Faces of Technology
Reducing Supply Chain
Casualties
Adam Kinsey aspires to leave a legacy .
“ Looking at who has the most influence on the world and who is able to make positive change , it ’ s the people who understand how to make things ,” said Kinsey , Verigo CEO . “ That ’ s why I decided to be an engineer when I entered college .”
As a University of Florida ( UF ) electrical engineering student , Kinsey conducted research for a Miami seafood company that threw away hundreds of pounds of spoiled salmon due to errors in the supply chain . He soon realized the same issues were being repeated by many other businesses , resulting in excess waste around the world .
“ When I saw what was happening in the supply chain and the unbelievable magnitude of waste … about $ 10 billion worth of product in North America that could be used not only to feed those who are malnourished , but also that somebody has spent their livelihood investing in and creating … it really made an impact on me ,” said Kinsey .
While honing his skills as an intern for Lockheed Martin and Texas Instruments , Kinsey mulled over solutions for the world ’ s waste problem . He was certain businesses would adopt the latest Internet of Things technology to improve supply chain efficiency . Upon graduation from UF , however , Kinsey realized no competitors had emerged . He took a chance on his idea and launched Verigo .
A client of the UF Innovation Hub , the startup ’ s technology allows businesses to monitor and manage the quality of their perishable products as they travel from producer to consumer . Verigo ’ s Pods are sensors that can be placed in boxes carrying anything from exotic fruit to biological therapies , and are slightly larger than a USB flash drive . Pods monitor environmental
Adam Kinsey
CEO Verigo | www . verigo . io
Education : B . S . in Electrical Engineering , University of Florida
Company : Verigo blends proprietary research from the University of Florida and custom , in-house engineering to reduce supply chain abuse and help keep products safe . Its hardware and software platforms bring visibility , accountability and traceability to sensitive and perishable products throughout the supply chain .
metrics , such as temperature and humidity , which employees can see in real time on Verigo ’ s mobile application and quickly correct problems .
According to Kinsey , more than $ 2 billion worth of North America ’ s perishable products could be saved if businesses applied a technology like Verigo to their supply chain . Its potential has already been realized by investors , including the Florida Institute for Commercialization of Public Research , and partners in 12 countries who are helping sell the solution .
“ I truly have a passion for what we ’ re doing ; I want to take a huge chunk out of what we ’ re wasting ,” said Kinsey . “ That ’ s the driving force behind this . I want to see this change brought about in the world .”
florida . HIGH . TECH 2017 11