Dynamo Dispatch. A weekly update from Dynamo Ventures covering the latest and greatest in supply chain, mobility, and building venture-scale businesses.
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Weekly Commentary đ
This weekâs roundup tracks real shifts in capacity, risk, and policy across the spine of global logistics: A JLR cyber hit exposes just-in-time fragility; Korean builders pursue US shipyards; USPS accelerates automation; tariffs and port fees reshape routings; regulators target cargo theft; and more.
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â Surge of Imports Into Southern California Ends. Retailersâ tariff beat-the-clock rush into Los Angeles/Long Beach has crested, and port leaders expect volumes to cool as holiday goods are already onshore. Rapid-fire tariff shifts drove importers to front-load earlier in the summer, and theyâre now pausing amid policy and demand uncertainty. Broadly, the implications of this may include softer port throughput and choppier booking patterns leading up to year-end, which could pressure rates and warehouse utilization. Operators should pare inventory bets, diversify routings, and scenario-plan for fast tariff moves. Related, LA Portâs Container Surge Comes to an End.
Report: HD Hyundai in Talks to Buy US Shipyard. HD Hyundai is in talks to buy a US shipyard, following rival Hanwhaâs Philly Shipyard deal and aligning with Hyundaiâs push to expand in America as Washington eyes a bigger naval build. The move targets defense and commercial work but faces hurdlesâUS-only warship rules (with talk of easing), labor shortages and training timelines, immigration frictions, and the need for government approval. If approved, the deal could reshape US shipbuilding capacity and competition by bringing Korean design and cost discipline into the market, but success will depend on ramping up the workforce and stable policies on Buy American rules, visas, and defense/export approvals. Also, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Continues Pursuit of US Shipyard Acquisition and South Korean Manufacturers Outline Plans to Bolster US Shipbuilding.
Inside the Jaguar Land Rover Hack: Stalled Smart Factories, Outsourced Cybersecurity and Supply Chain Woes. JLRâs cyberattack has frozen production globally after its tightly coupled IT made isolation impossible, cascading through a just-in-time network of 700+ suppliers. SAP âhandshakesâ are down, thousands of WIP vehicles are stranded mid-build, cash cycles have stalled, and Tier-2/3s face acute liquidity stress, layoffs, and potential insolvenciesâthreatening a slow, bottlenecked restart. The takeaway? Cyber risk is supply-chain risk. Segment networks, build âdegraded-modeâ operations, fast-pay critical suppliers, and multi-source choke componentsâor a single IT hit can stall the entire value chain, causing months of drag and heavy working-capital burn. Completely unrelated, Indiaâs Jindal Steel Makes Non-Binding Offer for Thyssenkrupp Steel Europe.
UP, NS Intermodal Service to Connect Western, Southern Markets. Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern are launching a new intermodal gateway in Louisville in mid-October, linking the city to West Coast, Mountain West, and Gulf markets, with interchanges handled in Kansas City. The service is designed to be truck-competitive and is supported by UPâs recent intermodal expansions, a new Kansas City terminal, and NSâs expanded Louisville footprint and extensive Eastern network. This creates a faster, more resilient east-west/south rail option that can pull freight off highways and reduce Chicago handoffsâopening attractive new bid lanes for automotive, consumer, and industrial shippers. It also positions both carriers for a proposed merger, with potential network-wide cost and service gains if approved. For more, check out Union Pacific, Norfolk Southern Roll Out New Domestic Intermodal.
USPS Installs Speedy, Next-Gen Package Sorting Machines. USPS is deploying next-gen automated sortersâPILS and the larger MEWSâbuilt on similar active-roller tech to replace legacy equipment and ramp throughput at key hubs. MEWS scales PILS into a multi-line system for regional transfers, cutting manual handling and improving safety while consolidating separations where needed. The upgrades should lower unit costs and speed cycle times, sharpening USPSâs peak-season competitiveness against FedEx/UPS/Amazon while shifting labor from hand-sorting to operating and maintaining automation.
Trumpâs Team Explores Government-Backed Manufacturing Boost. The Trump administration is weighing a Japan-backed industrial push to finance new US factories in strategic sectors like chips, pharma, critical minerals, energy, shipping, and quantum, paired with fast-track permits and access to federal resources. It would expand Washingtonâs hand in directing manufacturing, with the White House steering project selection, though key terms remain fluid and face pushback from Congress, Japan, and companies wary of strings. If implemented, this could redirect capital toward favored supply chains and reset competitive dynamicsâleaders should position themselves to qualify for preferential treatment while pricing in profit-sharing, governance conditions, and the risk of policy reversals. Completely unrelated, US Tariffs on India Take Their Toll on Air Cargo Demand.
US May Ease India Tariffs, India's Chief Economic Adviser Says. Indiaâs Chief Economic Adviser V. Anantha Nageswaran said the US could soon scrap the 25% penal tariff on Indian goods and cut reciprocal rates to 10â15% after âpositiveâ talks, signaling a thaw since President Trumpâs Aug 27 hike tied to Indiaâs Russian oil purchases. A TrumpâModi call underscored the shift, and Indian stocks climbed, with the Nifty 50 hitting a one-week high. A rollback would ease cost pressure and improve margins for Indian exporters, reopen deal flow in USâIndia trade, and support near-term risk-on sentimentâthough policy volatility and Ukraine-linked conditions remain a watchout. Also, Trump Administration Ponders Adjusting Scope of Auto Part, Steel and China Tariffs, and If the Swiss Army Knife Is Made in America, Is It Still Swiss?
One Small Step for Bot Auto, One Giant Leap for Autonomous Trucking. Bot Auto completed a fully unmanned, hub-to-hub truck run in Houston with no driver or remote assist, after end-to-end verification and multiple redundancy and minimum-risk fallback layers. The company frames it as a waypoint toward commercialization, expanding its operational design domain and targeting a human-less HoustonâSan Antonio cargo run next. This proves core tech maturity and could accelerate pilots, partnerships, and fundraisingâexpect sharper cost-per-mile benchmarks, closer regulatory scrutiny, and competitive pressure on other AV trucking programs. For more, check out, Forget Tesla Hype â Einride Begins Public L4 Autonomous Electric Semi Operations.
US Importers and Exporters Fret Over Port Fees on Chinese Ships. Ocean carriers say they wonât add surcharges âfor nowâ when US port fees on Chinese-built/owned/operated ships start Oct. 14, but theyâre already swapping Chinese-built vessels off US routesâreshaping networks in ways that can degrade schedule reliability and shift capacity. That reshuffling, paired with elevated USâChina tensions and softer demand, sets the stage for more blank sailings, port rotations, and transit-time variability, especially on China-facing export lanes. Plan for costs to creep up and schedules to get less reliable. Using multiple carriers, requiring service guarantees in contracts, and setting up backup routes will help to keep critical shipments on time.
Mixed Signals: FMCSA Data Outage Raises Eyebrows as DOT Pushes Cargo Theft Crackdown. FMCSA briefly knocked key safety datasets offline due to a routine-update glitchâthen restored themâjust as DOT rolled out a cargo theft crackdown and sought input on closing fraud and âchameleon carrierâ loopholes. The initiative targets both straight thefts and sophisticated, cyber-enabled schemes amid a multi-year spike in incidents. This juxtaposition spotlights a dependency-risk: regulators want more reporting and vetting while the data pipes can still hiccupâso brokers, shippers, and carriers should harden fraud controls, keep offline/alternate vetting workflows, and plan for data-access disruptions even as compliance tightens. Related, UPDATE: FMCSA Data Back Online After Outage.
The Future of Supply Chain đïž
Check out our podcast series thatâs been running since 2018. On each episode of the Future of Supply Chain, we sit down with a different entrepreneur, investor, or industry veteran to discuss innovation, technology, and the most exciting opportunities in supply chain as we build the future of the industry together.
Fundraises and M&A đž
Temelion Raises âŹ3.2M in Seed Funding. Temelion develops an AI platform that streamlines pre-construction engineering workflows by automating documentation, bid decisions, and contractor evaluations. The funds will be used to expand the engineering team, enhance product features, and accelerate commercial rollout in France. The seed round was led by 360Capital with participation from ISAI Build Venture, SE Ventures, and Kima Ventures.
Sonair Raises $6M. Sonair, an Oslo-based startup, has developed an ADAR (acoustic detection and ranging) sensor that uses ultrasound to give robots a three-dimensional view of their environment. The company will utilize the new funding to scale the adoption of its sensors across the robotics and industrial safety markets. The $6M round included participation from Scale Capital, Investinor, and ProVenture.
Icarus Raises $6.1M in Seed Funding. Icarus is developing dexterous, teleoperated robots designed to automate cargo logistics tasks aboard the International Space Station. Icarus will use the funds to conduct parabolic flight testing and a year-long ISS demonstration via Voyager Space, ultimately aiming to develop embodied AI systems for autonomous on-orbit operations. The $6.1M seed round was led by Soma Capital and Xtal, with participation from Nebular and Massive Tech Ventures.
GridStrong Raises $10M in Seed Funding. GridStrong provides an AI-native compliance automation platform designed to help grid asset owners streamline regulatory workflows and enhance system reliability. The funding will support accelerated development of end-to-end automation tools for NERC compliance, IBR model maintenance, and operational analytics across the asset lifecycle. The $10M seed round was led by Congruent Ventures, with participation from Energize Capital and a strategic investment from Engie Renewables North America.
Conduct Raises $12M in Seed Funding. Conduct, a UK-based enterprise AI startup, offers an agentic AI platform that helps organizations understand and manage their complex ERP systems, with a focus on SAP S/4HANA migration. The seed funding will support product development and scaling efforts aimed at modernizing outdated enterprise IT infrastructure. The round was led by Creandum, with participation from Lucid Capital, Booom, and angel investors from Palantir, Google DeepMind, Workday, and SAP.
Atomic Industries Raises $25M in Series A Funding. Atomic Industries is developing AI-powered software to automate tool design, transforming the economics of manufacturing by turning tooling into a scalable, software-defined asset. The funding will be used to expand its network of software-defined factories and accelerate AI development for mass production infrastructure. The Series A was led by MaC Venture Capital and DTX Ventures, with participation from the University of Michigan, Calm Ventures, Blackwing, Narya, and others.
GreenLite Raises $49.5M in Series B Funding. GreenLite provides AI-powered permitting solutions that streamline the plan review and code compliance process for builders and public agencies. The funding will support product development, team expansion, and growth into new verticals including logistics, clean energy, and residential construction. Insight Partners led the round, with participation from Energize Capital, Craft Ventures, LiveOak Ventures, and Chicago Ventures.
Omnea Raises $50M in Series B Funding. Omnea provides AI-powered procurement software that automates and streamlines the onboarding and management of workplace tools and vendors. The new capital will support hiring efforts across the US and UK, addressing talent as a key constraint to growth. The Series B round was led by Insight Partners and Khosla Ventures, with participation from Accel, Point Nine, and First Round Capital.
PassiveLogic Raises $74M in Series C Funding. PassiveLogic develops an autonomous control platform for buildings and infrastructure, using physics-informed AI and digital twins to orchestrate real-time, cross-system decision-making. The funding will accelerate the deployment of its physical AI platform and expand adoption across new builds and retrofits globally. The round was led by noa, with participation from Prologis Ventures, Johnson Controls, PSP Growth, and existing investors Addition, NVentures, Keyframe, and Brookfield.
Dyna Robotics Raises $120M in Series A Funding. Dyna Robotics builds general-purpose robots using proprietary embodied AI foundation models that generalize across real-world environments. The funding will support team growth, product development, and scaled deployments. Robostrategy, CRV, and First Round Capital led the round, joined by Salesforce Ventures, NVentures, Amazon Industrial Innovation Fund, Samsung Next, and LG Technology Ventures.
Divergent Raises $290M in Series E Funding. Divergent develops the Divergent Adaptive Production System (DAPS), an end-to-end digital manufacturing platform. The new funding will scale production capacity, expand defense and aerospace applications, and support the development of new product families. The round was led by Rochefort Asset Management and included $250M in equity and $40M in debt capital.
Figure AI Raises Undisclosed Series C. Figure AI develops general-purpose humanoid robots and has reached over $1B in committed capital, with a post-money valuation of $39B. The funding will accelerate development of its Helix embodied AI platform, scale manufacturing via its BotQ environment, and support deployment of 100,000 robots over the next four years. Parkway Venture Capital led the Series C round, with participation from Brookfield, NVIDIA, Intel Capital, LG Technology Ventures, Salesforce, and others.
GrowthCurve Capital Acquires PlanHub. PlanHub provides a cloud-based preconstruction platform that connects subcontractors, general contractors, and suppliers to streamline bidding and project management. GrowthCurve will support the companyâs expansion by enhancing AI-enabled product features, launching new business lines, and entering new markets. Financial terms were not disclosed, and Mainsail Partners will remain a minority shareholder.
FitzMark Acquires Hometown Logistics. Hometown Logistics, founded in 2017, is a non-asset freight brokerage firm that brokers Flatbed and Dry Van transportation for small and midsize shippers across North America. The acquisition by FitzMark will enhance HometownLXâs service capabilities and support accelerated growth for both companies.
Who's Hiring? đ©âđ»
Be sure to check out the Dynamo website for more job opportunities at our portfolio companies!
Billing Specialist at Stord in Atlanta, GA (Remote).
Account Executive at Token Transit in San Francisco, CA (Remote).
AI Engineer at FreightHero in Palo Alto, CA (Remote).
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