Venture Connectors Featured Startup

BroadLoop was invited to present as the featured startup for the Venture Connectors January meeting hosted at the beautiful Muhammed Ali Center in Louisville, KY.  Venture connectors was originally formed in 1995 to bring entrepreneurs and investors together in a professional but relaxed forum.

After pouring so much energy into the Techstars Accelerator for 3 months and being located in Indianapolis, it felt great to be back in Louisville. We had many updates to share and met some great people while networking before and after the program. With so much going on in this region and so much support we need as a growing tech startup, we are excited to reengage in the Louisville Start-up Ecosystem. One thing Techstars made abundantly clear was the value of networking and asking for help.

Featured Presenter

The featured presenter was Chris Goode of Climavision who recently raised $100M in equity funding to build his weather services and intelligence platform. His impressive vision and ability to raise such a substantial amount of capital were impressive and inspiring.

Techstars

BroadLoop Completes Prestigious Accelerator Program

The Heritage Group Accelerator powered by Techstars received ~150 applications from companies around the world, but only 10 were accepted into their competitive accelerator based in Indianapolis, IN. The program launched in September 2021 and lasted for 13 weeks. Participants received an infusion of capital, workshops focused on scaling their companies, unprecedented access to prospective customers, dedicated resources to help move the needle in specific areas, and access to the Techstars network of founder, investors, advisors, service providers and more.

BroadLoop Team at Techstars Demo Day
Dec 9, 2021 - Indianapolis, IN

Key Achievements

Team
Hired an Operations Manager and a mobile developer
Funding

Received investment from Techstars and HG Ventures

Customers

2 new customers and
2 pilots launched

Integrations
Libra, Samsara, Gauge Telematics
Mentors
Met with 80+ mentors & investors
Planning
Validated financial model, defined sales projections & KPIs

Demo Day

The program culminates with Demo Day where each company pitches in front of hundreds of investors, supporters and stakeholders. Each company in this particular accelerator cohort is poised to make the world a better place in a big way from carbon capture technology to recycled powder-coating to building a circular economy out of tailings ponds for major mining companies. To see all of the companies speak briefly about their companies, check them out here.

Pros and Cons – Pictures of Paper Tickets

Maybe your state is making Electronic Ticketing (E-Ticketing) a standard specification. Or maybe you're just ready to streamline your operation with access to realtime data and ditch the printers. Either way, one idea you might consider is to use smartphone cameras or scanners to capture a digital version of the paper tickets.

Pros

  • available technology
    • 92% of the construction industry uses a smartphone daily for work*
    • your existing cloud storage solutions might be capable of storing large quantities of digital tickets
  • quick implementation
    • snapping pics or scanning tickets doesn't require much training or changes to processes
    • could get started right away with little delays
  • lower cost
    • little to no upfront cost necessary to get started
    • may not incur any additional expenses for data storage

2020 Construction Technology Report by JB Knowledge

Cons

  • requires image processing
    • Optical Character Recognition (OCR) is required to automate tasks (data entry, reconciling invoices, billing for loads, etc...)
    • OCR offsets all of the Pros above regarding access to technology, speed of implementation and cost
  • impractical workflow
    • can be time-consuming to snap high quality images from the field in low light or various weather conditions
    • interpreting hand-written driver tickets will always be unreliable and require the attention of admin staff for accuracy
  • not paperless
    • taking a picture of a paper ticket means you still have paper tickets (along with the cost of paper, toner, etc...)
    • unless the first person to touch the printed ticket takes a picture, all the benefits of social distancing and limiting contact are gone
  • real time data access
    • extracting data from the image via OCR means that data can be shared, but only once it's available
    • to achieve near-real time access, the plant operator or driver would need to take the picture right away
BroadLoop's e-Ticket solution is connected to the loadout software at the plant which means the load ticket data is accessible immediately whether a ticket is printed or not. Drivers can sign in/out on our mobile app and/or the foreman can easily manage this from a tablet. No matter when/where you are, you can always get a realtime view of your job(s) and optimize your cycles at the same time.

Let us show you how we can drive down the cost to operate your virtual fleet with our e-Ticketing solution.

TDOT Approves BroadLoop as a Qualified E-Ticketing Software Product

NASHVILLE, TN, April 15, 2021 — Following a review by the TDOT E-Ticketing Committee, BroadLoop was approved as a Qualified E-Ticketing Software Product based on its ability to meet all automated delivery requirements as stipulated in the Special Provision 109ETAS.

BroadLoop began processing E-Tickets for i-MoveKy, the largest state-funded project in Kentucky, in May 2020. In response to the pandemic and increasing need for social distancing, E-Ticketing was made available to all of customers to combat the spread of COVID-19. Between the EDC-6 E-Ticketing initiative and the rapidly changing landscape in the field, BroadLoop incorporated customer feedback to meet specifications, drive efficiency and safely connect everyone around the critical operational data.

“The benefits of E-Ticketing stretch far beyond compliance with a DOT provision or special note.” said Nick McRae, Co-founder & CEO of BroadLoop. “Embracing digital transformation in construction has proven to be a competitive advantage for road builders searching for innovative ways to control costs, increase job profitability and shine a spotlight on key performance metrics. The ability to easily and securely share data internally and/or with customers and the DOT opens up some very interesting time/cost savings as well. We consider DOT compliance to be a simple by-product of an efficient, technology-backed operation.”

E-Ticketing is foundational to the BroadLoop platform and available as part of the core platform. Call 502-501-5023 or schedule a demo at www.broadloop.com/request-demo to learn more.

About BroadLoop
BroadLoop is a virtual fleet logistics and dispatch intelligence platform designed for construction companies, fleet operators and material producers. To learn more, please visit www.broadloop.com.

e-Ticketing – Not Good for the DOT

The Department of Transportation recently announced their support for e-Ticketing in the 6th round of its Every Day Counts (EDC-6) program. And it's no surprise that COVID-19 has accelerated their desire to require electronic tickets on state-funded projects due to the extra contact involved with handling paper tickets.

But e-Ticketing is not just good for the DOT...
e-Ticketing is good for asphalt contractors!

 

What the DOT wants

The HMA e-Ticket Specifications provide an opportunity for the DOT to collect data faster and more accurately. Ultimately, all scale ticket data gets entered into the DOT construction management software (ex. AASHTOWare Project). The DOT is simply wants the contractor to provide the same data they are providing on the paper tickets in an electronic format. This speeds things up, saves them money and eliminates data-entry errors.

Why is e-Ticketing good for you?

You get all the same benefits the DOT gets, plus MUCH more! For an asphalt contractor, that looks like

  • better performance
    • faster cycle times without stopping to collect tickets
    • real-time alerts in the field about long ETA, load temperature variances, etc...
  • faster processing
    • no time spent on data entry (and no data entry errors)
    • invoice customers more quickly
  • cost savings
    • store/retrieve digital tickets instead of digging through file cabinets
    • less cost for printers, paper, ink, etc...

 

There are MANY reasons e-Ticketing is good for asphalt contractors. Reach out to learn more about how we can help you drive down the cost to operate your virtual fleet with our e-Ticketing solution.

Uberization and the Access Economy: Part 1

Remove Complexity, Lower Costs

Ever since Uber deconstructed and rebuilt the taxi industry, the entrepreneurs of the world saw a new template for disruptive technology. Everyone wanted a low-cost solution that could add efficiency to under-utilized human resources around the globe, all enabled by the smart devices found currently on 70% of Americans, as well as  a majority of people in developed countries.  Thanks to this new Access Economy, where goods and services are readily available at your fingertips, entrepreneurs and investors sought to apply the template to every industry imaginable by building their own highly accessible software platforms atop a selected industry or service. We see it in transportation with Lyft and Uber, hospitality with Airbnb, project funding with Kickstarter and Indiegogo, valet services with Luxe, delivery services with Postmates and Seamless, and there are more popping up constantly.

A Flaw in the Access Economy

Despite the successes, the Uber blueprint has clearly not been perfected. For example, the low margins on food delivery apps has lead to the demise of numerous promising startups, including Maple, “a startup that dreamed of delivering a better office lunch”, and Sprig, a gourmet delivery service that had previously raised $60 million.  Even Uber itself has to look into the future to see the profits beyond the enormous losses. According to Business Insider “Uber lost close to $1 billion in the first half of 2015, up from $671.4 million the year before..., (but) even with increasing losses, its (net) revenue was on pace to triple to more than $1.5 billion.”

Uber has been able to comp its losses through sheer volume and market dominance, but smaller businesses have had to rely on lowering prices to undercut competition.  These small startups will use investor funding to stay afloat, then slowly increase prices once established. New York Times writer, Farhad Manjoo, uses Postmates as an example: “(A premium service fee) has kept the the company’s unit economics in the black. Postmates does not lose money on the bulk of its orders. But high prices have left the company vulnerable to lower priced competitors.” Manjoo cites the cheaper alternative, DoorDash, which received $127 million in funding, as the reason for Postmates new, cheaper pricing options, and believes this kind of rampant funding and undercutting is a fatal flaw in the entirety of the Access Economy model.



The Uber template is clearly unfinished and unrefined, so for Part 2 of “Uberization and the Access Economy”, we will take a closer look at the basic outline for succeeding in an uber-ized world.

Check out how our virtual fleet management product, BroadLoop, is pushing the Access Economy forward in the Construction Technology Industry.

Nick McRae – 20 People to Know in Technology

Nick McRae was featured in a Business First article focused on highlighting individuals in the Technology industry around the Louisville area. This is a continuation of the article series where Human Resources, Government, Hospitality and Financial Institutions have all been covered previously. We are thrilled to be included and encouraged at the increasing interest in technology, start-ups and entrepreneurs in Louisville.

Other's to know included:

  • Christopher L. Barton | University of Louisville
  • Jeff Biggs | Peak 10
  • Andy Eastes | SkuVault
  • John A. Eisenhauer | Humana
  • Scott Geiser | Power Creative
  • Terry Goertz | Appriss
  • Derrick Jeffries | AT & T
  • Scott Klink | Boice.net
  • Walker Mills | Strategic Communications, LLC
  • Brian Nutt | Codigo
  • Tremayne "Trey" Perkins | Brown-Forman Corp.
  • Thejasree Prakash | GlowTouch Technologies
  • Todd Pritts | Indatus
  • Michael Rebilas | Interapt
  • Ron Reeves | V-Soft Consulting
  • Theresa Reno-Weber | Louisville Metro Government
  • Timothy Rice | Kentucky Country Day School
  • Michelle Smith | Net Tango
  • Lance Swan | Mightily

Entrepreneur of the Year

Nick McRae named Young Entrepreneur of the Year

Award Criteria:

  • Majority owner or operator of a small business
  • Three year track record
  • Must be under age 30 before June 1, 2015
  • Evidence of success in sales/profits
  • Increased employment opportunities
  • Innovative or creative business methods
  • Potential for long-term success
  • Business must be located in Southern Indiana

Other Award Recipients

  • Small Business Owner of the Year - PJ Jonas, Goat Milk Stuff; Scott County
  • Small Business Exporter of the Year - Brinly-Hardy Company; Clark County
  • FranNet Franchisee of the Year - Linda Goepper, Liberty Tax Service; Dearborn County
  • Woman Owned Business of the Year - Ann Windell, Ann's Chem-Dry Carpet, Upholstery & Tile Cleaning; Harrison County
  • Family Owned Business Owner of the Year - Batesville Products; Dearborn County
  • Veteran Owned Business of the Year - Dr. Joey Rivera, Rivera Consulting Group; Clark County
  • Capital Infusion Champion of the Year - Kathleen Crowley, One Southern Indiana; Floyd County
  • Small Business Champion of the Year - Tim Cooney, Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce; Bartholomew County
  • Diversity Champion of the Year - Suzanne Ruark, One Southern Indiana; Floyd County
  • Entrepreneurial Community of the Year - City of Lawrenceburg; Dearborn County

The Autonomous Arms Race

In a vision of the future once reserved for science fiction, cartoons, and James Bond, the reality of the autonomous vehicle approaches faster than ever.  Since Uber and Alphabet have both decided that self-driving vehicles are a certainty of next-gen travel, they have been neck and neck in the race to build, test, and market their competing technology and services. The fight has been escalated by the recent $2.6 billion lawsuit in the works between Uber and Alphabet, alleging that Uber stole intellectual property and trade secrets from Alphabet. Beyond that, other heavyweights such as Tesla, Apple, General Motors, and Ford have started testing their own driverless vehicles, creating an all out sprint for the ultimate disruptive technology in the vehicle manufacturing and transportation industries.

The Road to New Industries

Once the dust has settled, and driverless cars begin to increase in number across the roadways of America, the technology can then start bridging the gap into other industries. For example, Alphabet’s Waymo, a company dedicated entirely to self-driving vehicles, recently began testing autonomous truck technology. Uber’s Otto, acquired by Uber in August 2016, created a truck that  drove 100 miles without human intervention by October 2016. While Waymo is building its own custom trucks, Otto is an attachment for existing trucks, which will create an interesting debate of utility versus dependability in the coming months and years.  

The Next Step for Autonomous Trucks

The natural next step for an autonomous truck could be in the construction industry with loose material transportation, specifically dump trucks. Similar to a freight truck, a dump truck transports material for long distances with a potentially significant amount of highway driving. And similar to the current inability of a freight truck to navigate city driving without human assistance, there is still a solution to be found for dump trucks to navigate the constantly changing landscape of construction sites. Until that time, however, businesses must continue to make it as easy as possible to connect human drivers with their current projects.


Check out how our virtual fleet management product, BroadLoop, is connecting dump trucks to the job site in the Construction Technology Industry.

    Managing construction projects is hard work

    Managing your virtual fleet is simple