Everstream Analytics - A Bright Future

It’s never easy to leave a company that you have poured your heart and soul into over five years but for those of us in the start-up world there is, or should be, a right time and way to move on to the next thing.

I’ve done it a few times and in different ways, some more painful than others, but the factors are generally the same.?

Part of the equation is personal as relates to finances and family. ?I am hugely grateful for all that falls into this category particularly the patience and understanding of my family given the time and effort that entrepreneurship demands.?Watching someone you love ride a slightly rickety rollercoaster is very different from being on one!

Then there is the consideration of ‘what’s next’.? I feel fortunate to be in a space such as supply chain technology at this particular moment in time and am excited to be able to continue to support Everstream in an advisory role.?Beyond that, I can’t wait to kick off the brainstorming discussions with many of you in January.

The third factor is the state of the company that you leave behind and this is central to the ‘why now?’ question.

Everstream is in a very strong position, with enormous opportunity ahead and the right team in place.?But I’ll be more specific as to why I have the highest confidence in Everstream’s continued success.?I will not write in detail about why the solution itself is so compelling as that is well covered here but also because it is things like value, market timing, competitive positioning, partnerships, investor support, and, most importantly, the team and the culture that it embraces that are the best predictors of long term success.

Vision and Value.?The idea that all supply chain decisions will be better if risk can be taken into account; the vision of a ‘self-healing’ supply chain; the need for risk analytics to be a component of predictive analytics…however it is said, the value that can be created through better decision-making in supply chain planning and execution is enormous and it is rewarding to see this come to life in the form of Everstream with so much further upside for Everstream’s clients yet to be unlocked.

Market Timing.?It may be that in this case good timing is simply the outcome of the ability to persevere but it cannot be denied that a solution that can uniquely and demonstrably reduce the financial impact of supply chain risk and even turn disruptions into a competitive advantage is needed now more than ever.

Competitive Position.?Through the acquisition of Resilience360 and Riskpulse and what has been built since, Everstream has unique data assets, algorithms, expertise, partnerships and deep client relationships that would be hard if not impossible for another company to replicate.

Partners. The tread on the wheels of the phrase ‘supply chain is a team game’ may be a bit worn but that’s because it is true. ?For risk to be part of supply chain decision making, risk insights need to be embedded in the platforms and processes that are used to make these decisions and this has driven our strategy and API-centered design from Day 1. ?The investments that have been and continue to be made to partner with the world’s largest supply chain software companies and our ongoing strategic partnership with DHL are central to delivering future value and growth.

The Investors. When I was introduced to Columbia Capital six years ago, they were described as investors who really ‘get it’ and if I hung out with them long enough I’d understand what that meant.?I have and I do.?The support from Columbia and their trusted investment partners is a huge advantage, particularly at a time when economic headwinds will send many technology startups off course.

The Team.?At the heart of what has been built and what is yet to come is a talented team that is committed to the success of our clients, drawing energy from each other and the knowledge of how much our clients and the world as a whole can benefit from more transparent, sustainable and resilient supply chains.

Culture and Values.?To be bold enough to do what has not yet been done, to have the optimism to 'get sh!t done', the virtue to do things the right way, especially when it’s hard, and the solidarity to be stronger together are all easy to say but hard to do and I see these values on display at Everstream every day and it is this that matters most in predicting future success.

Grit.?I missed one value off the list.?‘Grit’ gets its own paragraph because it is grit that enables us to live these other values, particularly during the tough days.?It’s been a few years (and back then I worked for Queen & Country) since I have seen a team with as much grit as the team that carries Everstream forward.

The word ‘Everstream’ is designed to bring to mind the image of uninterrupted, unyielding flow.?This can be a flow of goods through a supply chain but it can also be the flow of ideas or energy and I can't wait to see what Everstream becomes and enables.