Baton is a technology company.
Baton has raised $24.0M across 3 funding rounds.
Baton has raised $24.0M in total across 3 funding rounds.
Baton has raised $24.0M in total across 3 funding rounds.
Baton's investors include Antler, BoxGroup, La Famiglia, Looking Glass Capital, monashees, Promus Ventures, Rainfall Ventures, Sinai Ventures, Vayner RSE, Vine Ventures LP, Al Goldstein, Polychain Capital.
Baton is a Silicon Valley-based technology innovation lab established by Ryder System, Inc., following its 2022 acquisition of the startup Baton, focused on eliminating waste in trucking and supply chains. Originally a startup ranked #4 in FreightWaves' 2022 FreightTech25 for disruption in freight, Baton now builds AI-powered digital platforms and optimization engines to digitize transportation networks, addressing inefficiencies like 20-30% empty truck miles and 2 billion wasted hours annually in first/final mile trucking[1][2][5]. It serves Ryder's customers in supply chain, dedicated transportation, and fleet management across the US, Mexico, and Canada, solving problems of seasonality, fluctuating demand, and resource underutilization through autonomous vehicle transfer hubs and real-time optimization[1][2].
Baton originated as an independent startup founded by Andrew Berberick and Nate Robert, who serve as CTO and CPO, respectively, at the post-acquisition lab; the company emerged to tackle massive waste in trucking, such as empty trucks (up to 30%) and daily lost capacity[1][2][5]. In August 2022, Ryder acquired Baton to lead its technology revolution, transforming it into "Baton, A Ryder Technology Lab" in San Francisco, with engineering led by Ryan Houlihan (ex-NASA Mars Rover engineer) and operations by Erik Malin (ex-$1.3B freight tech ops leader)[2][5]. Early traction included its #4 ranking in FreightTech25, pivotal for Ryder's push into AI-driven supply chain disruption[2].
Baton rides the autonomous trucking and AI optimization wave in a $800B+ US trucking market plagued by 20-30% empty miles, emissions (transportation's largest source), and labor shortages, with timing amplified by post-2022 supply chain shocks and AV pilots scaling[1][2][5]. Market forces like Ryder's fleet dominance and AI readiness favor Baton, enabling network digitization that no pure-play startup matches, while influencing the ecosystem by accelerating AV adoption via transfer hubs and setting standards for freight tech integration[1][2]. As trucking electrification and autonomy converge, Baton positions Ryder to disrupt incumbents like JB Hunt amid regulatory tailwinds for efficiency.
Baton's trajectory points to expanding its AV transfer network and AI platform across Ryder's operations, potentially capturing share in intraday optimization as AVs like Aurora/TuSimple deploy commercially by 2026-2027. Trends like AI liquidity in logistics, 24/7 digital supply chains, and emissions regulations will propel growth, evolving Baton from lab to industry backbone—much like its startup roots disrupted freight waste, now scaled by Ryder to redefine trucking efficiency[1][2][5].
Baton has raised $24.0M across 3 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $11.0M Series A in March 2021.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 1, 2021 | $11.0M Series A | Antler | |
| May 1, 2020 | $10.0M Series A | BoxGroup, La Famiglia, Looking Glass Capital, monashees, Promus Ventures, Rainfall Ventures, Sinai Ventures, Vayner RSE, Vine Ventures LP, Al Goldstein | |
| Nov 1, 2019 | $3.0M Seed | Polychain Capital |