Mytra and the Future of Warehousing

Hardware startups are especially hard to build because they demand the same market understanding and ability to execute as software startups, but they also require technical mastery across multiple domains (e.g. mechanical engineering and electrical engineering and software).

Because of these dynamics, having a team with high execution ability and the right expertise is even more critical than for pure software companies. Mytra, which automates the storage and movement of pallets and packages in warehouses, is a great example both of the increased complexity of building products in the physical world, and of the kind of team that excels in building these products.

I met Chris, the CEO of Mytra, two years ago when he was raising his first round of funding. He had previously spent the better part of a decade at Tesla, overseeing large manufacturing, material flow, and hardware teams for projects like the Model 3 and Tesla’s humanoid robot. Chris’s insight was that current Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems (ASRS) are very static and inflexible, but they need to be more flexible, configurable, and autonomous. He wanted to develop an ASRS that could store lots of packages and pallets, could be expanded or reconfigured easily, and came with robots that autonomously handled the flow of objects into and out of the system.

I loved Chris’s vision from day one. It was ambitious and also benefited from a lot of tailwinds. Specifically, many companies are currently rethinking their supply chains given our growing tension with China (a large source of manufacturing and materials) and the need for increased warehouse decentralization (a requirement for supporting faster delivery times). Businesses that hadn’t touched their supply chains for decades are now reevaluating their systems, which is great timing for a company that’s building the next generation of warehouse storage.

Humba Ventures was fortunate enough to invest in Mytra’s first round, and the company just came out of stealth and announced almost $80 million in Series A and B funding. In just two years, Mytra has built and tested a very sophisticated hardware+software system, and they are already partnering with multiple Fortune 100 companies like Albertsons. This amount of progress is amazing for such a short amount of time and reflects two of the company’s superpowers:

• Chris and his cofounder Ahmad have hired incredibly well. The team is filled with technical alumni from companies like Tesla, Zoox, and Rivian, and supply chain experts from companies like Walmart, Stitch Fix, and Caterpillar. There’s a focus on strong experience and execution, and that has led to Mytra building and deploying their product extremely quickly.
• The execution culture is insanely strong. Most startups that I work with send a monthly-ish update with a few bullet points of what’s new since last month. Chris and his team have been sending a weekly update for the past two years, and each week there are dozens of meaningful things that were accomplished. I often feel like Mytra gets more done each week than most companies do in several months, and the weekly cadence of accountability and progress updates creates a huge sense of momentum.

I think these observations are useful for all deep tech companies. First, hiring well enables you to build faster and better — and that’s especially valuable for companies where runway is limited and the product is hard to build. Second, planning and building on a quick cadence will help you move much more quickly. If you’re planning work in increments of days or weeks, you’re going to move fast; if you’re planning in months, you’ll move slowly; and if you’re planning in quarters you’re NGMI.

I’m excited about the impact that Mytra will have on supply chains over the coming decade. Given the pace they are executing at, they are going to be a very successful, high-impact company with a lot of happy customers. If you’re looking for a better warehouse storage solution, you can learn more at mytra.ai, and if you’re looking to join a highly ambitious, highly effective deep tech company, check out Mytra’s job openings.