Jeff Ethan Smith

For retail, CPG, and brand innovators, the new sourcing model cuts a path through digital technologies, including 3D and AI. Now that most of these tools are accessible to consumers, websites and mobile apps (including your team doing the work), bottlenecks up the supply chain are changing fast. I'm super excited for where this is going, and the opportunity to partner with brand leaders to capture the opportunity. Rarely do such triple wins become so clear to decision-makers: time, margins, and quality gains accessible through a step change.

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At Meliorate Partners, we spend all of our time asking "Why". Why are things the way they are (how did we get here), and why haven't there been changes (how do we get to a new and better place.) In the Materials space, we ask ourselves why we are stuck in a loop of fast fashion and petro-chemical based solutions, and why consumers and corporations aren't gravitating faster towards solutions that are better for the planet (i.e. no plastics, designed for circularity etc.) We typically can track the resistance back to three things: 1) it needs to work better; 2) it is cheaper; and 3) it needs to work with existing production equipment and supply chains. Two of our portfolio companies in this sector - INVERSA Leathers and TômTex Co.- were recently featured in a Washington Post article sharing how these two remarkable companies and their founders Aarav Chavda and uyen tran are giving consumers and corporations new and better choices. A shout out to Sway and founder Julia Marsh as well, which was selected for EnVest 2022 as a "what's needed next" company. https://lnkd.in/gyTzPG8m

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3D printing is having a breakout moment, turning its long held promise into a reality that is arriving at pace and at scale. Over the next 5 years: - Consumers will expect customized products at scale - Computers will surpass human creativity and skill in product design - New infrastructure is needed to protect IP if anything can be printed anywhere  - Global supply chains will be meaningfully dismantled as products get printed at their point of sale I sat down with Philip DeSimone, Co-founder of Carbon, the most advanced 3D printing company already operating at scale serving customers in 17 countries ranging from Adidas to Ford. With over 300 patents filed, Carbon has raised $680M from the likes of Sequoia, Temasek, and Google. Check out 5YF Episode #14: 3D printing breakthroughs, AI designed products, mass customization, spare body parts, dismantling global trade, IP piracy, and the future of production w/ Carbon Co-founder Philip DeSimone https://pod.fo/e/234185 #3Dprinting

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Consolidation in supply chain technology continues. Körber Supply Chain just acquired MercuryGate International, the TMS company. I remember first meeting MercuryGate, close to 22 years ago. Monica Wooden and Steve Blough started the company as a bootstrapped pioneer in what we then called the web-based TMS arena. I was impressed with the team. They were quick to note that they were building a business similar to my first startup, 3PLex, but much more capital efficiently! Since then, MercuryGate has scaled up into a leading SaaS TMS provider. Meanwhile, Korber has pursued a series of acquisitions in supply chain software. 13 years ago, Brad Jacobs founded XPO. He bought Express-1 and then consolidated asset-light logistics with a series of acquisitions. Can Korber pursue a similar strategy to consolidate the SaaS logistics arena? #supplychain #consolidation https://lnkd.in/epipie9t

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Why go direct to factories? How to approach IP? How to source ethically? These questions are answered on my episode with the phenomenal host Matt Edmundson of the eCommerce Podcast. 👉 Give it a listen via the link in the comments section. A huge thanks to Matt and the skilled team at Aurion Media for having me on the show to talk about my passion: helping source products with integrity while prioritizing client-focused outcomes. #ecommercepodcast #aurionmedia #chinaproductpros #ethicalproductsourcing #sourcingagency

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When that first UPC code was scanned, it was the culmination of years of planning by the U.S. grocery industry. In the late 1960s, labor costs were rising rapidly in grocery stores and inventory was becoming increasingly difficult to track. Grocery executives hoped the barcode could help them solve both of those problems, and they ended up being right. #technology #business #manufacturing #enterprise #tech #products #commerce #trade

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I had an incredible conversation with Eugene Alletto, CEO of BEDGEAR, about how he is additive versus disruptive to the bedding industry! Eugene's journey from a million-dollar salesperson to an industry innovator is nothing short of inspiring. He shares valuable insights on the importance of education, innovation, and being additive rather than disruptive. Tune in, and leave your favorite quote in the comments.

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What Laurel Mintz and Fabric VC are doing to change the current and long-standing suboptimal standards of venture capital is truly inspiring. The VC industry has historically been dominated by a narrow demographic, often overlooking the incredible potential that diverse founders bring to the table. Laurel's work is a breath of fresh air, showing that by supporting a wider range of voices and perspectives, we can achieve more innovative and successful outcomes. Her dedication to fostering an inclusive environment where all entrepreneurs have the opportunity to thrive is not just admirable, but necessary for the future of business. As a woman entrepreneur myself, I understand the challenges that come with navigating a landscape that hasn't always been welcoming or equitable. That's why I am so grateful for leaders like Laurel, who are not just talking about change but actively making it happen! #DEI #Entrepreneurship

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#ObsessivelyEnthusiasticInvestor #UnreasonablyEnthusiasticInvestor #IrrationallyEnthusiasticInvestor at REFASHIOND Ventures: The Industrial Transformation Fund. We look for the people we believe are doing the best work in Industrial Transformation & Supply Chain Technology; Attempting the impossible. Then we go all-in on them. With obsessive and unreasonable enthusiasm. Join us. #IndustrialTransformation #SupplyChain #Innovation #Technology #Startups #VentureCapital #DemandTheImpossible #UnreasonableEnthusiasm #ObsessiveEnthusiasm #IrrationalEnthusiasm

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The latest Vendor head-scratcher 👇 Lost buy box issues   Since Amazon stopped providing lost buy box data through retail analytics, it's been difficult to get information without an AVS.   And when Amazon do provide the data, the results are questionable vs. third party software.    In a recent client audit, Amazon highlighted that the buy box was lost 4% of the time - which sounds manageable right? However the third-party analysis told a different story... Amazon was only in the buy box 60% of the time, suggesting that 40% of sales are going through 3P sellers.   So let’s assume the 3rd party software data is correct, why might Amazon be playing down buy box concerns? 🤔   My view - Amazon are laser-focused on hitting their profitability targets, they will sacrifice sales at the expense of maintaining NET PPM. Previously, they would only lose the buy box to sellers when they were unprofitable, now, they will lose the buy box if they are not profitable enough!   So what can you do?   That's a post for next week. ------- 👋 I'm Rich, Co-Founder of Push-Pull Agency and Amazon expert 🔖 Follow me for Amazon insights and ideas on agency growth. #AmazonAgency #AmazonGrowth #PushPullAgency #BuyBox #LostBuyBox #GrowthStrategy #AdAgency #Amazon

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This sticker has gone through one of the largest evolutions in the past 20 years. In 2000, this sticker represented products that were often low price, simple in manufacturing, and largely basic in quality. Today - this sticker means something entirely different. Some of the most advanced manufacturing. 28% of the worlds manufacturing. (4.5% in 2000) Advanced production of both mass scale and high end products. Precision in certain types of manufacturing that can’t be replicated anywhere else in the world. Manufacturing has always been an industry that fascinates me because it’s where the rubber actually meets the road. I’m a proponent for domestic manufacturing, but I sometimes have to step back and admire the sheer puzzle (that largely works) that is global manufacturing.

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Optimized purchasing and route management drives increased profitability for brands and stores to SHARE! With limited banking resources and no operating leverage, efficiency drives better cash flow. Plan your routes and shelf space with DATA to support profits with 240 Logistics!

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After 9 years at Baronfig, filled with challenges, growth, and victories, today I’m turning the page to start a new chapter. From tackling the early days' problems as a scrappy startup, to engineering the #1 rated pen by NY Magazine, and establishing a global supply chain network for the hundreds of products used worldwide, my journey has been truly transformative. Now, I’m thrilled to channel this passion and expertise into my new venture as an operations consultant. I’m dedicated to enhancing efficiencies in R&D, production, engineering, supply chain, and logistics for companies eager to scale and innovate. 🚀 If you’re looking to elevate your operations or know someone who might, let’s chat! I’m offering a free 30 minute consultation for new connections. Reach out or share this post—let’s make great things together! #operations #business #ecommerce #logistics #entrepreneurship #startups

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The valuation gap is real in AI. Founders need to be super thoughtful to both focus on growth and valuation and the factors that contribute driving it including: Brand, tech/IP, recurring revenue, a scalable/predictable CAC customer success, new markets, etc. #AI #Valuation #Growth&Valuation

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❗❗ New investment alert ❗❗Want to learn why we led a $10M Series A into Pear Commerce 🍐 ? Read on! 🎯 - A spot-on product. Everyone who used or was familiar with Pear made it clear that their product solved a need, and did it better than the other options available to them. It is a better approach to a problem they all had. 😤 - A great team. Eric Martell and Alex Wyler are great leaders, repeat founders, and building Pear with real purpose. And they have attracted a great team around them to scale their impact! 📈 - Exciting results. Pear had a great 2023, and 2024 is more of the same. Their growth, and the underlying metrics behind it, speaks for itself! https://lnkd.in/gP_FceJC

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Jumping into prescribed solutions can be like eating dessert first and skipping every meal. You may feel happy in the moment ("The diet starts tomorrow!") but are not subscribing to a practice that will contribute to your long-term health. Forget ketchup. UX Strategy is the quinoa to your salad, the avocado to your toast, the kale to your protein shake, the chia seeds to your pudding, and the almond butter to your apple. {Reminder to self: don't post on LinkedIn before breakfast. 😂} Speaking of food, if you're looking to chat about a shopping experience you need some UX support with, I'd like to treat you to some digital coffee (I know, I know, I'm generous like that.) Reach out, and let's chat about shopping experience design! 💬

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Yesterday, Formlabs announced the Form 4. One of my favorite things about it is the mixer arm. It is alarmingly fast! One of our beta customers said that her coworkers thought it was going to break something. Don’t worry, it’s under control. :) The bigger thing for me is - it’s increasing reliability and uptime. Every time it swipes back and forth, it’s looking for debris that might cause your print to fail. If it finds something, it’ll let you know so no time is wasted. That’s beautiful engineering at work. #3dprinting #additivemanufacturing #innovation #userdesign

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Pretty wild that Shein is going public on the LSE (after being blocked by NYSE): Revenue of $32B, up 40% YoY Net Profit $1.6B, up 100% YoY 250m app downloads. Targeting $63B market cap. It'd be the largest China-founded IPO since Didi in 2021 at $68B. In comparison: H&M has $22B market cap on $22B in revenue, $1B in net profit Zara has $130B market cap on $32B in revenue, $3.6B in net profit Uniqlo has $94B market cap on $21B in revenue, $1.7B in net profit

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