Convoy founder Dan Lewis is leaving Microsoft to launch a private startup aimed at reinventing the AI supply chain
Dan Lewis, the founder and former CEO of an online consignment marketplace, has left Microsoft to start a new company focused on one of the most expensive problems in artificial intelligence: the cost of running AI models.
The tech startup is building an “intelligence supply chain,” a computing platform designed to make AI models more efficient, according to a recent update on Lewis’ LinkedIn profile. He acknowledged that the new venture exists this week in response to a message from GeekWire but said it was too early to share details.
It’s a new chapter for the entrepreneur who led Seattle-based Convoy from a startup to nearly $4 billion before closing in 2023 amid a commodity slump that rocked the trucking industry. Flexport acquired Convoy’s technology, and Lewis joined as a technical advisor.
Lewis joined Microsoft in February 2025 as chief product officer for business AI, later rising to vice president of business, according to his LinkedIn profile. He left this spring to launch this new program, which he said he launched in May.
In his LinkedIn profile, Lewis elaborated on the concept of an “intelligence supply chain”, saying the startup is building a platform that includes data centers, networks, computer chips, and software that run AI applications in real time. The focus is on considerations – using AI models versus training them – to improve speed and response time under heavy workloads.
“Our mission is to be the best stewards of the power to make AI efficient, abundant, and affordable in the next era,” the description concludes.
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It’s the latest chapter in a project that combines AI, logistics, and efficiency. Lewis studied psychology at Yale, then became an executive at Wavii, a Seattle machine learning startup that was acquired by Google in 2013, and later built AI-driven product personalization at Amazon.
At Convoy, he and his colleagues built a digital marketplace that used machine learning to match truckers with shippers, set prices, and fill empty trucks that would return without a load. A big part of the goal, as the company saw it, was to reduce the waste and carbon emissions of trucks running on empty – the “dark” miles, as they are known.
At Microsoft, he worked on enterprise AI, helping companies build and deploy AI agents and workflows, and started an internal program called Camp AIR to accelerate AI startup teams.
Currently, details such as the new startup’s name and funding have not been confirmed. Lewis lists himself as CEO and founder, indicating that he is not leading the company alone. Stay tuned for more on this one in the coming months.
