Log-io Wins $25,000 for Logistics and Planning Software
The startup won the NSIN Vector Showcase with its solution providing decision makers with the streamlined logistics information they need to make informed decisions more quickly.
Colorado-based startup Log-io won $25,000 at the National Security Innovation Network (NSIN)’s Vector Showcase Day to continue developing their product, the Contingency Response Integration Tool (CRIT), a logistics and planning software solution for the Department of Defense (DoD), government, and the private sector.
Greg Carstens, CEO at Log-io, believes their product will, “save lives by providing support to our Airmen in contingency scenarios; getting them usable supplies when they need them most.”
Log-io’s software improves efficiency for mission critical logistics operations, providing decision makers with the tools and information they need for logistical decision-making in a streamlined dashboard, ensuring that all the materials warfighters need are deployed alongside them.
CRIT automates data intake, pulling from existing logistic assets and analytic data streams. Some of the constraints the software considers include location—including distance to travel, threat proximity, climate and weather, and available space and current supplies on location—mission duration, personnel and operation type, and mission specific constraints such as aircraft type and base surface area. Using this data, CRIT quickly delivers a bill of materials, aircraft load plan, and efficient flight plan.
Log-io sees uses for their software beyond the military. Government agencies such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency, NGOs, and the United Nations and development agencies all stand to benefit from efficient logistics. In the commercial market, the team says their logistics software has more value to add with potential applications ranging from supply chain management to event planning to construction and more.
Software as a service for logistics is a more than $1 billion market globally, with defense logistics making up a smaller piece of the greater market. However, with the importance of logistics being underscored by global events like the war in Ukraine, where logistical challenges have been a distinct disadvantage for Russian forces, Log-io sees the market growing in the future.
Major companies are already involved in the logistics software market but Log-io has set itself apart from others by focusing on integrating with existing and emerging logistics platforms, providing a cost effective and minimally disruptive alternative to the whole system overhauls offered by their competitors.
“As a business, we see it as we see it as something that is really intuitive, low-cost, and is able to effectively streamline in with existing systems to make their logistics and asset deployment more efficient,” shared Max Chambers, CFO at Log-io.
With the prize money, Log-io plans to work on their user interface with help from experienced coders, bringing their product from an MVP to a beta stage. They also hope that the winnings will enable them to pay for server space and legal services meant to ensure their business is on solid footing from the start.
Log-io’s team initially came together in a Hacking for Defense (H4D) course at The University of Colorado Boulder known as “Designing for Defense (D4D).”
Their initial idea during the H4D course was to create a load planning software; however, after meeting with their sponsors at Pacific Air Forces they realized that their scope was too narrow. From there, they put forward the idea for CRIT, staying in touch with their contacts throughout the process to ensure they stayed on the right track. In total, the team interviewed more than 85 military leaders and logistics experts while working though the curriculum of both programs.
Chambers said that the Vector experience was an important next step for Log-io following H4D, “The experience we got from D4D very closely tied into what Vector did, but I think Vector was at another level. We were able to reach out to more experts and get that in-depth feedback.”
Log-io and the four other teams in the Vector program cohort accelerated their companies, working on the business fundamentals of creating dual-use ventures and on forming viable dual-use capacities. During the eight-week course, these teams worked with DoD and private sector experts to generate business plans, marketing materials, go-to-market strategies, and pitch decks.
While Log-io was the prize winner of the day, the other teams did not go home empty-handed. The teams not only received valuable connections and resources from DoD mission partners during the program, but they will also benefit as members of the NSIN alumni network. The network opens doors to military and commercial leaders who may be interested in working with them on future projects.
NSIN Vector Program Manager, Andrew Oury stressed this point saying, “NSIN will continue to support all these ventures in their future endeavors. While receiving $25,000 is always nice, the real value of this program has always been the training they have received and the relationships they have formed.”
Watch the Vector Showcase Day below, and Log-io’s winning pitch at 00:08:10.
About NSIN The National Security Innovation Network is a program of the U.S. Department of Defense that collaborates with major universities and the venture community to develop solutions that drive national security innovation. We operate three portfolios of programs and services: National Service, Collaboration, and Acceleration. Together, these portfolios form a pipeline of activities and solutions that accelerate the pace of defense innovation.
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