#23 Richard Savoie: Solving the Hardest Problem in Logistics

Make better business decisions with data and AI—subscribe to The Decision Intelligence Lab Newsletter at ⁠https://decisionintelligencelab.substack.com/⁠.In this episode of the Decision Intelligence Lab, hosts Vijay Mehrotra and Michael Watson sit down with Rich Savoie, CEO and co-founder of Adiona, to explore one of the toughest problems in modern logistics: last-mile delivery optimization.Rich shares his unconventional journey from electrical engineering and medical devices to logistics technology. He discusses the intricate challenges of last-mile delivery, emphasizing how data science and AI are used to make supply chains more cost-effective and environmentally friendly. The conversation dives into the realities of building and commercializing enterprise software, navigating customer demands, and managing the trust gap with non-technical users in the logistics sector.Beyond logistics, Rich reveals his journey from medical device engineering to startup founder, and the lessons he learned about sales, perception, cybersecurity, and enterprise-grade reliability.Chapters0:00 - Preview & Introduction 1:00 - Meet Rich Savoie 1:40 - Overview of Adiona3:30 - Why the Last Mile Is So Hard6:10 - The Optimization Stack: MIP, ML & Clustering9:40 - Who Buys Optimization Software? 11:45 - Customer-Led Approach for Product Development14:04 - The SaaS Dilemma of Modularization & Revenue Optimization19:00 - Building Trust & Overcoming Resistance in Non-tech Operations Environments21:41 - From Commute Optimization to Logistics AI28:30 - Founder-Market Fit & Getting Real Data34:10 - Lessons from the Medical Devices Industry36:10 - Perception & Selling to Enterprise38:15 - Tools, Books & ResourcesFollow the showApple: ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/the-decision-intelligence-lab/id1811085064⁠Spotify: ⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/0lFoAVKqJHTYSZNpeN61ou?si=0ae973aab0174b3b⁠Connect with the guestRich Savoie: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/richsavoie/Connect with hostsProf. Vijay Mehrotra (University of San Francisco): ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/vijay-mehrotra-ba9498/⁠Prof. Michael Watson (Northwestern University): ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-watson-07600a1⁠About the podcastThe Decision Intelligence Lab podcast delivers real-world insights for data professionals, business leaders, and anyone seeking to leverage data & AI for smarter decision-making & successful business outcomes.For business inquiries, email at ⁠[email protected]⁠