Dynamo Dispatch (2025/10/27)

Issue 350 | Leju Robotics, CurbWaste, Acelab

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 💭

The world’s supply chains are being rewritten by algorithms, automation, and geopolitics. This week’s Dispatch explores how technology and policy are reshaping trade routes and risk, from Amazon’s robotic overhaul to Canada’s port expansion and China’s airfreight surge, as logistics enters its next era of disruption.

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We Are Dynamo,

Madelyn, Madison and the rest of the Dynamo team

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Make, Move, and Monetize 📦

⭐ AI Deepfakes Fueling Digitally-Enabled Crime Wave in the Freight Industry. Cargo theft is shifting from trailer break-ins to AI-enabled fraud: criminals use deepfake voices, synthetic IDs, and bot calls to spoof carriers/brokers, then flip stolen goods quickly via social marketplaces, turning viral consumer items into fast-cash targets. Theft spikes around major hubs during peak seasons and is rising in Mexico, with insurance gaps pushing losses back to shippers and consumers. Executives should treat this as a cyber risk: tighten identity and liveness verification on dispatch calls, add real-time load tracking and anomaly detection, audit marketplace leakages, and train ops teams for social-engineering plays—because awareness and workflow hardening, not just tech, will decide who absorbs the next wave of losses. Completely unrelated, US Container Ports Putting Pandemic in the Rearview.

Amazon Plans to Replace More Than Half a Million Jobs With Robots. Amazon is pivoting to a heavily automated warehouse model, with internal plans to replace a large share of human tasks, build near-humanless sites, and even rebrand “robots” as “cobots” while shoring up community PR. Shreveport is the template rolling out across new builds and retrofits like Stone Mountain, shifting work from pick/pack roles to technician jobs; Amazon says the leaked docs don’t reflect companywide hiring strategy. If this playbook proves profitable, it could reset blue-collar labor markets—shrinking entry-level jobs, pressuring peers to follow, and intensifying equity risks—while boosting Amazon’s operating leverage. Also, How Artificial Intelligence is Changing Amazon’s Workforce and Amazon Just Might Replace 500,000 Humans with Robots.

US Trade War Drives Canada to Fast-Track Port Expansion. Canada is fast-tracking a new container terminal at the Port of Montreal, run by DP World and prioritized by a new Major Projects Office, to steer trade away from the US and deepen links to Europe, the Middle East, and South Asia. Despite river draft constraints and past labor unrest, the Contrecoeur build significantly lifts capacity and leans on strong rail to Quebec/Ontario and the US Midwest. Suppose tariffs continue to push Canadian exporters to diversify. In that case, Montreal’s upgrade becomes a pressure valve that redraws trans-Atlantic routings, shifts pricing power toward Eastern Canada, and nudges US gateways to defend share. For more, check out Why Canada’s LNG Export Expansion is Far From a Sure Thing.

China Air Freight Demand, Rates Surge on New 100% US Tariff. US importers are rushing trans-Pacific shipments by air to beat a potential 100% tariff on Chinese goods, effective Nov. 1, spiking volumes even without a formal rule in place. Carriers pre-positioned freighters and added lift, keeping rates from blowing out despite the surge, while ocean shippers largely wait-and-see. Expect more pricing and capacity whiplash across air networks—and if tariffs stick, higher landed costs and a deeper, sustained tilt to air for urgent SKUs.

Flexport Launches AI Tools to Tackle Tariffs. Flexport rolled out an AI suite that audits past customs entries, flags compliance risks in real time, and simulates tariff exposure—aimed squarely at importers navigating volatile U.S. trade rules. The launch spotlights a broader logistics AI arms race (Salesforce, Altana, etc.) and shifts Flexport’s customs brokerage from back-office task to growth engine. For importers, AI-driven compliance is fast becoming table stakes to cut duty spend, avoid penalties, and de-risk supply chains; for forwarders, software differentiation—not capacity—will win the next round of customers. Related, US Companies are Using AI to Help Offset Increased Tariff Costs.

Japanese Shipyards to Invest $2.3B to Combat Declining Newbuild Market Share. Japan’s shipyards are mounting a public-private comeback: the Shipbuilders’ Association plans major capex to double output by 2035, with the LDP preparing a support fund to modernize aging yards with big cranes and robotics. Tokyo aims to lift national capacity and deepen US cooperation, betting that replacement cycles, geopolitics, and a “wall of capital” from owners and lenders will soak up new slots. If it lands, Japan could claw back share from Korea and China, tighten global yard availability (and pricing power) late in the decade, and unlock investor routes into newbuild financing tied to decarbonization and security. Completely unrelated, GrayMatter Robotics Unveils 100,000-Square-Foot AI Robotics Innovation Center in California.

Trump Port Fees Slap Shipper with $34M Tariff Bill: ‘They Are Showing Us the Door,’ says Shocked US Freight CEO. A last-minute tweak to USTR’s Section 301 port fees reclassified Atlantic Container Line’s hybrid ships as vehicle carriers, saddling the US-based line with an unexpected, outsized tariff burden that its CEO says is unsustainable. ACL warns it may exit the US or pass costs to customers, disrupting weekly service for oversized and project cargo; USTR says the rules follow ship-construction classifications, with no change signaled. The fallout could ripple through US manufacturers and exporters that rely on ACL’s niche capacity, raising logistics costs, thinning competition on the Atlantic lane, and spotlighting how policy shifts can upend hybrid assets—and potentially push a US-headquartered carrier offshore. Also, Bessent Says US and China Have Reached Framework in Tariff Negotiations, and US and China Agree Framework of Trade Deal Ahead of Trump-Xi Meeting.

DP World Reveals New Automated Container Handling System At London Gateway. DP World is installing BOXBAY’s automated “Empty Superstack” at London Gateway—an enclosed high-bay system for empty containers using fully electric stacker cranes, boosting yard capacity and speeding truck turns without altering quay or gate interfaces. It’s being deployed at the port’s new all-electric berth, building on a successful Jebel Ali pilot. This is a blueprint for easing empty-box congestion by adding vertical capacity, cutting rehandles, and advancing electrified operations—pressuring rival ports to match automation. For more, check out How AI and Automation Are Transforming the Global Supply Chain.

Wall Street Sees Turning Point for Driverless Trucks. Autonomous trucking has faced fewer big bans than nagging rule frictions that make driverless ops awkward in practice. FMCSA just approved Aurora to use cab-mounted flashing beacons instead of manual triangles for stopped trucks, opening the same path to other carriers via notice, and Morgan Stanley calls it a turning point that signals regulator willingness to smooth practical hurdles, reversing a prior denial. With a bill on deck to codify beacon use and clarify human-driver requirements, this lowers operational barriers and could accelerate commercial deployments, reshaping competitive positioning for AV developers and large fleets.

UP, NS Say a Merger Will Cut Carload Transit Times. Shippers Aren’t Convinced. UP and NS say a merger would speed carload traffic most by eliminating east-west interchanges (think Chicago) and controlling end-to-end service, promising faster, more reliable trips and lower inventory and fleet needs for shippers. But experts and large shippers are skeptical, noting that prior mergers rarely delivered, gateway chokepoints remain tough, and railroads could already run many through-trains if there were sufficient volumes. If the pairing can’t fix Chicago and other gateways—or stimulate enough density—shippers shouldn’t bank on sweeping time cuts; the prize is real but route-by-route, and regulators and customers will demand hard, lane-level proofs before reshaping fleets or contracts. Related, Union Pacific to Submit Papers for Mega Merger by End-November; Profit Tops Estimates.

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Request for Startups 📢

Dynamo is always looking to meet startups that are helping to make, move, and monetize goods. Check out our latest request for startups below.

Industrial robotics is bottlenecked by limited dexterity, as robots can’t yet match the precision and sensing capabilities of the human hand. AI-driven manipulation breakthroughs could unlock broad automation and licensable hardware opportunities for the next industrial wave. Read more about our thoughts on Human-like Dexterity and Manipulation.

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The Future of Supply Chain 🎙️

Check out our podcast series that’s 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.

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Fundraises and M&A 💸

Rightcharge Raises €1.8M in Seed Funding. Rightcharge offers a platform that automates home EV charging reimbursements for fleets, integrating directly with energy accounts and simplifying public charging through consolidated billing. The funding will support international expansion via a white-label partnership with Octopus Electroverse in six European countries. Soulmates Ventures led the round, joined by Blackwood Ventures, Unruly Capital, and Purple Ventures.

Pavewise Raises $2.5M in Seed Funding. Pavewise provides construction software that integrates production tracking, compliance automation, and real-time weather data to optimize road construction projects. The seed funding will support go-to-market expansion, including investments in sales, marketing, and crew acquisition. The round was led by C2 Ventures with participation from Connectic, Service Provider Capital, Geoff Judge, Tom Stemm, M25, gener8tor 1889, and Broadwater Capital.

Mondra Raises £10M in Series A Funding. Mondra provides an AI-powered platform that maps food supply chains using digital twin technology to track product-level carbon impact, environmental risks, and price volatility. The funding will support expansion into European markets such as the Netherlands, Germany, and France, and drive development of features addressing supply chain disruption and climate risk. The round was led by AlbionVC with participation from Planet A, Swisscom, PeakBridge, Ponderosa Ventures, and Green Circle Foodtech Ventures.

Acelab Raises $13.5M in Series A Funding. Acelab offers an AI-powered platform, Material Hub, that streamlines building material selection for architects through intelligent search, collaborative workflows, and centralized data. The funding will be used to enhance AI capabilities, expand into new geographic markets, and deepen integrations with major design software tools. Navitas Capital led the round, with participation from JLL Spark, DivcoWest, and industry figures including Kai-Uwe Bergmann and Christopher Sharples, alongside returning investors Pillar VC and Draper Associates.

CurbWaste Raises $28M in Series B Funding. CurbWaste offers a digital operations platform tailored for waste haulers, providing tools for route management, invoicing, dispatch, and AI-powered operational insights. The new funding will support the development of advanced AI features and deepen the company’s service offerings for family-run haulers across the U.S. Socium Ventures led the round, with participation from Flourish Ventures, TTV Capital, B Capital Group, and SquarePoint Capital.

Leju Robotics Raises Over $200M in Pre-IPO Funding. Leju Robotics, based in Shenzhen, develops humanoid robots for industrial applications, including material handling in electric vehicle manufacturing. The funds will be used to scale production and accelerate product development as the company prepares for a public listing. Citic Goldstone and Shenzhen Investment Holdings led the round, with strategic partnerships underway with Huawei Technologies, Alibaba Group, and Haier Group.

H.I.G. Capital Acquires Majority Stake in A.L.A. S.p.A. A.L.A. S.p.A. is a Naples-based provider of mission-critical logistics and distribution services for the Aerospace and Defense sector, supporting manufacturers with integrated supply chain solutions. The acquisition will support ALA’s international growth and strengthen its position in the European A&D supply chain. H.I.G. Capital led the transaction, with the founding families retaining a significant minority stake.

Who’s Hiring? 👩‍💻

Be sure to check out the Dynamo website for more job opportunities at our portfolio companies!

Inventory Specialist at Gatik in Rochester Hills, Michigan

Customer Success Manager (French-speaking) at Improvin in Stockholm, Sweden (Hybrid).

Founding GTM at Ceto in Newcastle, London (Hybrid).