In 2014, Jan Bednar founded ShipMonk. As a third-party logistics (3PL) provider, the company served the growing cadre of small and midsize businesses (SMBs) getting involved in direct-to-consumer e-commerce. It scaled quickly, graduating to larger warehouse facilities and expanding internationally, all while maintaining profitability. In late 2020 and early 2021, ShipMonk secured $355 million in growth equity funding. It now has more than 2,000 employees.
“I kind of fell into logistics,” says Bednar. “It was by accident, not by choice.” Bednar started his first company while in college at Florida Atlantic University. He’d buy in-demand American products that weren’t available overseas, store them in his apartment, and…