David Berg gained valuable insight into the waste management industry by driving a garbage truck across the country as the first employee of Ohio-based Brattle Motors. He discovered that despite the number of sales prospecting platforms available, selling to this industry remains a largely offline process. He observed that companies used old-school methods like pen and paper, door-to-door sales, and had little to no technology for CRM or sales funnel management. Berg saw an opportunity to be the first to build within this space and disrupt the entire market.
He launched CommanderAI in early 2024 as a customer relationship manager and sales prospecting platform built specifically for waste management and other industrial services like dumpster rentals and industrial recycling. According to Berg, who is also the CEO, while platforms like Salesforce or HubSpot could be customized for this sector, they are often too complex and lack the necessary industry-specific nuances to achieve widespread adoption. He stated that CommanderAI’s software is better suited to the types of contracts waste management companies use.
Berg explained that general sales platforms do not have the specific data required for waste management companies to find customers. These businesses often sell to small, standalone enterprises with little online presence and to new construction projects that are not widely advertised. CommanderAI uses artificial intelligence to gather and organize this information for its users. He noted that while this data is available on the public web, segmenting and repurposing it to be useful required significant work, which is where the AI and large language model pipeline becomes essential.
The waste management industry is substantial, generating over one hundred billion dollars in revenue in the United States in 2024 according to a trade organization. The sector includes a diverse mix of companies, from small haulers with a few trucks to the ninety billion dollar giant Waste Management.
Berg said their approach to these companies is to affirm their existing sales methods while offering tools to improve efficiency. The platform is designed to work for haulers of all sizes, from a single truck to enterprise-level businesses, and is currently focused on mid-to-large regional players. The company is already finding success with medical and hazardous waste management companies.
CommanderAI recently secured a five million dollar seed funding round led by 11 Tribes Ventures, with participation from Watchfire Ventures, Gaingels, and Rad Fund. Berg said the capital will be used to accelerate growth, expand the sales team, and continue developing the product with new features like mapping, marketing, and routing.
He mentioned that educating investors was a key part of the fundraising process, as most lack investments in waste management and there are only about ten active software providers in the entire industry. Looking ahead, the company plans to expand into adjacent industries when the timing is right. Berg expressed a goal of having thirty percent of the waste management industry use CommanderAI as their primary source for AI tools within their technology stack.