Blue Ocean by StartOps

In this episode of Blue Ocean by StartOps, we sit down with Michael Rossiter, Co-Founder and CEO of Atomic — an AI-native inventory management platform used by a growing number of omnichannel brands.

Built by former Tesla planners who lived through the Model 3 ramp, Atomic is a unit-level simulation engine that reconciles demand and supply constraints in real-time — offering the control of spreadsheets with the power of enterprise-grade planning software.

We dive into Michael's experience managing Tesla's Sales & Operations Planning during hyper-growth and how those hard lessons shaped what Atomic is today. Michael has fresh and interesting answers to questions like:

• Why do planning teams always end up back in spreadsheets? (Hint: it has to do with what he calls "the trust deficit")
• What does "planning excellence" really look like?
• Will inventory planning end up dominated by vertical or horizontal AI SaaS?
• What is the actual cash impact of implementing planning software?

Whether you're a CEO, a CFO or a planner, you'll find some useful gems in this episode.

Learn more about Atomic or get in touch here: https://startops.network/companies/atomic

In this episode of Blue Ocean by StartOps, we sit down with Summitt Hogue — Managing Partner at Growe, a commercial real estate firm helping 3PL operators and e-commerce brands find the right partners and warehouse space to scale.

Growe isn’t your typical brokerage. With a hyper-focus on representing 3PLs, they’ve become trusted growth advisors to their clients, offering site selection, labor insights, post-deal support, and even matchmaking with brands — all without charging the clients they serve.

We dive into Summitt’s approach to building partnerships that go beyond square footage, including:

• Growe’s thoughtful approach to aligning incentives between 3PLs, brands, and landlords
• What it takes to serve the 3PL space as a broker
• How Growe’s 3PL-brand matchmaking process works (and where it’s going in the future)
• Summitt’s top tips for both 3PL and brand operators

If you’re a 3PL operator trying to expand or a brand looking for your next 3PL, this one is for you.

Learn more about Growe or get in touch here.

In this episode of Blue Ocean by StartOps, we sit down with Blair Forrest, Co-Founder and CMO of AMZ Prep — one of the fastest-growing logistics providers for Amazon and e-commerce brands worldwide.

Blair’s story starts in a college dorm room with just $2,000. Today, AMZ Prep operates over a million square feet of warehouse space, serving hundreds of brands with everything from FBA prep to international fulfillment.

We dive into the wild ride of building a logistics company from scratch and how Blair is helping brands navigate:

• Why inbound Amazon shipments are still broken (and how to fix them)
• What Seller Fulfilled Prime looks like today — and who it’s right for
• The 3 hidden fees operators overlook that are killing margin
• How to prep for Q4 and avoid being bottlenecked at the ports

If you're an operator trying to get ahead of Amazon fees, scale your 3PL partnerships, or optimize inbound freight, this is the episode for you.

Learn more about AMZ Prep or get in touch here.

In this episode of Blue Ocean by StartOps, we sit down with Jonathan Wu, Co-Founder and CEO of Cavalry — a platform for e-commerce brands who want to automate customer support without sacrificing the human touch.

Cavalry isn’t just another AI chatbot. It’s a dynamic policy engine that helps brands resolve complex customer issues at scale, integrating directly into the tools they already use, like Shopify, Zendesk, and Gorgias.

We dive into Jonathan’s journey from COO of a nine-figure brand to building a platform that helps operators solve the hardest customer service problems:

• Why traditional AI alone can’t fully replace human support
• How Cavalry automates 60% - 80% of tickets while competitors can only achieve 20%
• The difference between rigid workflows and flexible, real-time issue resolution
• Why customer loyalty is about more than just quick responses

If you’ve ever wrestled to configure a workflow in a CX tool, you should tune in to hear about this new approach.

Learn more about Cavalry or get in touch here.

In this episode of Blue Ocean by StartOps, we sit down with Jason Bang, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer of Implentio — a platform built by and for operators to help reconcile 3PL invoices and uncover hidden costs.

Implentio isn't your typical auditor. They’re one of the few software platforms that allows brands to audit their 3PL invoices. And instead of contingency fees, they offer flat-fee pricing and a guaranteed ROI.

We dive into Jason’s deep operations background and how his team’s firsthand pain with 3PLs led to building Implentio:

• Why warehouse management systems (WMS) fall short on financial accuracy
• Why operators are underserved by tech and rely too much on ERPs
• The difference between a tech platform and a traditional auditor
• How 3PLs are responding positively to transparency and auto-approved invoices
• What KPIs matter most for ops teams: cost per order, time to fulfill, storage trends

If you're a supply chain operator looking to clean up messy invoices, cut costs, and stop living in spreadsheets, this is a conversation you don’t want to miss.

Learn more about Implentio or get in touch here.

In this episode of Blue Ocean by StartOps, we sit down with Sharoon Thomas (known to most as ST), co-founder and CEO of Fulfil — a modern ERP built for omnichannel brands.

Fulfil was born out of ST’s frustration with slow, rigid ERP implementations after a decade of consulting. Today, Fulfil is challenging legacy giants like NetSuite by staying close to customers, shipping features fast, and building an ERP that actually works the way modern brands operate.

In this conversation, we dive into:

• Why most ERPs fail modern omnichannel brands
• ST’s insights on the economic shifts being caused by AI
• The future of ERP interfaces
• What the top 1% of brands do differently to win on execution
• Why Fulfil never focuses on the competition

If you're a brand operator or founder tired of working around your ERP, this one’s for you.

To learn more about Fulfil, check out their profile on the StartOps Directory: https://startops.network/companies/fulfil-io

In this episode of Blue Ocean by StartOps, we sit down with Justin Sherlock, co-founder and CEO of Caspian.

In this episode, we dive into:

• Duty drawbacks: what they are, how they came into law, and who qualifies.
• How brands can figure out whether “the juice is worth the squeeze” when filing claims
• How Caspian uses AI to automate the complex process of filing claims with U.S. Customs
• The landscape of customs-related service providers, and where Caspian sits in it

To learn more about Caspian, check out their profile on the StartOps Directory: startops.network/companies/caspian

In this episode of Blue Ocean by StartOps, we sit down with Jordan Zapotechne, Chief Revenue Officer of Enterprise Purchasing Group (EPG).

EPG is an extremely unique business — one that very few others could replicate.

By joining EPG as a member, shippers can get remarkable savings on their freight & parcel transportation costs with providers like UPS, Flexport, and Maersk — no matter how big or small they are.

The way EPG does this is a fascinating story, and we dive deep into their story and their business model:

• How EPG went from an idea to the biggest transportation-focused Group Purchasing Organization (GPO)
• What it’s like to negotiate with the senior leadership at UPS
• Case studies, including how EPG ultimately saved ~$20M for a shipper spending $130M/year
• Why carriers view EPG as a deep partner instead of a threat

…and lessons learned from scaling EPG from zero to hundreds of millions in shipping volume.

If you’re a shipper looking to save money on transportation, you can learn more or get in touch here: https://startops.network/epg-partnership

Or find EPG’s partners on the StartOps Directory: https://startops.network/lists/group-purchasing-partners

In this episode of Blue Ocean by StartOps, we sit down with Akhil Oltikar, co-founder and CEO of Omnics.

In this episode, we dive into:

• Akhil’s journey from leading a “tiger team” at Flextronics to founding Omnics.
• Why most supply chain software doesn’t scale — and what Omnics does differently.
• How Omnics helps brands with demand planning, supply management, and decision support.
• The evolution of pricing in the supply chain management space.
• The role of AI in augmenting vs. replacing humans.

…and lessons learned from building Omnics into a trusted platform for companies of all sizes.

To learn more about Omnics, check out their profile on the StartOps Directory: startops.network/companies/omnics

In this episode of Blue Ocean by StartOps, we sit down with Sean Henry, co-founder and CEO of Stord.

In this episode, we cover topics like:

To learn more about Stord, check out their Verified page on the StartOps Directory: startops.network/companies/stord