This week’s episode of “WisBusiness: the Podcast” is with Tom Dean, founder and CEO of Renaissant.
Dean discusses the Milwaukee technology company’s journey from launching as a safety and security platform in 2020 — targeting government buildings, schools and office buildings as customers — to finding success after pivoting toward logistics.
“What it’s turned into is a broad-based yard execution platform, that basically handles every type of transaction that shipping clerks, guards at warehouses, truck drivers, yard drivers … we get all of the tasking out to those people when they need it, for what they need to do,” he said.
Renaissant has maintained its focus on safety and security concerns within this narrower lane, Dean says, noting its customers rely on the company to deter fraud and theft as well as boosting productivity.
“Being able to do more with less, ship more goods on more trucks with fewer labor hours,” he said.
Since getting started about six years ago, the business has grown to nearly $2 million in annual revenue with at least 65 customers. The Renaissant platform is used at about 130 sites across the country, though its main customer base is in southern California where many of the nation’s shipyards are clustered.
“We’re coast to coast, we’ve got basically all four corners,” Dean said.
The conversation also explores how the business is using AI to enhance its operations, building on an earlier innovation project it completed with Microsoft and venture capital firm TitletownTech in Green Bay, which has invested in the company.
After working with Microsoft engineers on the development phase for the project, Renaissant deployed an AI-based voice assistant translation system to support truck drivers. Many of these drivers don’t speak English as a first language, often preferring their native Spanish, Polish or Hindi, Dean said.
“When they arrive at a warehouse, you can imagine that it’s challenging for a clerk or a guard to interact with them and give them complicated instructions … Renaissant facilitates all that translation between these drivers and the people they work with,” he said.
Listen to the podcast below, sponsored by UW-Madison:
