Build Mode is back with a holiday bonus episode. This week, Startup Battlefield editor Isabelle Johannessen is joined by the winner of this year’s competition, Kevin Damoa, the CEO and founder of Glīd, a logistics infrastructure company that aims to streamline the complex container shipment process.

Damoa first discovered the challenges of shipping larger cargo as a new enlistee in the U.S. Army, where he worked on a team loading tanks and Bradley fighting vehicles onto the railroad. He learned firsthand that while railways don’t have the same congestion as roads, they come with their own set of problems. The biggest one ended up being the complex multistep process of moving cargo from the roads to the rails.

Cut to 2025, and Damoa is standing on the TechCrunch Disrupt stage holding the giant check, having just beaten 200 other companies to win the Startup Battlefield competition. In this week’s episode of Build Mode, TechCrunch’s new postcast for builders and entrepreneurs, Damoa breaks down how he found the hardware and software solution to the logistics issues he’d seen firsthand. And he does a deep dive into how the team came together to ensure those three products (launched nearly simultaneously) were ready for a live demo on the Disrupt stage. 

“Oh that was crazy, making sure the software works,” Damoa said. “And anybody that knows software knows that it takes an army of people,” which was something that Glīd at this stage doesn’t have. But that pressure, and very public deadline, gave the team a focus and drive to get their house in order more swiftly than ever.

In this interview, Damoa is fresh off this big win and eager to use the momentum and prize money to accelerate Glīd into their next phase. They’re already launching a pilot with Great Plains Industrial Park, and their next product Glīder is about to hit the market. And the team is hiring for roles in nearly every aspect of the business. Their process is more on the casual end of the spectrum, with Damoa calling it “an organic process” where an initial vibe check and résumé review can turn into a new team member.

Damoa says that process has attracted people who are mission driven, laser-focused, all while practicing mindfulness. That makes sense when the CEO is the kind of leader who responds to the news that they’ve made the top five in Startup Battlefield by saying: “I’m going to meditate.”

Using this human-centric approach, the Glīd team has attracted people who are mission driven and laser-focused, all while practicing mindfulness. That makes sense when the CEO is the kind of leader who responds to the news that they’ve made the top five in Startup Battlefield by saying: “I’m going to meditate.”

For the full episode and many more tips from Damoa on how other companies can position themselves to win Startup Battlefield, check out the video below, or listen and subscribe to Build Mode wherever you like getting your favorite podcasts. And if you’re liking what we’re doing, give us a review — or if you have feedback about the show, reach out to us at podcasts@techcrunch.com.

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