Forecasting, also known as demand variability, has long been a hurdle for businesses reliant on the global supply chain. In a survey conducted long before the pandemic began (in 2015), large companies — those with revenues in the range of $500 to more than $1 billion — pegged variability as the top challenge that they faced. Predicting supply chain volatility has only grown more difficult as pandemic-related shocks, including elevated ecommerce volume, impact shipping and raw materials availability.
Vic Patil thinks the solution lies in a “mesh” — specifically what he calls a “supply mesh,” inspired by the way wireless mesh networks function. That’s the product Backbone, the startup Patil helped to cofound, is selling: a platform designed to enable companies to resp …
