STORD, an Atlanta-based start-up that provides storage space to companies, manufacturers and retailers, was launched in 2015 by Sean Henry, Scheller College of Business Dean’s Scholar, and Jacob Boudreau through Georgia Tech's CREATE-X program. In early April, the company announced a $12.3M round of venture funding. Leading the funding round was Kleiner Perkins, a top VC company with a long history of partnering with founders to help them build long-term, multi-billion-dollar technology companies including Amazon, Google, Twitter, and Spotify. Also participating in the round were logistics-tech firm Dynamo and Susa Ventures, among other investors.
Over the next year, STORD plans to aggressively expand its warehousing and transportation network, boost platform innovation, and hiring more than 50 new team members.
Henry founded and serves as chief executive officer of STORD, the pioneer of Networked Distribution, next-generation warehousing and distribution for modern shippers that gives companies of all sizes warehousing and freight, real-time inventory visibility, and high-touch operations support.
“The challenge with distribution models today is that they lack the speed, reliability, and affordability that customers want. And distribution is an operational nightmare for shippers -- manual, rigid, opaque,” said Henry "We believe customers and shippers deserve a better experience. That's why our mission is to empower shippers to move products brilliantly.”
STORD provides software-driven warehousing and distribution, a nationwide network of third-party logistics providers, and supply chain expertise and support to simplify product flow. Simultaneously, it brings technology and new revenue to its warehouse partners.
“As a faculty member associated with both CREATE-X and Scheller, I am doubly proud of Sean. STORD has created a solution for an important barrier to efficiency in global supply chains,” said Karthik Ramachandran, Associate Professor Operations Management and Sustainability.
STORD’s investors include Atlanta’s Tom Noonan and Chris Klaus (Henry met Klaus at Georgia Tech), Susa Ventures, Dynamo, Rise of the Rest Fund, and Engage Ventures.
Sean Henry was named to the Forbes' 30 Under 30 list for Manufacturing and Industry, Inc. Magazine's 2017 50 Young Entrepreneurs Rethinking the World's Biggest Problems, and ranked in the top 30 in Inc. Magazine's America's Top Emerging Companies of 2017. Recently, Henry was named to the Supply & Demand Chain Executive's Pros to Know list. Locally, in 2019, the Technology Association of Georgia named STORD a Top 10 Most Innovative Company, Atlanta Inno named STORD to the 50 on Fire list, and Atlanta Business Chronicle recognized STORD as the 13th fastest growing company with a Pacesetter Award.