desmicht Head of Supply Chain at Infineon Technologies
Episode #14: Erik Cheong Co-Founder & CMO of Park N Parcel
Episode #18: Ed Clarke Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer Yojee
