Global-e Buys Passport, Agentic Commerce & Stord's $250M Series F: The Latest Logistics News
Global-e Acquires Passport In a massive move for the cross-border e-commerce space, Global-e has announced the acquisition of Passport. The deal significantly enhances Global-e’s outbound logistics capabilities from the U.S., integrating Passport's extensive carrier network and international compliance expertise directly into their platform. It’s a massive win for the D2C ecosystem and a testament to the value of specialized logistics tech. Source: Global-e / PR Newswire
Stord Raises $250M Series F at $3B Valuation The capital hasn't dried up for everyone. Stord just announced a massive $250 million Series F funding round, vaulting its valuation to $3 billion. The company is actively moving beyond traditional warehousing, using the capital to advance what it calls the "physical intelligence layer" for commerce - essentially aiming to connect disparate supply chain data into a single, actionable software layer for enterprise brands. We are huge fans of Stord at Third Person - they are terrific partners of ours - and we wish them continued success. Source: PR Newswire
The Rise of "Agentic Commerce" Bessemer Venture Partners (BVP) published a fascinating thesis this week on the future of e-commerce, coining the term "Agentic Commerce." We are rapidly shifting from human-driven shopping to "delegated buyers," where AI agents execute purchases, manage subscriptions, and negotiate pricing on behalf of consumers. If algorithms are making the purchasing decisions, brands must completely rethink their SEO, pricing, and fulfillment strategies to appeal to machines rather than humans. Source: Bessemer Venture Partners
Will Brands Trust Amazon's Logistics Network? Following Amazon's massive rollout of its end-to-end Supply Chain Services, the industry is fiercely debating whether independent brands will actually hand over their keys.I spoke with Morning Brew’s Retail Brew this week about the rollout. While the capabilities are undeniable, there is massive skepticism among mid-market and enterprise brands about feeding their proprietary supply chain and customer data directly into the Everything Store's ecosystem. Source: Retail Brew
The $10 Billion Handshake: DHL & USPS The massive reshuffling of the U.S. parcel network continues. DHL eCommerce has signed a monumental, multi-year contract with the USPS worth an estimated $10 billion. As UPS actively pushes "Ground Saver" volume to the postal service and Amazon restructures its own USPS injections, DHL is locking in long-term capacity to ensure its lightweight, D2C volume has reliable final-mile coverage for years to come. Source: Supply Chain Dive
Everlane Founder Launches "Still Radical" Following last week's “controversial” news that Shein is acquiring Everlane, founder Michael Preysman is already moving on. Retail Dive reports that Preysman is launching a new brand called Still Radical. The new venture appears to be doubling down on the original ethos of extreme transparency and sustainable supply chains that Everlane was initially known for before the margin pressures of scaling took over.
Recall, Everlane was valued at $550 to $600M at its peak. The acquisition price of $100 Million by Shein was likely for inventory (and far too much of it). They also have a number of stores. But this feels all too similar to the outcome of similar early-2010’s era DTC brands like Bonobos, ModCloth, and Brandless. Far too much inventory, custom tech, and insufficient distribution. Fashion is hard. I’m wishing Still Radical success. Current landing page below. Source: Retail Dive
India's 10-Minute Delivery Boom Think Amazon's new 30-minute delivery is fast? The WSJ highlights how quick-commerce in India has fundamentally rewired consumer behavior. Through hyper-local micro-fulfillment centers, consumers in major Indian cities can now get milk and basic groceries delivered faster than it takes to brew a cup of coffee. The logistics density required to pull this off is staggering. Source: WSJ
Walmart's Q1 Earnings Still Echoing Walmart’s blowout Q1 earnings report continues to dictate the broader retail narrative. As specialized brands struggle with customer acquisition costs, Walmart's massive physical footprint and heavily subsidized e-commerce expansion prove that omnichannel density is the ultimate moat in the current macroeconomic environment. Source: WSJ
