"Together Talks" feature # 93: VAE Labs presented by KLS, freight company
Some Background on VAE Labs
Today's edition of "Together Talks" campaign, KLS had the chance to interview VAE Labs and Founder and CEO, Orri Bogdan. VAE was created by two neuroscience students looking for a better way to handle balancing the late nights of research with varsity athletics.
They wanted a portable caffeine solution they could take anywhere and would keep them energized for a week or more. They also didn’t want it to have any of the chemicals and calories of energy drinks - just a clean caffeine experience.
18 months of research and many sleepless nights of testing later, VAE was born.
The natural caffeine spray powered by 3 simple ingredients providing instant energy anywhere!
College start
VAE Labs began in college when a team studying neuroscience found a problem and wanted to develop a solution. Coffee and energy drinks were not cutting it, and the team believed there was a better option. Creating something that was fast acting, clean, and convenient way to get caffeinated was essential. In 2018 the team found their creation, developing a spray to solve the problem they sought out to accomplish.
A year later the company incorporated, and VAE Labs was crated. Their product provides 20mg of caffeine per spray. As they compare 3 sprays equates a cup of coffee. Pairing that fast-acting boost plus the convenience make it such an innovative product. As they set out to do, they plan to disrupt within the industry. Other similar caffeine spray companies are more focused on tackling bad breath with a side of caffeine. Orri believes that they are top of the class and that their strongest value is their science background. The tech, team, and background are what Orri is most proud about the potential of VAE Labs.
Benefits
Their caffeine spray brings the convenience of fitting in your pocket. Whip it out and 3 sprays equal a single cup of coffee. Zero calories with no sugar. VAE Labs is providing natural caffeine with lightning-fast energy and there is no crash or jitters.
They currently have 3 flavors:
Mocha
Mango
Mint
Partner with KLS
KLS offers LTL and FTL for both dry and reefer transportation.
Our nationwide coverage provides companies a reliable, consistent, and dependable logistics partner to handle your trucking needs.
For more information on how we can help call our office today 708-980-0920 or reach us via our email quote request here!
Determination
Orri shared that prior to this he was a pro gamer and the lessons learned from not only teamwork, but also carrying your own weight resonates with him. Focusing on what his tasks were amongst his gaming competitions are the same mindset he utilizes running VAE Labs today. For Orri the most important part is focusing on what he can control and finding solutions to any problem that arises.
Being a startup, Orri mentioned that a challenge they faced early was having inventory and struggling with money. Learning how to fundraise was the next logical step to keep things moving. Orri shared the strength in leveraging story telling when making those connections and generating interest behind their brand. Over time like all things he tries to tackle he improved through repetition. Orri went in-depth during that process of raising capital, "We wanted to fundraise, but constantly were told we wouldn't be able to pre-revenue. We completed an accelerator program and got an offer from a VC. While the offer wasn't what we wanted, it flipped a switch in the brain showing what we were capable of. This was an example of breaking past imposter syndrome."
Running a company allows Orri freedom. He shared with us that what he enjoys most is the freedom to do whatever he wants, when he wants. He told us that he already does it in his personal life, having the option to do it for work as well is imperative to him. The drive to build his vision, his way matters to him. His goal is to do everything he can to make the business successful.
Company-wide belief
VAE Labs is here to disrupt. Orri shared there are two avenues to disrupt. One is the easy way which is to innovate with something that everyone is using. But the other option is doing it the hard way which is innovating with a completely new product. While it is harder to get the traction it possesses immense upside. VAE Labs and their caffeine spray is the latter.
Orri explained to us that the people that make up VAE Labs is the foundation and the core strength of the company. He couldn't sing their praises loud enough. As Orri previously mentioned overcoming imposter syndrome has allowed the company to continue to build. Their next mission is to tackle energy drinks. While it is high risk to try and enter that market share and ultimately overtake energy drinks, Orri is very confident in the team. Very confident in team.
Entering the new year are big goals for VAE Labs. It will be their first fully operating year. Orri shared they have a huge PO in the works that will set the tone for the year and the team is excited about fulfilling. They want to continue their expansion into retail. VAE Labs has put a priority on marketing to continue to build brand awareness and continue to increase exposure. The company is focused on continuing to move forward. As Orri explained to us, they simply don't get impacted by adversity, they just don't care. VAE Labs has the mindset of "us against the world".
Piece of Advice
The conversation with Orri ended with him sharing his piece of advice:
"Being 27 and an early-stage founder, the biggest unlock was getting involved with a mentor who also is an investor. For 2 years this individual was a very close friend. He built multi-billion-dollar company in similar industry, so they brought vast knowledge and experience to the table for us. Between his connections and relevancy in the space, he has been the most influential person.
Prior to getting him on board, other VCs were low balling or not interested in our company, then it changed once he came on board. Be aware though that mentors won’t only bet on you but bet on you and the product you are bringing to them. Having something that is enticing to that person and getting them to invest into them is the key."
Also check out a passion project Orri has created, Founders Game.
A community built to disrupt startups with a founders first approach.
Interested in being featured with "Together Talks"?
KLS is booking our upcoming schedule now!
Contact us as we would love to learn your story and share it amongst our audience.
Weekly we provide 2 companies our platform to expand their reach courtesy of our campaign. Let's collaborate!!!
In Closing
KLS wants to thank Orri Bogdan, Founder and CEO, of VAE Labs for today's "Together Talks" feature. Follow along for the VAE Labs journey with their social handles below!
Klimson Logistics Solutions - Together Talks with VAE Labs feature # 93
*Klimson Logistics Solutions is an Industry Leading Customer Service 3PL. Our focus and commitment to our clients has us striving to be the BEST customer service 3PL for LTL, FTL, Reefer, and Drayage in the country. KLS, freight company, is a 3PL providing nationwide logistics solutions. KLS shipping services include: LTL freight, FTL freight, Reefer LTL freight, Reefer FTL freight, and Drayage. Klimson Logistics Solutions thanks you for viewing our marketing campaign, "Together Talks". If you have any interest in being featured or questions regarding your freight operations please contact us today!
Why KLS?
Our precise and reliable effort.
We handle every shipment with the exact same process. It does not matter if you move one shipment a year or ten per day, you will receive the same level of customer service from us. When we started this company, we had one goal in mind, treat every shipment like it was our own. With our vast knowledge of the industry, we understood what a customer would want from a communication standpoint. We applied that process to be the standard here at KLS. Our reliability and being able to depend on our consistency is why we have such long-standing relationships with our clients.
Our Process?
Every shipment in our industry starts with a quote. We are firm believers that time is money, thus we strive to have quotes back in a 5-10 minute reply time for LTL and FTL, any FCL quotes are at the mercy of the carriers getting back to us. For LTL we have the flexibility to quote both off of NMFC and also Density depending on the carrier. Utilizing our services, you’re allowing us to use our expertise to class your freight accordingly to ensure we are providing the best rate we possibly can.
Once a quote has been submitted and a client chooses to proceed with KLS handling the arrangement of the shipment our full process begins. We create the BOL that will be used for the shipment. If it is a new location for our system, we will obtain all the important/special details (reference numbers, contact details, shipping hours, closed for lunch, dock/doors, etc.). We meticulously build every detail into our software for all future shipments involving that location. After we have both locations built and necessary reference numbers have been applied we will tender the shipment to the carrier. We use this method because it provides us a real time pickup number from the carrier to obtain updates prior to pickup. Our staff will either email the BOL directly to you or to the shipper (at your request) the minute after the tender has been accepted by the carrier. LTL carriers require a 2 hour window prior to close time in order to schedule it for a same-day pickup attempt.
The following morning you’ll receive an email from us. It will either provide the reason the pickup was missed (driver’s trailer filled up, driver missed the close time, truck broke down, shipper said no freight, etc.) or if the pickup was successful you will receive the PRO (tracking) number from us, along with the eta for delivery. Our staff will track it throughout the duration of transit and advise if anything happens that will alter the estimated delivery date. The day the shipment delivers we will email you with confirmation and the POD (Proof of Delivery), should you require it.
Your shipment has been quoted, scheduled, picked up, and delivered. The next step is waiting for the carrier to invoice us and make sure the rate matches up. If it does, we close out the invoice from the carrier in our system and automatically your invoice is created and sent to the requested party at your company. In the event the carrier has an additional charge on their invoice “Variance”, we will never send you an invoice with an additional charge without first identifying you of the charge.
Let us repeat, NEVER WILL WE JUST BILL OUT AN EXTRA CHARGE WITHOUT YOU BEING NOTIFIED.
You are our customer, we represent you. Should the carrier provide an extra charge on an invoice, “Lift gate, additional weight, reclass, detention, etc.) We notify you of the charge via email first. Second, within that email we identify what is required should you choose to dispute the charge. Again our goal is to honor your request, if you want to dispute, we will dispute. During a dispute we will provide you updates every step along the way. Once a dispute is closed out, whether it is approved or rejected, then we will invoice you as the invoice has been resolved.
For reference, our company only had 6.2% of all shipments go to dispute in 2022 and we successfully won 91% of those disputes on behalf of our customers.
This is our process for every single shipment you move with us. We don’t cut corners, we don’t hide from difficult situations. We believe in being available, honest, and transparent. We don’t ever want to tell you that a shipment is lost, damaged, misrouted, but it is our duty to notify you the second we find out something has gone wrong. We hate to present bad news, but it is part of the job. What you can guarantee is that we will work a shipment all the way through and turn over every stone until we get a resolution for our clients.
Services offered?
Our core business is LTL and FTL. Within these options we have options for both dry and refrigerated/frozen. We also offer FCL/Drayage options. Our company as a 3PL has nationwide options and services clients across the US.
Let’s breakdown our services more in-depth
LTL:
Standard and Guaranteed
CFS (Imports & Exports)
Tradeshows
Hazmat
Anything that is on a pallet can be moved LTL. Typically LTL is up to 10 pallets, but the sweet spot for a carrier is 6-8 pallets at most for an individual shipment. LTL quotes are good between 5-30 days depending on the carrier. LTL can be quoted either via NMFC or density to determine the class (we do this for you).
Volume:
Anything over 10-12’ of space in the truck is the technical rule for a volume shipment. When we run a quote for you we will determine if it qualifies for volume and provide you a rate if available. Volume moves allow you to get a reduced rate for larger shipments. The caveat to volume shipments it the quotes are only valid for 3-7 days and they move on capacity between terminals. If a terminal is backed up they will move their LTL freight first before the volume freight, which can lead to longer transit times for volume moves.
FTL/Dedicated/Expedited: 53’ Dry and Reefer 26’ Box trucks with lift gate Sprinter Van The main difference for FTL vs LTL is space and transit time. For standard pallets you can fit either 26 or 30 pallets in a 53’ dry van. The other main difference is transit time, for FTL each day counts in the transit time, whereas LTL does not count the day of pickup, weekends, or holidays in their transit time.
Reefer/Frozen:
LTL and FTL
We specialize working in the CPG space with food manufacturers. We regularly deliver to
the following locations:
Kehe
UNFI
Core Mark
DPI
Wegmans
Cugini
H.T. Hackney
Netrition
HEB
ALDI
Chambers and Owens
EBY Brown
Nassau Candy
Harris Teeter
Wakefern
NU INC
Long Distribution
What makes KLS different?
There are thousands of freight brokers and 3PL in our industry. Barrier to entry is rather easy and agents or owners will often hire sales people without any intention of properly training them. It results in high turnover for many freight companies and a forgettable experience for the client. We choose to operate differently through our consistency. We truly care about doing right by our clients and prospects too. While we would love to help provide our services to every company we speak with, that just isn’t realistic. We won’t always be the right fit for every company that moves freight and that is ok. Our authenticity as a shipping company sets us apart from the competition and that is backed up by our testimonials. We also run a marketing campaign bi-weekly called “Together Talks”. We interview, highlight, and promote two businesses every week. Our goal is to grow our network, make new connections, and learn something new with each collaboration. Check it out on our website and if you’re interested in being featured reach out.
Our company also runs a year long charity promotion. Book your first shipment through KLS and we donate to the charity of your choice in your name. Our way of thanking you for giving us an opportunity to show you the KLS way and what makes us one of a kind. This entire package is what we offer to every prospect and every client. Our goal is to help provide answers that customers may have when it comes to shipping. We want to always be available as a resource and will always offer a lending hand whenever we can.
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