Blue Ocean by StartOps

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 trendsIf 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 competitionIf 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 itTo 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-partnershipOr 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. Sean’s journey began as a young entrepreneur selling products online, before he founded Stord while at Georgia Tech. Since then, he has built Stord into a category-defining “cloud supply chain” company — a profitable, vertically integrated combination of fulfillment, software, and transportation services that can seamlessly take consumer goods from a factory to a customer’s front porch. In this episode, we cover topics like: What Stord has learned from Amazon about building a compound business Why Sean bet big on vertical integration and asset ownership (when others did the opposite) How to ensure quality across a large number of complex products Stord’s tricks for success when growing through M&A The ecommerce trends that Sean has got his eye on for this year To learn more about Stord, check out their Verified page on the StartOps Directory: startops.network/companies/stord

In This episode of Blue Ocean by StartOps We sit down with Arjun Aggarwal, founder and CEO of Mandrel. Arjun envisions a future where a small team can run a $100M consumer brand. In this future, “inventory management” isn’t a discrete problem for operations teams — it’s part of the larger challenge of automating the whole business. The first step towards this future is to unshackle operators from the worst parts of their work: data entry and data organization. Starting with their AI-driven “no-touch” data entry, Mandrel is redefining how brands approach supply chain operations and defining a new category of Inventory Automation systems as an accompaniment to — or replacement of — traditional ERPs. We cover topics like: How Arjun ended up running product for a publicly traded company in his 20s The surprising thing SMB and enterprise supply chains have in common How inventory management complexity kills product innovation, not just cash flow and margins The journey to the 1-person, $100M brand To learn more about Mandrel, check out their profile on the StartOps Directory.

In this episode of Blue Ocean by StartOps, we sit down with Mohnish Chakravarti, founder and CEO of Rails, to discuss the present and future of 3PL billing. Every year, $350+ billion passes from merchants to their 3PLs. But 3PL are notoriously complex, and this opacity hurts everyone. 3PLs suffer because collecting revenue requires arduous manual computation — and time delays that eat into working capital. Merchants suffer because billing errors erode their margins and their trust alike. Mohnish shares his journey from building internal tools at Stord to founding Rails in hopes of solving 3PL billing once and for all. We cover topics like: The hidden benefits of complex 3PL contracts The life and death of a typical 3PL invoice Why invoice automation isn’t actually about efficiency The biggest challenges building Rails so far — and where they’re heading in the future To learn more about Rails, check out their profile on the StartOps Directory: startops.network/companies/rails

In this episode of Blue Ocean by StartOps, we sit down with Keith Frymark, Senior VP of Supply Chain and Quality at Seed Health. As well as being a veteran supply chain leader, Keith was officially Member #1 and co-founder of the StartOps community. In this episode, Charles and Keith go back to the origins of StartOps, reflecting on what the community has become today — and its future. Listen in to hear more about: The StartOps origin story — from casual drinks in San Francisco, to a global network of consumer brand ops leaders What happens in the StartOps Slack — and how operators use it to answer their million-dollar questions The promise of software to help the group scale — without losing the very intimacy that makes it valuable To learn more about StartOps, check out their Verified page in the StartOps Directory.

In this episode of Blue Ocean by StartOps, we sit down with John Morgan, founder of Pelagic, to talk about the growing role of Operations Agencies in the supply chain world. John cut his teeth running procurement for early SpaceX — a role where one tiny mistake could cause a rocket to explode. Today, he takes those lessons in rigor to his clients at Pelagic. In this episode, we answer questions like: Why there are millions of marketing agencies but only ~5 full-stack ops agencies? What kind of supply chain SaaS is really worth the investment? What has he learned from running ops across 50+ different consumer brands? …and touch on John’s vision for an Operator University. To learn more about Pelagic, check out their Verified page on the StartOps Directory: startops.network/companies/pelagic