The digital connector
Raj Saxena, 39
Founder, LogisticsNow
LogisticsNow provides digital data that helps businesses transport their goods more cheaply and efficiently.
“I was born in Delhi. My father was a senior executive at Indian Railways and we lived in eight different states in India. My childhood memories are of trains and trucks and cargo.
I also spent seven years in the USA, first at university, and then working for an American IT company helping clients manage technology and supply chain matters.
During that time, while visiting India, I saw that the logistics ecosystem was completely different from that in the USA.
Companies lack access to accurate data that helps them decide how and when to move goods, through data such as weather patterns and traffic conditions.
I saw problems but also opportunities. So I moved back home.
I travelled from Punjab in the north to Kerala in the south. I talked to truck drivers, factory owners and logistics companies.
In many places, I saw fruit and vegetables strewn on both sides of the road. But, a few hours away, I would see trucks parked up idle. The drivers would have been sitting around for days with nothing to do, not earning any money.
This happens because the farmers and drivers have to rely on middlemen when they do not have access to real-time accurate information.
That made me realise, in some cases, poverty isn’t necessarily caused by people not having food or work. It happens because systems are not fair and equitable.
Across most sectors, companies face similar issues. They lack useful information to make good business decisions. These experiences eventually inspired me to start my company.
Logistics should be something people take for granted, the way you assume flicking on a switch will give you electricity and turning on a tap will give you running water.
I know we can make a difference, not only in India, but around the world.”