My Fintech Newsletter for more interviews and the latest insights:↪︎ https://rexsalisbury.substack.com/Chaos in the global supply chain and big regulatory shifts set the stage as Ryan Petersen, founder and CEO of Flexport, explains how his team steered through COVID disruptions, rapid growth, and major pivots. Learn how Flexport tackled crises, restructured after setbacks, and built fintech products—plus candid founder lessons, B2B marketing hacks, and the realities of working with changing government policies.00:00:00 - Supply chain chaos: What’s really happening?00:01:35 - Flexport’s origin and YC journey with Paul Graham00:04:05 - The 2007 legal change that made Flexport possible00:06:16 - COVID hits: Hospitals, chaos, and pivoting to crisis aid00:09:37 - Airlifting masks & Flexport.org’s massive response00:11:07 - Post-pandemic: Scaling pains and CEO turnaround story00:13:27 - Surviving and fixing operational meltdown00:15:39 - Should startups focus or diversify? Lessons from Convoy00:17:46 - Acquisitions, exits, and core customer clarity00:21:06 - Why every company is a fintech: Flexport Capital’s story00:24:32 - Lending innovations: Maritime law, risk, and collections00:26:52 - Asset-backed lending, funding growth, and private credit00:32:05 - Stablecoins, international payments, and FX tradeoffs00:37:04 - Direct mail, toy planes, and B2B marketing ROI00:41:06 - Brand, ROI, and investing in event-based relationships00:42:19 - Policy shocks: De minimis, tariffs, and rapid pivots00:46:20 - Lobbying government: How Flexport approaches...