[SaaS Series] Unveiling Freight’s Hidden Secrets With Chadd Olesen of AVRL

Chadd Olesen is the CEO and Co-founder of AVRL, an Austin-based automation company specializing in logistics and supply chain technology. Since launching AVRL in 2017, he has led its transformation from a natural language processing startup into a freight tech powerhouse, now automating over 60 million shipments annually. Under Chadd's leadership, AVRL has become one of the fastest-growing companies in the US, earning recognition on the Inc. 5000 list. He is known for his consultative approach to automation, empowering brokers and carriers to integrate technology without sacrificing human expertise.

In this episode…

Breaking into a saturated and highly competitive industry like freight and logistics is no small feat — especially when innovation is rare and copycats abound. Startups in this space face challenges like differentiating their offering, managing growth without overexposure, and surviving tight margins. So, how do you build a technology-driven solution, scale it, and protect your edge in a legacy industry?

Chadd Olesen, a seasoned entrepreneur with a background in voice and automation technology, shares how he strategically navigated these hurdles by focusing on deep integrations, word-of-mouth growth, and selective client onboarding. He emphasizes the importance of starting with a clear problem — such as inefficient freight pricing — and solving it with adaptable, robust tech. He warns against the allure of big corporate logos, advocating instead for smaller, agile client relationships and value-based pricing. Through lessons learned the hard way, Chadd recommends hiring scrappy engineers over corporate veterans and using automation to minimize human error and maximize scalability.

In this episode of the Inspired Insider Podcast, Dr. Jeremy Weisz interviews Chadd Olesen, CEO of AVRL, about disrupting the freight industry through automation. Chadd discusses entering a legacy space without industry experience, how his team landed enterprise clients like Walmart and JB Hunt, and the strategic decision to operate in stealth. He also explores product-market fit, the funding process, and how his leadership evolved after becoming a parent.