Co-Founder, CEO at Anchr
Smayan Mehra
I studied computer science and engineering at Duke, after which I spent some time at Apple building vision models. I was recruited to LiveRamp by the CTO under whom I built AI products powering the worlds largest data collaboration network. Outside of work I surf, golf, love raquet sports, working out and poker. I'm a top 3% chess player on chess.com.
Questions & Answers
What sets you apart from others in your industry?
I think competitors in our industry are looking at this problem in two ways that are both in correct: 1. They are building an ERP: while this approach is stickier we have found our customers are hesitant to rip and replace the systems that they have spent many years and millions of dollars building and maintaining. They want a quick implementation for a system of action, not another multi-year, painful ERP rollout. 2. They are building point solutions: This to us is antithetical to the philosophy of AI, which represents a level of reasoning that is approaching human intelligence, at scale. To lock this into the box of a point solution is wasteful to say the least. More tactically, food distributors are only has fast as their slowest moving part with highly interdependent workflows. Automating one of them with a point solution is low ROI on the value chain as a whole.
How is your team uniquely positioned to solve the problem you're tackling?
Our team is our superpower. My co-founder is a Columbia math and philosophy double major and former McKinsey consultant who has led AI transformations across some of the largest companies in some of the most legacy industries on the planet. He oversaw one of the largest AI rollouts in food services, knows how to align and execute inside legacy monoliths, and brings that playbook to Anchr every day. I studied computer science and engineering at Duke and have been building in AI since before the big ChatGPT moment. My superpower is empathy and human connection - whether it’s leading teams, fundraising, or deeply understanding customer pain. I’m a product visionary who can turn complex technology into tools that feel intuitive, human, and indispensable. Together, we combine operational excellence with product vision. That’s what makes Anchr possible.
Why are you excited about your company/product?
We’re excited about Anchr because it’s a chance to build for the real world- solving hard, unglamorous problems in one of the most vital parts of the American supply chain: food distribution. These businesses move billions of dollars of product and feed millions of people, yet they’re held back by outdated systems and manual workflows. By automating their core workflows and decisions with AI, Anchr makes their operations faster, more accurate, and more resilient. The opportunity is enormous: a foundational industry that touches everyone, but has been overlooked by modern software. We’re driven by the impact - helping distributors run better businesses while strengthening the supply chain that keeps America fed.
