Build Mode returned this week with a special holiday episode featuring an exclusive conversation with Kevin Damoa, the CEO and founder of Glīd and the newly crowned winner of the Startup Battlefield competition. Hosted by Startup Battlefield editor Isabelle Johannessen, the episode spotlighted how Glīd, a logistics infrastructure startup, is tackling one of the industry’s toughest challenges: the complicated process of moving container shipments efficiently. Damoa’s journey into logistics began during his early days in the U.S. Army, where he worked on teams responsible for loading tanks and Bradley fighting vehicles onto railroads. That experience exposed him to the tangled, multistep process of transitioning cargo between road and rail systems.

Fast forward to 2025, Damoa stood on the TechCrunch Disrupt stage holding a giant check, emerging victorious from a pool of 200 competing startups. In the Build Mode interview, he detailed how Glīd developed a hardware and software solution designed to remove friction from the cargo transfer process he had once struggled with. He also shared insights into the pressure behind preparing not one but three products—released almost simultaneously—for a live demo on one of tech’s biggest stages. The real challenge, he noted, was ensuring the software performed flawlessly with a team that, at its current size, was nowhere near “an army.”

Fresh from his win, Damoa revealed that Glīd is already building on its momentum. The company has launched a pilot partnership with Great Plains Industrial Park, and its next product, Glīder, is nearing release. With expansion underway, Glīd is hiring across almost every department. Damoa described the recruitment style as informal and intuitive—an “organic process” where a résumé review and a quick vibe check often mark the beginning of a new hire’s journey.

This approach has helped Glīd cultivate a team of mission-driven, highly focused individuals who also value mindfulness—a trait Damoa himself embraces. In fact, when he learned that Glīd had made the top five in Startup Battlefield, his first response was simple: “I’m going to meditate.” That human-centered leadership style continues to shape the company’s culture as Glīd accelerates into its next chapter.