The next generation of technology companies is emerging from founders who understand that some of the biggest opportunities in innovation lie in solving practical, deeply rooted business problems. From modernizing supply chains and freight transportation to applying artificial intelligence to complex industrial workflows, these entrepreneurs are developing solutions designed to make businesses more efficient, connected, and scalable.
Meet five founders and CEOs bringing fresh perspectives to their respective industries, each building a company around a distinct challenge in how businesses operate and grow.
Jibran Hutchins — Co-founder and CEO of Haladir
Jibran Hutchins is the co-founder and CEO of Haladir, a company developing AI-powered operational intelligence for global logistics. Rather than requiring businesses to replace their existing warehouse management, transportation management, and enterprise resource planning systems, Haladir works across these systems to turn operational data into actionable decisions.
The company’s approach combines optimization technology with AI agents that can execute workflows, helping logistics teams move beyond simply monitoring operations toward improving how decisions are made and carried out. With supply chains becoming increasingly complex, Hutchins is focused on bringing more intelligence to planning and execution, addressing the gap between having access to data and knowing what to do with it.
Phillip Nadjafov — Founder and CEO of Oway
Phillip Nadjafov founded Oway to address inefficiencies in freight transportation and build a more connected infrastructure for the physical economy. Before launching the company, he co-founded Isotrex, a defense hardware manufacturer that scaled to approximately $100 million in annual revenue and helped build and deploy more than 4,000 hardware assets. His experience in manufacturing and operations informed his perspective on the challenges facing industrial businesses.
Oway uses AI to connect freight demand with available truck capacity, helping businesses move shipments using space on trucks that are already traveling in the right direction. Its platform aims to reduce shipping costs while improving the utilization of existing transportation networks. Nadjafov’s broader vision extends beyond freight matching: he wants to create a shared intelligence layer that enables industrial systems to communicate and coordinate more effectively.
Gautam Narang — Co-founder and CEO of Gatik
Gautam Narang is the co-founder and CEO of Gatik, a company focused on autonomous trucking for business-to-business logistics. Founded in 2017, Gatik develops self-driving trucks designed for middle-mile transportation, connecting distribution centers, warehouses, and retail locations. The company targets a specific segment of freight transportation where predictable routes and repeatable operations can support the commercial deployment of autonomous vehicles.
Under Narang’s leadership, Gatik has pursued partnerships with major retailers and logistics operators to bring autonomous freight into real-world supply chains. Its approach focuses on moving goods between established business locations rather than serving every type of road or delivery scenario. By concentrating on this operational segment, Gatik aims to help businesses improve transportation efficiency, increase reliability, and build a more scalable logistics network as autonomous technology advances.
Sam Kabab — Founder and CEO of BidSource
Sam Kabab is the founder and CEO of BidSource, bringing an entrepreneurial focus to the business of sourcing and bidding. In markets where companies must compare offers, evaluate opportunities, and coordinate decisions among multiple parties, better access to organized information can help reduce friction and improve the way transactions are managed.
As founder and CEO, Kabab is leading the company’s efforts to develop its position in its market. BidSource’s place among emerging businesses reflects a broader entrepreneurial trend: identifying processes that remain unnecessarily complicated and exploring how technology and better workflows can make them easier to navigate. Further details about the company’s specific product capabilities and customer outcomes would help establish a more precise picture of its approach and differentiation.
Karan Agrawal — CEO and Co-founder of Syntro
Karan Agrawal is the CEO and co-founder of Syntro, an AI-native procurement company focused on modern hardware manufacturing. His experience spans major supply-chain environments, including Dell and Peloton, where he saw firsthand how procurement and manufacturing teams still depend on spreadsheets, manual supplier outreach, and fragmented information. He later brought that operational experience together with his co-founders to address the challenges of sourcing the thousands of components required to build modern machines.
Syntro uses AI agents to help manufacturers discover qualified suppliers, evaluate quotes, manage purchase orders, and respond to changes in component requirements. The goal is to replace labor-intensive procurement workflows with a more automated process that can keep pace with industries such as robotics, aerospace, automotive, and electronics. Agrawal’s focus reflects a growing opportunity for AI beyond digital-only businesses: applying intelligent automation to the physical supply chains that underpin the next generation of technology. Learn more about Syntro.
Solving the Operational Challenges That Matter
Across logistics, freight, autonomous transportation, sourcing, and industrial procurement, these founders are pursuing a common ambition: making complex business operations work better. Their approaches differ, but each addresses an area where inefficiencies can affect costs, productivity, and the ability to scale.
As AI and automation continue to mature, opportunities will extend beyond creating new digital products. Founders who understand the practical challenges businesses face—and can translate that understanding into useful, scalable technology—will be well positioned to shape the next phase of industrial and operational innovation.
