Keynote speakers announced

The National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors (NAW), the voice of the $8.2 trillion wholesale distribution industry that employs over 6 million U.S. workers, along with Applico, an advisor to billion-dollar distributors and manager of the wholesale distribution industry’s first dedicated venture capital fund, announced that Jabbok Schlacks, CEO/CoFounder of EquipmentShare will be the Marketplace keynote speaker for the 2023 NAW Innovators Summit, powered by Applico; and Guy Bloch, CEO at BRINGG, will be the keynote Supply Chain Technology speaker at #IS2023. 

Taking place Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023, from 3 p.m. CT — Thursday, November 16, 2023, at 1 p.m. Austin, Texas, at the Omni Austin Hotel Downtown, the NAW Innovators Summit powered by Applico, has been hailed as the industry’s top matchmaking event between distributors, leading B2B tech companies and investors. 

“We cannot wait to welcome Jabbok Schlacks and Guy Bloch as keynote speakers to the Innovators Summit stage,” said NAW CEO Eric Hoplin. “In 2023, the Innovators Summit seeks to showcase everything unique about the inaugural technology conference from 2022 while also expanding the types of technology companies present and inviting the investor community to further participate and share their unique perspective and insights. Schlacks and Bloch are an invaluable addition to the program, and we look forward to hearing their insights relating to marketplaces and supply chain technology,” Hoplin concluded. 

“The Innovators Summit is truly a one-of-a-kind experience to hear the real story behind innovation in B2B,” said Applico Founder and CEO Alex Moazed, “Jabbok and Guy will provide attendees with powerful insights and innovative solutions to problems facing distributors in the areas of marketplaces and supply chain technology,” Moazed concluded. 

The NAW Innovators Summit powered by Applico welcomes leading industry executives across North America to meet the founders of the most exciting B2B distribution-focused technology startups in closed-door presentations. Attendees get the ‘inside scoop’ – and if distributors like what they hear, they can book private, one-on-one time with founders to discuss opportunities in more detail. 

The technology tracks will include marketplace technology, sales and operations technology, supply chain technology and “AI in action” – pragmatic examples of AI for wholesale distributors. 

Jabbok Schlacks is the CEO/Co-Founder at EquipmentShare, whose digital solutions gather data in a central location to give contractors a single place to analyze and understand their business operations data. By providing contractors and fleet managers with digital and electronic ways to record, gather and monitor fleet utilization data, EquipmentShare saves them hours typically spent manually collecting the same information, digesting it, and applying it to business decisions. 

Guy Bloch is CEO at BRINGG, whose open SaaS platform simplifies the last mile experience, enabling organizations to turn delivery into a competitive advantage by leveraging innovative technology to manage their own fleets, or tapping into a global network of 200+ integrated carriers including parcel, same day, and LTL. By providing a scalable, data-driven solution to dynamically manage fleets, increase delivery options and automate processes, Bringg is able to create a seamless experience for drivers, dispatchers, and customers while reducing last mile costs. Applico is the trusted advisor to billion-dollar distributors on strategic partnerships with tech startups. Applico Capital is the wholesale distribution industry’s first dedicated venture capital firm. With backing from more than 5 billion-dollar distributors.