Across numerous cities and suburbs in the United States, it’s a common sight to witness felled trees being shredded rather than processed into lumber. This practice stems from various reasons, including incentives for tree care services to prioritize efficiency and lack of coordination in the supply chain.
However, Cambium, a startup founded by Ben Christensen, Marisa Repka, and Theo Hooker, has identified an opportunity in this wasted wood. By leveraging software to connect and streamline the disparate components of the supply chain, Cambium enables the reuse of wood that would otherwise be discarded.
Cambium’s key value lies in its ability to facilitate increased sales and purchases of wood for both suppliers and buyers. The startup ensures reliable service and long-term contracts. Additionally, it develops products using techniques that guarantee consistent quality from traditionally inconsistent wood sources. These products are then sold to companies such as Room and Board and Steelcase.
Beyond furniture-grade lumber, Cambium also produces cross-laminated timber (CLT), an engineered wood formed into panels. Partnerships with manufacturers like Mercer Mass Timber, SmartLam, Sterling Structural, and Vaagen Timbers enable this production.
Utilizing salvaged wood not only presents a business advantage but also contributes to environmental sustainability. Minimizing transportation distances reduces carbon emissions, while preserving forest trees promotes carbon sequestration.
In the fragmented timber industry, Cambium aims to digitize operations for companies that typically rely on manual processes. The startup currently collaborates with approximately 350 entities, including tree care, trucking, and sawmill companies.
Cambium recognizes the hesitancy towards software adoption and emphasizes business opportunities over technology. Through a data-driven approach, Cambium is developing an AI that automates data entry, enabling seamless digitization for businesses.
To further enhance its capabilities, Cambium has secured $18.5 million in funding led by VoLo Earth Ventures. This investment will support model development and platform expansion.
Cambium’s ultimate goal is to simplify the accounting processes of businesses in the timber industry without disrupting their operations. The AI under development will extract information from phone calls and populate databases accordingly. By tailoring to the communication preferences of truck drivers and other industry professionals, Cambium ensures seamless adoption and promotes efficient use of resources in the timber industry.
Original source: Read the full article on TechCrunch
