From SpaceX to Rail: How One Veteran is Fixing America’s Supply Chain Crisis
“The future of logistics isn’t about more trains or trucks – it’s about erasing the line between them.” In today’s episode of BitBuilders, we had Kevin Damoa, founder of Glid, who’s revolutionizing freight transport by tackling the industry’s biggest pain point: the costly and time-consuming transload process between rail and road. From fighting fires in California to designing rocket transport systems at SpaceX, Kevin brings unique insights into why our current logistics infrastructure is holding back American manufacturing and how automation could transform port communities. Tune in to learn about: ✅ Why transloading a single container can cost up to $2,500 and add weeks to shipping times ✅ How ports like Rotterdam handle 3x the capacity of U.S. ports through automation ✅ Why trains won’t move until they’re 2 miles long (and what that means for your shipping costs) ✅ The untold story of how poor infrastructure affects port-adjacent communities —– Chapters 00:00 Intro 03:30 Introduction to Kevin Damoa 05:53 Military Logistics Experience 09:05 Transitioning to SpaceX 15:39 Life After SpaceX 22:24 The Birth of Glide 27:01 Challenges in American Rail Infrastructure 29:54 The Glide Vehicle Design 35:16 Future Applications and Industries for Glide 35:18 Partnerships and Initial Use Cases 37:34 Business Model and Pricing Strategy 40:45 Challenges in Execution and Regulation 42:55 Building a Mission-Driven Team 46:18 Social Issues in Logistics and Labor 50:54 Future of Automation in Ports 54:20 Innovations in Freight and Passenger Rail 1:02:10 Vision for Glide in the Next Decade 1:05:31 Advice for Founders in Hard Industries


