Скачать или смотреть How to build a seamless supply chain network | Sean Henry @ Stord

In this episode of Blue Ocean by StartOps, we sit down with Sean Henry, co-founder and CEO of Stord.

Sean’s journey began as a young entrepreneur selling products online, before he founded Stord while at Georgia Tech.

Since then, he has built Stord into a category-defining “cloud supply chain” company — a profitable, vertically integrated combination of fulfillment, software, and transportation services that can seamlessly take consumer goods from a factory to a customer’s front porch.

In this episode, we cover topics like:

What Stord has learned from Amazon about building a compound business
Why Sean bet big on vertical integration and asset ownership (when others did the opposite)
How to ensure quality across a large number of complex products
Stord’s tricks for success when growing through M&A
The ecommerce trends that Sean has got his eye on for this year

To learn more about Stord, check out their Verified page on the StartOps Directory: startops.network/companies/stord

Chapters:

00:00 - Stord’s mission

Sean Henry introduces Stord’s mission of bundling industrial excellence with software to simplify e-commerce logistics.

01:09 - Meet Sean Henry, CEO of Stord

Charles introduces Sean and Stord, focusing on their mission to offer prime-like delivery for mid-size brands.

02:00 - The origin story of Stord

Sean reflects on starting Stord at Georgia Tech and the evolution of the company’s vision.

03:52 - Lessons from early e-commerce experiences

Sean shares how shipping costs and delivery experiences became central to his understanding of logistics.

05:10 - Building a hybrid fulfillment model

Sean explains Stord’s unique mix of owned and partner fulfillment centers and how they maintain quality.

06:44 - Creating a deep partner network

How Stord optimized its partner network to balance density, quality, and cost efficiency.

08:17 - Evolving into a vertically integrated platform

Sean describes Stord’s transition from a warehousing network to a fully integrated fulfillment solution.

10:29 - Stord’s product philosophy

Sean discusses balancing innovation, quality, and customer value when building new products.

12:07 - Competing in a fragmented industry

Sean explains how bundling capabilities helped Stord stand out and create a new market category.

14:01 - Building startups within a startup

Sean’s approach to launching lightweight, iterative products within Stord’s ecosystem.

16:09 - The secret to logistics success

Sean highlights the importance of customer obsession and willingness to do hard things in e-commerce.

17:29 - M&A as a growth strategy

Sean shares Stord’s experience acquiring fulfillment centers and integrating them into its network.

19:19 - The role of trust in partnerships

Why long-term relationships with customers and partners are central to Stord’s strategy.

20:59 - Managing risks and external challenges

Sean discusses execution risks and how Stord mitigates external factors like parcel changes and consumer volumes.

23:24 - Trends shaping e-commerce logistics

Key shifts in retail, last-mile delivery, and cost visibility that are driving innovation at Stord.

25:00 - Forward-looking strategies

Sean shares what’s next for Stord, including software and operations to meet evolving brand needs.

26:37 - Closing thoughts

Charles and Sean wrap up the episode, highlighting Stord’s role in transforming e-commerce logistics.