The Matt Waller Podcast Matt Waller, Ph.D.

Today, I spoke with Jared Smith, CEO of Kitestring Technical Services in Bentonville, Arkansas. Jared, who has a PhD in physical chemistry from UC Berkeley, has led Kitestring, a 150-person firm specializing in retail technology, for the past 12 years. Our discussion ranged from the evolution of point-of-sale (POS) systems and the potential of AI in retail to the importance of self-care for entrepreneurs.Evolution of POS TechnologyWe started by discussing the evolution of POS systems, which h...

As the host of the Matt Waller Podcast, I have the privilege of engaging with some of the most insightful and innovative minds in the world of business and entrepreneurship. Recently, I had an enriching conversation with Jeremy Wilson, a seasoned entrepreneur and the co-founder of NewRoad Capital Partners. This dialogue not only shed light on his personal journey but also provided invaluable lessons for anyone looking to make their mark in the entrepreneurial landscape.The Genesis of an Entre...

In my career, I have been privileged to engage with some of the most knowledgeable and strategic minds in the domains of logistics, supply chain management, and retail operations. Recently, I had the opportunity to speak with Tracy Rosser, a seasoned professional with over two decades at Walmart, where he held the position of Senior Vice President of Transportation and Supply Chain. Tracy's extensive experience not only in logistics but also in various other operational roles at Walmart provi...

Gregoire Lehmann has had an interesting journey to becoming a principal at NewRoad Capital Partners, the Arkansas-based private equity firm. Originally from France, Lehmann was recruited to play tennis for the University of Arkansas, where he excelled as both a student-athlete and a student, earning degrees in finance and economics.After getting a taste for entrepreneurship by scaling a business with former teammates after graduation, Lehmann returned to get his MBA from the University of Ark...

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Natalia Burgett, Chief Strategy Officer at Platform Science, a company that has been making big waves in transportation technology. The timing couldn't have been better, as they had just announced an impressive $125 million funding round.As I spoke with Natalia, I was struck by Platform Science's truly revolutionary vision of creating an open ecosystem to solve long standing inefficiencies that have plagued the transportation industry. For too long,...

Arkansas has emerged as a hub for professional services firms specializing in the retail value chain (RVC). Many of these firms have achieved successful exits worth over $50 million. A new initiative called Highstep aims to build on this strength by launching 10 new AI-powered professional services startups in Arkansas over 5 months.By combining Arkansas's RVC expertise with cutting-edge AI, Highstep will create "scalable services" models with operational leverage similar to software companie...