Ready to build your own Founder-Led Growth engine? Book a Strategy Call
Frontlines.io | Where B2B Founders Talk GTM.
Strategic Communications Advisory For Visionary Founders
Actionable
Takeaways
Niche Market Penetration as a Foundation for Scale:
Forto's strategic decision to initially focus on Amazon FBA importers demonstrates a targeted approach to market entry. The actionable takeaway is to identify and dominate a niche market where your solution can solve specific, acute pain points. This concentrated effort allows for rapid validation and iteration, setting a foundation for broader market expansion.
Customer Education as a Key Differentiator:
In pioneering a tech-driven solution in a traditional industry, Forto invested in educating its market about the benefits of digital logistics solutions. For GTM strategies, emphasizing customer education—particularly around innovative solutions that challenge the status quo—can accelerate market adoption and establish your company as a thought leader.
Iterative Product Development Based on Customer Feedback:
Forto's early adoption of customer feedback loops for refining its product highlights the importance of building a feedback-rich GTM strategy. This involves continuous engagement with your initial customer base to understand their evolving needs and adapt your offering accordingly, ensuring product-market fit remains strong as you scale.
Build a Positive Flywheel:
Michael emphasized the importance of creating a positive flywheel in your company, where each successful decision, makes the next step easier — amazing investors attracts amazing talent, and amazing talent build products that attracts amazing customers. This concept is crucial for startups, as it underscores the importance of making thoughtful, strategic decisions early on to fuel long-term growth and avoid a negative spiral.
Balance Reliability with Novelty in Your Messaging:
To build trust while emphasizing innovation, succinctly communicate your track record of delivering reliable solutions alongside your commitment to pushing industry boundaries. This can be achieved by tightly integrating customer success stories with highlights of your innovative features in all marketing materials, ensuring potential clients see you as both a dependable partner and a trailblazer.
Keep Founders Engaged in Sales Beyond the Transition:
Even after building a sales team, ensure founders remain involved in strategic sales discussions and key client meetings. This ongoing involvement underscores the importance of sustaining the founder's influence in shaping client relationships and maintaining the company's core values in every deal.
Conversation
Highlights
Welcome to another episode of Unicorn Builders. Today, our unicorn builder is Michael Wax, CEO and founder of Forto, a logistics tech platform that has raised nearly $600 million in funding. Forto is at the cutting edge of revolutionizing global logistics through technology, making shipping cargo worldwide more efficient and transparent for companies of all sizes.
- Michael’s entrepreneurial journey, starting from founding Konux, a sensor and analytics company, at 23, to creating Forto, a leading logistics tech platform.
- The inspiration behind Forto and the vision to transform the logistics industry by leveraging technology for greater efficiency and transparency.
- The early challenges of transitioning from the academic world to entrepreneurship and the pivotal role of mentorship and peer networks in Munich’s startup ecosystem.
- Insights into the foundational days of Forto, from ideating the concept to securing the first paying customer through proactive networking and a bold value proposition.
- The strategic focus on niche markets such as Amazon FBA importers in the early stages to quickly gain traction and validate the business model.
- Michael’s approach to fundraising, emphasizing the importance of storytelling, investor alignment, and the art of navigating stakeholder dynamics effectively.
- The significance of building a strong company culture and team as the cornerstone of Forto’s success, including attracting top talent and maintaining a growth-oriented mindset.
- Michael’s reflection on leadership, the continuous pursuit of innovation, and the commitment to solving meaningful problems in the logistics industry on a global scale.
- The future vision for Forto as the backbone of global trade, aiming to create a seamless, technology-driven platform for international shipping and logistics operations.
Recommended Founder
Interviews
Roei Ganzarski
CEO of Alitheon
Roei Ganzarski, CEO of Alitheon: $30 Million Raised to Help Organizations Trace the Untraceable
Ilya Preston
CEO & Co-Founder of Paxafe
Ilya Preston, CEO & Co-Founder of Paxafe: $14 Million Raised to Power the Future of Decision Intelligence in Logistics
Tony Migliore
Founder and CEO of Moova
Tony Migliore, Founder and CEO of Moova: Over $18 Million Raised to Build the Future of Last-Mile Logistics
Amir Taichman
Founder and CEO of Unity SCM
Amir Taichman, Founder and CEO of Unity SCM: $13 Million Raised to Power the Future of Supply Chain Operations
Dr. Xiaodi Hou
CEO of Bot Auto
Dr. Xiaodi Hou, CEO of Bot Auto: $45 Million Raised to Bring Profitable Autonomous Trucking to Market
Mahesh Veerina
CEO of ParkourSC
Mahesh Veerina, CEO of ParkourSC: $90 Million Raised to Pioneer Dynamic Decision Intelligence for Supply Chain Networks
Krenar Komoni
CEO & Founder of Tive
Krenar Komoni, CEO & Founder of Tive: $82 Million Raised to Build the Future of Supply Chain Visibility
Damien Hutchins
Co-Founder of Rollzi
Damien Hutchins, Co-Founder of Rollzi: Over $8 Million Raised to Build the Full Truckload Carrier of the Future
Andrew Butt
CEO of Enable
Andrew Butt, CEO of Enable: $156 Million Raised to Build the Future of Rebate Management
Jason Bang
Chief Product Officer and Co-Founder of Implentio
How Implentio turned 20 years of operations expertise into a partnership-driven GTM engine | Jason Bang
Brandon Daniels
CEO of Exiger
Brandon Daniels, CEO of Exiger: $160 Million Raised to Build the Future of Supply chain and Third-Party Risk Management
Edouard Gouin
Co-Founder and CEO of Convelio
Edouard Gouin, Co-Founder and CEO at Convelio: $44 Million Raised to Power the Future of Art Logistics
Sean McCarthy
Co-Founder & CEO of BackOps AI
Sean McCarthy, Co-Founder & CEO of BackOps AI: $8 Million Raised to Automate Supply Chain Operations with AI
Nick Clarke
CEO of Greywing
Nick Clarke, CEO of Greywing: $2.5 Million Raised to Drive Digital Adoption in The Shipping Industry and Modernize Maritime Logistics
Fahad Muhammad
VP of Marketing of TealBook
AI in Marketing Masterclass / Fahad Muhammad [VP of Marketing at TealBook]
Patrick Visintainer
CEO and Co-Founder of REPOWR
Patrick Visintainer, CEO and Co-Founder of REPOWR: $13 Million Raised to Build the World’s Largest Commercial Trailer Marketplace
Khaled Naim
Co-Founder and CEO of Onfleet
Khaled Naim, Co-Founder and CEO at Onfleet: $42 Million Raised to Power the Future of Last-Mile Delivery
Ava Barnes
VP of Brand & Community of Alvys
From Psychology to 5X Growth: Inside Alvys’ Marketing Playbook
Brian Glick
CEO & Founder of Chain.io
Brian Glick, CEO of Chain.io: $18 Million Raised to Transform Logistics Data Integration
Bianca Buckridee
VP of Product Marketing of Infios
Why Supply Chain Marketing Isn’t About Products Anymore
Jason Park
CEO & Co-Founder of Coldcart
Jason Park, CEO & Co-Founder of Coldcart: $6.5 Million Raised to Build the Future of Perishable e-Commerce Fulfillment
Shalabh Singhal
CEO and Co-Founder of Trademo
Shalabh Singhal, CEO and Co-Founder of Trademo: $12.5 Million Raised to Build the Future of Supply Chain Intelligence
Gabor Balogh
CEO of Trucksters
Gabor Balogh, CEO of Trucksters: $21 Million Raised to Build the Future of Long Haul Trucking
Sudhir Bhojwani
Co-Founder and CEO of ORO Labs
Sudhir Bhojwani, Co-Founder and CEO of ORO Labs: $59 Million Raised to Power the Future of Procurement
Jithendra Palasagaram
CEO and Founder of Part Analytics
Jithendra Palasagaram, CEO and Founder of Part Analytics: $4 Million Raised to Simplify Direct Material Sourcing
Johanna Småros
Co-Founder & Chief Sustainability Officer of RELEX Solutions
Johanna Småros: the Story of RELEX Solutions ($5.7 Billion Valuation)
Kathleen Chan
How Calico educates buyers on agentic AI systems when no budget line exists | Kathleen Chan
Yariv Bash
Co-Founder & CEO of Flytrex
Yariv Bash, Co-Founder & CEO of Flytrex: $60 Million Raised to Power the Future of Drone Delivery
Shaily Garg
CEO & Chief Product Officer of GlobalFair
Shaily Garg, CEO & Chief Product Officer of GlobalFair: $22 Million Raised to Create the Future of Cross-Border Procurement
Sumeet Trehan
Co-Founder & CEO of Starboard
How Starboard uses door-to-door prospecting with donuts to win freight forwarder clients | Sumeet Trehan ($5.5M Raised)
Laura Lawton
Director of External Communications of Torc Robotics
Unpacking the Media Strategy for an Autonomous Trucking Startup: Laura Lawton’s Approach at Torc Robotics [PR Masterclass]
David Pennino
CEO and Founder of LogicSource
David Pennino, CEO and Founder of LogicSource: $250 Million Raised to Power the Future of Procurement