Ep. #48: Jesse Buckingham, CEO and Cofounder of Vooma

Jan 1, 2025

Jesse Buckingham, CEO and co-founder of Vooma, is a logistics innovator with a background in law, economics, and consulting. He discusses the pivotal role of AI in automating the shipment lifecycle, enhancing brokerage operations, and tackling the challenges of traditional processes. Jesse shares insights on effective team leadership, the future of hiring in an AI-centric world, and the delicate balance of growing a startup while navigating parenthood. His journey reflects a blend of innovation and personal growth in the fast-paced logistics sector.

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ANECDOTE

Childhood in the Bay Area

Jesse Buckingham spent part of his childhood in the US Bay Area during the dot-com era.
He later returned, driven by ambition and a desire to work in the larger US tech market.

INSIGHT

Ambition and Culture

Australian culture sometimes discourages overt ambition (tall poppy syndrome).
Buckingham finds the US more conducive to his ambitious nature.

ADVICE

Preparation for Leadership

Gain experience and build core skills before leading a company.
Consider consulting or similar roles as a training ground.

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In this episode, Andrew is joined by Jesse Buckingham, CEO and cofounder of Vooma. Jesse studied law and economics at the University of Sydney and got his MBA from Stanford. Before Vooma, he was CEO at ASG LogisTech, whose businesses included Trucker Tools, Record360, e-Courier, and PackageRoute. He was also a consultant at Bain & Company.

Now, Jesse’s leading the Vooma team in building AI tools that will automate the shipment lifecycle and help brokerage teams enhance productivity and reduce opex. Vooma recently raised $13M in Series A funding led by Craft Ventures, on top of a $3.6M seed round led by Index Ventures, with support from founders and execs at companies like Motive, Project44, Ryder, and Uber Freight.

Andrew and Jesse cover:

How to motivate teams, lead with passion, and build trust when you’re not the founder.
The greatest challenges around addressing and automating manual processes in logistics.
How AI tools like Vooma will reinvent the way brokerages run their internal operations.
The future of hiring for the skills required to thrive in an AI-driven environment.
The artful balance of building an innovative, new business with having a newborn at home.

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*** This episode is brought to you by Rapido Solutions Group. I had the pleasure of working with Danny Frisco and Roberto Icaza at Coyote, as well as being a client of theirs more recently at MoLo. Their team does a great job supplying nearshore talent to brokers, carriers, and technology providers to handle any role necessary, be it customer or carrier support, back office, or tech services. Visit gorapido.com to learn more.

A special thanks to our additional sponsors:

Cargado – Cargado is the first platform that connects logistics companies and trucking companies that move freight into and out of Mexico. Visit cargado.com to learn more.
Greenscreens.ai – Greenscreens.ai is the AI-powered pricing and market intelligence tool transforming how freight brokers price freight. Visit greenscreens.ai/freightpod today!
Metafora – Metafora is a technology consulting firm that has delivered value for over a decade to brokers, shippers, carriers, private equity firms, and freight tech companies. Check them out at metafora.net. ***