Glīd Wins Startup Battlefield 2025 With Smarter Logistics Solutions
▼ Summary
– Build Mode’s holiday episode features Kevin Damoa, CEO of logistics company Glīd, who won the 2025 Startup Battlefield competition.
– Damoa identified logistics challenges while serving in the U.S. Army, where he experienced the complex process of moving cargo from roads to rails.
– Glīd developed hardware and software solutions to streamline container shipping and successfully demoed three products simultaneously at TechCrunch Disrupt.
– The company is using its competition win to accelerate growth, launching a pilot with Great Plains Industrial Park and preparing to release its new product Glīder.
– Glīd employs a mission-driven, mindful hiring process that emphasizes organic team building and attracted focused talent under Damoa’s leadership.
Glīd has emerged as the champion of Startup Battlefield 2025, securing the top spot by introducing groundbreaking logistics infrastructure designed to simplify the intricate process of container shipments. The company’s CEO and founder, Kevin Damoa, recently shared his journey on Build Mode, a podcast dedicated to innovators and business creators.
Damoa’s inspiration for Glīd traces back to his early days in the U.S. Army, where he helped load heavy military equipment like tanks and Bradley fighting vehicles onto rail transport. He quickly realized that while railways avoid the traffic jams common on highways, they present a different kind of obstacle: the complicated, multi-stage task of transferring cargo from road to rail. That firsthand experience with logistical bottlenecks fueled his determination to find a better way.
Fast forward to this year’s TechCrunch Disrupt event, where Damoa stood on stage accepting the grand prize after Glīd outperformed 200 competing startups. During the Build Mode episode, he detailed the development of his company’s integrated hardware and software solution, which directly addresses the inefficiencies he once encountered. He also described the intense effort his team invested to prepare three separate products for a live demonstration at the competition, all launching almost at the same time.
Reflecting on the pressure, Damoa admitted, “Making sure the software works was absolutely wild. Anyone familiar with software development understands it usually requires an army of people.” At this phase, Glīd doesn’t have that kind of manpower. However, the very public deadline and high-stakes environment pushed the team to organize and execute faster than they ever thought possible.
Fresh from this significant victory, Damoa is channeling the prize money and momentum into accelerating Glīd’s next growth phase. The company has already initiated a pilot program with Great Plains Industrial Park and is preparing to release their upcoming product, Glīder. To support this expansion, Glīd is actively recruiting across nearly every department.
The startup’s hiring strategy leans toward the informal. Damoa refers to it as “an organic process,” where an initial vibe check and résumé review can quickly lead to bringing a new member onboard. This approach has drawn individuals who are not only driven by the company’s mission and exceptionally focused, but who also value mindfulness—a cultural fit that makes perfect sense given the CEO’s own reaction to making the Startup Battlefield top five: “I’m going to meditate.”
For those interested in hearing the complete conversation, including Damoa’s advice for other startups aiming to compete and win, the full episode is available. You can watch the video below or listen to Build Mode on your preferred podcast platform. If you enjoy the content, consider leaving a review, and any feedback about the show can be sent to podcasts@techcrunch.com.
(Source: TechCrunch)
