Desteia Leverages AI and Graph Theory to Alleviate Supply Chain Disruptions

Startup raises a total of $11.5 M to develop new SaaS technology 

NEW YORK, Feb. 4, 2025 /CNW/ -- Now, more than ever, supply chain operators need a tool that helps them predict and understand disruptions and gives them the power to plan accordingly. In the last twelve months, the Suez Canal was blocked by Houthi rebels, historic drought in the Panama Canal decreased the number of crossings from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, protests at U.S. ports halted shipments, 11 hurricanes impacted trade routes and there is the threat of tariffs against top trading partners.

Desteia, a New York-based startup with operations in the U.S. and Mexico, leverages cutting-edge technology to support leaders and operators, giving them the tools to make optimal decisions for their supply chain in a context of continuous disruptions. The company has secured $8 million in a seed funding round led by Autotech Ventures, Nazca, and Village Global, positioning the company to revolutionize logistics operations with new artificial intelligence tools and graph theory. The round, which brings Desteia's total funding to $11.5 million, included participation from Foundamental, Bridge Latam, and Nido Ventures.

The additional funding will enable Desteia to focus on U.S.-Mexico trade, where companies move over $850 billion worth of goods annually. Working with customers worldwide, Desteia will provide better visibility to their operations and suggest the most efficient decisions to operators.

Desteia, founded by former Tesla executive Françoise Lavertu and Stanford engineers and entrepreneurs Diego Solorzano and Austin Poore, simplifies logistics by using AI to extract and organize information from unstructured data like emails, messages, and logistics documents. It connects these pieces together using graph theory, the mathematical study of networks—comprising nodes (locations) and edges (routes), creating a clear dashboard for operators to manage shipments across ocean, ground, and air with specific expertise on U.S.-Mexico cross-border operations. This includes integrations to Mexico's customs system to give further visibility to shipments at port or at the border.

"As we evaluate hundreds of supply chain tech solutions every year, Desteia stood out with its unique approach to extracting unstructured data, which truly feels like magic," said Burak Cendek, partner at Autotech Ventures. "Unfortunately, traditional communication channels such as email and text are not going away, but recent advances in AI make it possible to meet customers where they are."

Desteia's goal is to be the decision-making tool for supply chain operators. With minimal integration effort, the dashboard data provides actionable insights for logistics teams to securely access real-time updates on container ETAs, predict potential disruptions, and identify opportunities for optimization, such as the best carriers or most efficient routes.

"Decision-makers have access to many think tank risk reports but lack the tools to incorporate them into their specific supply chain decisions," said Lavertu. "We have developed a practical platform that helps them solve this." Adding that she's faced those same challenges in her career as an operator and "never found solutions that were so easy to implement for a large organization."

At the same time, for many operators, managing logistics involves manually handling thousands of emails and hundreds of documents monthly. One Desteia client reported managing 10,500 emails and 600 logistics documents each month. Desteia helps companies with these problems by automating data organization and analysis, allowing operators to focus on decision-making and strategic planning.

"Supply chain managers need oversight of the chain from one end to the other to anticipate delays and disruptions before they happen and before they have a negative impact," said Solorzano. Disruptions are so common. In fact, it is estimated that companies lose between 3-5% of revenues from them.

Desteia has partnerships and contracts with major retailers, auto manufacturers, and CPGs in North America. Across the board, it has helped users, such as Elektra, one of the largest retailers in Latin America, achieve full visibility without any integrations required or manual work while reducing the time spent reviewing emails.

Adam Zobler, general partner at Foundamental said, "Relying on manual processes and fragmented communication systems means supply chains are fragile and prone to disruption. Desteia offers an exciting opportunity to streamline supply chains by harnessing the power of data.

"The founders are passionate, experienced, and inherently familiar with the problems they are tackling," said Hector Sepulveda of Nazca. "We look forward to working with Diego, Austin, and Françoise to further develop the product and scale this technology to revolutionize global supply chain management."

For more information about Desteia, visit desteia.com.

SOURCE Desteia

Sara Locricchio, [email protected], 248-855-4300 ext. 4