Founders Everywhere: Hugh Dixson
Hugh Dixson is the founder and CEO of Switchboard, a cloud integration platform that lets you integrate and exchange data with any supply chain system.
Welcome to Founders Everywhere, where we highlight the incredible people behind the companies we’ve backed at Everywhere Ventures, a global pre-seed fund supported by a community of 500 founders and operators.
Switchboard allows businesses to easily integrate and exchange data with any supply chain system. The name itself conjures imagery of a person seated at a desk adorned with a labyrinth of interconnected wires and switches. Much like the operator of a traditional switchboard, meticulously routing calls to their destinations, Switchboard serves as the modern-day conductor of supply chain operations. In a world where speed, precision, and connectivity are paramount, Switchboard’s cloud integration platform lets you connect to your customers’ and suppliers’ systems seamlessly, unlocking fast, affordable, and digital supply chains.
Founder and CEO Hugh Dixson has a background deeply rooted in operations and supply chain management. Prior to founding Switchboard, Hugh was a consultant at BCG and worked in supply management, product strategy and operations at Uber. His most recent experience was Head of Operations, and then Head of Mergers & Acquisitions at Ofload, now one of Australia’s leading digital road freight services. His collection of experiences really equipped him to face the challenges of founding a company and he’s excited to share more about Switchboard and how they’re building a modern platform to connect the systems that power supply chains around the world.
Why Switchboard and why now?
Previously, I worked in operations at an early-stage digital freight forwarding startup. I couldn’t believe the headaches I was having with the inefficiencies in freight management. I was making 400 phone calls a day to cover loads and there were so many errors with manual entry. On one occasion, someone entered 500 instead of 50, which is an easy mistake to make, and it resulted in sending 20 B-doubles (large trucks), when we should have sent 2. It was a $100,000 mistake. And after working in the sector for many years, I was so frustrated that I decided to tackle these inefficiencies in the supply chain. It felt like the perfect storm of a massive market, a huge industry, and a fundamental problem that remains unsolved, but that we can build a solution for, which led to the creation of Switchboard.
What’s Switchboard’s North Star?
Our North Star is to be a leading digital infrastructure company, providing seamless integration solutions for supply chains. We aim to drive more value through data insights and becoming the primary channel for managing orders, invoices, inventory, and transport. We do this in a seamless, fast, and affordable way.
Tell us about some milestones Switchboard crushed.
We raised 1.5 million Australian dollars to expand our global coverage, especially in Europe and America. We’re also releasing new product features for non-standard systems and enhancing instant onboarding widgets.
How does Switchboard inspire “customer love”?
My hands-on experience and deep understanding of our customers' needs really drives our approach. We are integrating IT systems to eliminate manual processes. Customers appreciate the speed and flexibility of our integrations. What used to take weeks or months, now takes days and can be instant in some cases. Our product is also much more affordable and it heavily resonates with clients, seen in the great traction we have across a number of industries and geographies.
What motivates you as a founder?
I’m very motivated by problem solving. To most people the supply chain is so niche and boring, but I think it’s fascinating and a super interesting problem. I have this hunger and passion for integrating supply chain IT systems. I’m very ambitious about our targets and our vision. We are going to continue pushing and adding value to our customers.
Fun fact: You will find me up pretty early going for a run or walk in the mornings. And in true Aussie spirit, I also enjoy surfing, golf, and anything outdoors. I am also on the board of a not-for-profit organization in Australia, Gondwana Choirs, which delivers music education and experiences to children across the country, with a particular focus on First Nations girls.
Listen to Hugh host the Venture Everywhere podcast: Freight Forward Thinking! Listen now on Apple & Spotify and check out to all our past episodes here!
