LAS VEGAS — Autotech Ventures is placing its chips on logistics startups that can’t easily be copied. It’s a strategy its managing director says separates lasting winners from the crowded field of AI solutions flooding the market.
Numerous AI-powered freight technology companies were showcased at Manifest 2026.
The early-stage venture capital firm manages roughly $600 million and focuses exclusively on industrials and transportation. Logistics and the supply chain represent a significant portion of its portfolio.
Its limited partners include major global manufacturers and logistics companies, creating what Burak Cendek calls the firm’s “secret sauce.”
“We connect our founders with business development opportunities within our LP base and extended network,” Cendek said. “Think of it as car manufacturers, parts manufacturers with huge supply chains, and logistics companies. We work very closely with them.”
That network has helped fuel investments in freight intelligence platform GenLogs, logistics AI productivity platform Augment and other emerging players including BasicBlock, KlearNow and Retail Ready.
Cendek describes GenLogs as “fresh air” in a landscape cluttered with easily replicable agentic AI tools. The company exemplifies what he calls an “n of one” business, something with no direct equivalent in the market.
“They have a very big moat with their network — nobody else has that. Nobody else has this data,” Cendek said. “It’s not just the data — it’s also the data science you apply on top of that data to make sense of it.”
Cendek notes the distinction matters because entry barriers for application-layer AI have collapsed. Building an AI tool has become straightforward; building something defensible has not.
“When we looked at agentic AI solutions, we realized this is easily replicable,” Cendek said. “You can get traction because there’s clear ROI, but you’ll have tens and hundreds of competitors, which is going to impact pricing power down the road. You’re going to start undercutting each other.”
For Augment, Autotech saw a different proposition: a holistic platform rather than a narrow point solution. Cendek noted that enterprise partners don’t want to manage fragmented AI tools that handle single workflows in isolation.
“You cannot just do one single workflow, because when we talk to enterprise partners, they don’t want to deal with four or five different AI solutions. It becomes messy — they don’t talk to each other,” he said.
Augment’s founder, Harish Abbott, previously sold logistics technology company Deliverr to Shopify for $2.1 billion. Cendek called him “a phenomenal operator” whose vision for an end-to-end freight platform attracted significant capital and aggressive hiring.
“Enterprises love that because it fits neatly into their AI strategy, which many are still figuring out. Augment is a good partner to figure it out with them,” he said.
The broader shift threatens traditional software gatekeepers. Cendek believes the value of being a system of record is declining as AI extracts more value from workflow automation and context.
“In the past, ERPs and TMSs locked in your data — once they had it, it was hard to move. I think that value will decline because the real value is making sense of the data,” he said.
Looking ahead, Cendek sees physical AI and robotics as the next investment frontier. Falling hardware costs and improved software now allow robotic systems to be taught new skills faster and cheaper than traditional warehouse automation ever permitted.
“AI is on its path, but in logistics, you’ll capture significantly more value once AI reaches the physical layer: automating warehouses, loading and unloading,” he said. “That’s the next chapter.”
The deal flow reflects these dynamics. Autotech Ventures now reviews approximately 7,000 startups annually. That is up from 1,000 six years ago, forcing the firm to deploy its own AI tools to manage the explosion.
Cendek’s advice for separating hype from substance: Look past raw revenue momentum.
“If not defensible, it can disappear when a better or cheaper solution arrives,” he said. “Sustainability, health and defensibility of revenue matter.”
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