One of several Seattle startups aiming to reduce food waste, Transparent Path is structured around addressing food waste reduction and designed to fuel hunger relief efforts with supply chain technology that provides visibility for perishable products, Transparent Path uses Intel technology and IoT sensors to deliver real-time data on conditions such as temperature, humidity, and location. the firm's predictive software assigns a freshness score and estimates when - during transit. - food is in danger of going bad. The idea is to alert supply chain partners of failures and enable intervention. The firm's charges a fee for each shipment of food tracked - describing what they do as "travel insurance' comparable to what someone might buy when purchasing a plane ticket online. Records suggest the firm may have saved several loads of food from spoilage which has allowed the nonprofit to provide over 100,000 meals. The company focuses on perishables with a food safety component, though Weaver said perishables include products in several sectors, such as blood or plasma shipments, vaccines, and corneas. The team includes: CTO Sunil Koduri, who spent nearly 20 years as a manager at Microsoft. COO Mark Kammerer who previously held executive roles at Holland America Line. Director of Experience Paulé Wood, previously a senior designer at Amazon. Transparent Path sends email alerts when temperatures change. (Transparent Path Photo). We caught up with Weaver for this Startup Spotlight. Answers were edited for brevity and clarity. How were different from our competitors: We compete with companies like Sensitech, Deltatrak and Roambee. Most of these firms focus on the sensors: how to make them cheaper, better, etc. Our focus is on the value of the sensor data. We designed our software during the pandemic to address pandemic-related issues. We are also working with Duke University and the University of Washington on creating biodegradable sensors that can be disposed of without worries of environmental contamination. The smartest move weve made: The team Ive put together. Honestly, its an impressive group of kind people who want to give back. I couldnt ask for anyone better. The biggest mistake weve made: As an entrepreneur, you have to find and win investors, build a team, build a product, and then get it into the market. For many tech investors, its easiest and most comfortable to focus on the product. I spent a lot of time on that, and while Im proud of it, I should have been much more aggressive on the sales front even when the product wasnt as full-featured as it is now. Im now fully focused on sales, something thats not in my comfort zone. The greatest challenge weve faced: The pandemic. The entire world spent 2020 trying to figure out what to do. All of our supply chains were disrupted in 2021 and 2022. The summer of 2022, everyone in the world, it seemed, went on a long overdue holiday. Generally speaking, so many people have said theyve been exhausted, overwhelmed, and worried trying to juggle all of these systemic disruptions. The last person they want to hear from is a guy like me trying to convince them to try new tech even if itll be a huge help. Now that were entering 2023, Im hoping people will feel more agile, more resilient, and more decisive in addressing what were all feeling and going through, particularly in supply chains. Track all of GeekWires in-depth startup coverage: Sign up for the weekly startup email newsletter; check out the GeekWire funding tracker and venture capital directory; and follow our startup news headlines.
