Austin, Texas isn’t just home to live music and great barbecue, it’s also one of the fastest-growing startup ecosystems in the United States.

In this first episode of the Austin Tech Series (ATX1) from The Rebellious Times Podcast, Chris Januszewski sits down with Shivam Sheel, CEO of ProduceX. They explore how technology, trust, and innovation are transforming the fresh produce supply chain.

Shivam shares his journey from Pittsburgh to Austin. His story highlights how the city’s entrepreneurial energy and institutions like Capital Factory have supported his mission to build a more transparent and efficient food system.

Key Highlights

How Austin’s startup ecosystem supports innovation and collaboration

The technology behind ProduceX’s autonomous operating system for fresh produce

Solving supply chain challenges through trust, data, and visibility

The importance of resilience and mentorship for founders

Building a balanced life while scaling a startup

Perfect for:
• Austin founders and investors
• Supply chain and agtech innovators
• Entrepreneurs navigating the early-stage startup journey
• Anyone curious about Austin’s vibrant tech scene

As part of the Austin Tech Series (ATX), this episode celebrates the city’s culture of collaboration and innovation. Shivam shares how being surrounded by mission-driven founders and mentors has helped ProduceX scale with purpose.

ProduceX is on a mission to fix one of the world’s most overlooked problems: food waste caused by inefficiency and fragmentation. Up to 40% of fresh food is lost between the farm and the fork. Shivam and his team have built an AI-powered platform that brings clarity, automation, and accountability to every step of the produce journey.

By combining agentic AI with deep agricultural and supply chain expertise, ProduceX transforms a disconnected ecosystem into a unified, intelligent network where data flows seamlessly and trust is verifiable.

ProduceX is building the autonomous operating system for fresh produce. It is a unified platform where AI agents move data seamlessly across the value chain. The company’s mission is to create a transparent, intelligent, and sustainable food system by solving the information problem at the heart of the global supply chain

ProduceX links: