Initial cohort selected for supply chain accelerator in Bentonville

by Talk Business & Politics staff ([email protected]) 839 views 

A new startup accelerator in Bentonville has chosen its initial cohort of businesses.

Fuel, a 16-week program for supply chain startups, focuses on preparing early-stage companies to work with large enterprises, with the intent to stimulate corporate growth and create high-paying jobs.

The nine companies selected for the program are:

  • Ambots– An advanced manufacturing company with a focus on swarm 3D printing and assembly.
  • BlyncSync Technologies – Safety software that shows exactly what time a driver can expect to feel fatigued in order to reduce accident rates in the trucking industry.
  • Drive My Way– A patent-pending matching technology for the transportation industry that creates the best job match possible for CDL truck drivers and employers.
  • Luncher– Dedicated to delivering food from local restaurants to the workplace. Customers can find good food at great prices while avoiding lines and parking issues.
  • Oculogx– An Augmented Reality application that makes order picking faster and more accurate.
  • Orby– Flying robots for business that save employees from carrying out manual tasks so they can invest their time where it matters.
  • Ship.com– Transforming the cart-to-delivery experience for both consumers and retailers. Ship.com is developing a platform that connects buyers and sellers throughout the order delivery process.
  • ShipHike– Hitchhiking for packages. ShipHike uses the crowd to create an on-demand delivery app that ships anything, anywhere, anytime.
  • Thaddeus – A cold-chain transportation company protecting and transporting temperature-sensitive products via IoT-enabled, reusable, active temperature-regulated packaging and software.

The Fuel program is facilitated by Startup Junkie of Fayetteville and hosted by Bentonville software firm RevUnit, with support from Walmart Inc. A diverse group of more than 30 senior supply chain and logistics experts will mentor the companies, including Fortune 500 leaders, tech founders, venture capital firms, higher education institutions and public policy officials.

The program is hosted at the Exchange, a venue in downtown Bentonville. A kickoff reception is planned Jan. 22, with demo day scheduled May 17.

Organizers of the incubator say no equity exchanges are taking place to participate in the program.