Zeus — The Most Important Piece of Software You Might Never Knowingly Use
Trucking, sexy right? Well… It’s probably not the first thing that comes to mind. However, speak to Jai Kanwar and Clemente Theotokis, and they will tell you otherwise. The dynamic duo have set up one of 2020s most interesting domestic startups, Zeus — a software that is revolutionising the trucking industry.
Zeus is a next-generation digital freight platform that puts shippers in control of the outsourcing process through a combination of some clever tools, advanced integrations and a network of partner companies.
Simply put; Zeus’ platform matches hauliers (those that have access to trucks) with shippers (those that need to get something from A to B).
“When we first considered digitising the trucking industry, it was a passing thought between friends. After a couple of years of research and really divulging into logistics we realised that the industry is extremely inefficient.”
What most of us don’t realise is that 30% of the trucks in Europe we see on the road are running empty and this is a huge inefficiency. Many companies run in an outdated way and have no software to rely on, Zeus wants to change that.
The firm is focussed on the Full Truck Loads (FTL) transport market and the operational / commercial processes by which it’s managed; a space that Kanwar believes has a lot of improvement to be made from a digital disruption perspective.
“Zeus has been operational for 4 months and already we have significant recurring volume both domestically and cross-border, providing us with that key density which is essential for digitalisation in transport.”
So, surely to crack an antiquated industry like this the founders must be old, industry veterans right? Nope!
Both Kanwar and Theotokis are fresh out of university, and in their early 20s.
“Our generation has grown up in an era where tech evolved rapidly so from that point of view, it has always felt natural to try and innovate. Personally we both grew up with heroes that worked within manufacturing so we were prepared to find ourselves work within a more old-school industry.”
This is not to say that the founders are expecting to do this all on their own. They have built up a talented team to help them navigate the small circle of the tucking world. Sam McGuirk, their Head of Commercial, was the former UK Director of OnTruck. Whilst their CTO, Vuk Nikolic, has worked at a number of high profile logistics firms.
“Working with experienced professionals as well as people who are experts in their field teaches me something new everyday. It is not easy and we didn’t expect it to be.”
With such a positive start to life; it will be interesting to see how Zeus sees this evolving and whether they see themselves horizontally integrating across different industries.
“We definitely plan, in the future, to expand into different subdivisions of Road freight, and eventually other inter-modal transportation, but for now we are focusing on delivering the best possible solution to the FTL market. Logistics is such a vast and varied industry, that the trick is finding the right niche and building on from there.”
Ultimately, empty trailers and inefficient routes make the shipping of goods more costly than it should be and Zeus has a solution. It’s refreshing to see two young entrepreneurs move away from the traditional unicorn hunting world of Silicon Valley. The team has focused their attention into an industry that has been primed and ready for optimisation and brought a fresh vision and approach.
“Our company has one main aspiration: Becoming the leader in the digital freight industry. I would consider Zeus a success when I truly believe that we have brought long-term change to the trucking industry.”
While you might never personally use Zeus; rest assured that this game-changing software is set to become an essential tool within the shipping and logistics industry. Who knows, it might soon be used to deliver you your latest Amazon purchase!
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This is instalment 1.5 in the mini-series, “Why’d You Do It?”. A chain of interviews where I ask a simple question to the founders of some of the most exciting up-and-coming brands in the UK.
Follow along for more.
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Last Three Episodes
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BMAS Agency — A “Real” Business & How It Was Born
Blue Elvin — The Brand Changing The Fitness Apparel Market
