By rethinking how shipping containers move from ship to rail, Glīd impresses judges with a hybrid-electric vehicle and automation tech — taking home $100K and the Startup Battlefield Cup.
And the Winner Is: Glīd
After three intense days of pitching and product demos, Glīd has been crowned the winner of TechCrunch Startup Battlefield 2025, taking home the coveted Startup Battlefield Cup and a $100,000 prize.
Selected from a field of 20 elite startups, Glīd stood out with its innovative approach to port logistics — an often-overlooked but mission-critical part of the global supply chain.
Solving a Complex Logistics Bottleneck
Glīd (pronounced “Glide”) is tackling the notoriously slow and fragmented process of moving containers from cargo ships to freight rail — a process that today involves forklifts, hostler trucks, manual scheduling, and multiple handoffs.
Founder Kevin Damoa and his team unveiled GliderM, a hybrid-electric vehicle designed to streamline this workflow:
- Equipped with a rear-mounted hook system, GliderM can lift and transport 20-foot shipping containers autonomously.
- It eliminates the need for forklifts or traditional port tractors, reducing both costs and emissions.
- Integrated software helps coordinate container movements from dock to railhead.
This approach shortens the ship-to-rail transition while increasing port efficiency and sustainability — key issues for a strained global logistics sector.
Beating Out an Impressive Finalist Field
Glīd was one of five standout finalists from the Startup Battlefield 200, which also included:
- Charter Space – streamlining satellite launch logistics
- MacroCycle – developing next-gen materials from industrial waste
- Nephrogen – innovating in kidney disease diagnostics
- Unlisted Homes – creating a pre-listing marketplace for real estate
All finalists pitched in front of a panel of industry leaders, including Aileen Lee (Cowboy Ventures) and Kevin Rose (Digg founder).
After hours of deliberation, Glīd’s real-world impact, working prototype, and hardware/software synergy gave it the edge.
The Vision Behind Glīd
Founder Kevin Damoa, a former space and defense industry executive, brings a systems engineering mindset to ground logistics.
“Ports are still the chokepoint of global shipping,” Damoa said. “We built Glīd to make freight movement not only faster but dramatically cleaner and smarter.”
By merging vehicle electrification, robotics, and logistics software, Glīd positions itself at the intersection of cleantech, automation, and supply chain innovation.
What’s Next for Glīd?
Winning Startup Battlefield is just the beginning. With new visibility and funding, Glīd plans to:
- Scale pilot deployments with major shipping and port operators
- Expand its vehicle fleet beyond GliderM to handle 40-foot containers
- Deepen integration with rail systems and logistics software providers
As shipping ports increasingly become automation hubs, Glīd is betting it can be the company that modernizes the “first mile” of inland freight.
