Jonathan Barrett, CEO at Kallikor: Allowing Supply Chain Leaders To Simulate Future Operations

Tell us about Kallikor

 

In an era of robotics, AI, rapid change and market uncertainty, Kallikor provides supply chain leaders with the confidence to embrace change and leap ahead with accessible and easy to use AI-powered intelligent simulation technology. Our flagship intelligent simulation platform, Adaption, allows businesses to uncover and explore complex future scenarios digitally so they can rehearse future options and optimise their operations. We have started by focussing at the fulcrum of the supply chain – the warehouse – and are quickly building out to address the wider supply chain network.

Our mission is to accelerate adoption of advanced technologies, such as AI and robotics, in the supply chain which will drive new levels of productivity. While 92% of businesses plan to invest in intralogistics robotics, only 10-15% of warehouse operators have done so far. In a world full of consumer demand and global trade uncertainty – where tariff changes can alter the supply chain landscape almost overnight – efficient adaptability is fast becoming as important as cost efficiency for supply chain operators.

Adaption is built to be quick and intuitive, so business users can collaborate closely with technical experts to explore ‘what if’ scenarios, and ultimately gain greater confidence in their decision making.

 

 

What do you think makes Kallikor unique?

 

Kallikor is uniquely placed to lead the application of AI-powered intelligent simulation at enterprise scale. As a spinout from the metaverse pioneer Improbable Worlds, our Adaption platform builds on technology that was originally developed to support detailed, large-scale virtual worlds for online gaming and this same technology has since been deployed for mission critical applications in enterprise as well as military strategy and planning.

As well as a cutting edge yet robust technology platform our team comprises a unique blend of expertise and diverse perspectives from industry giants including Formula One, Microsoft and DHL.

 

 

 

What is your advice to aspiring entrepreneurs?

 

I would emphasise the importance of design to deliver a simple user experience and explainability—if the end-user cannot easily engage with and trust the technology, it won’t achieve its full potential. Making cutting edge technology a pleasure to use and accessible is a rare but very valuable superpower.

To get there, it is vital to develop a deep understanding of your customers’ pain points and needs.

In the early stages, one of the biggest mistakes is sole focus on product development at the expense of the customer. It is easy to get caught up in the race to build the next big thing without ensuring that there is a clear, customer-driven demand for it.

Beyond this, the technology must be adaptable to evolving customer needs – today’s economy moves fast, and a static offering isn’t an option.

 

What most excites you about Kallikor?

 

Through modelling and simulation, organisations can see what the future might look like and commit to transformation with confidence. It’s this ability to look beyond the horizon that will be a real game changer for businesses.

Kallikor’s software provides a powerful yet simple way for supply chain operators to understand risk and gain confidence in decision making – whether that’s the ROI on an investment in new robotics, an alteration to the operation of the supply chain or to take on a major new client in a new space. Enabling supply chain operators to benefit from both efficiency AND adaptability through AI-driven supply chains is a compelling goal.

But personally, I am particularly excited by how this same vision could also significantly advance sustainability. More than 50% of the world’s carbon emissions originate in the world’s supply chains.

With the right technology in the right places, businesses can better understand their carbon footprint, and where they can make adjustments in the supply chain to reduce waste and emissions. New robotics and automation technologies often replace older and more carbon-intensive machinery and processes. With levers at the scale of global supply chains, these adjustments can have a huge positive environmental impact.

 

How has the company evolved over the last couple of years?

 

Our team often describes Kallikor as an unusually mature start-up – while we only launched in July 2024, we’d been in stealth mode for a number of years, spinning out of our parent company to focus on transforming the world’s supply chains.

Since launch, we have introduced our flagship AI-powered intelligent simulation platform ‘Adaption’ to the market and are already seeing customers embrace it. Whether it’s simplifying the design of warehouses or optimising the usage of supply network nodes, ‘Adaption’ uses AI and simulation to enable intelligent, confident and collaborative strategic decision making at every level of an organisation.

 

What can we hope to see from Kallikor in the future?

 

At Kallikor, we are constantly developing our offering with the detailed input of selected supply chain leaders that share our ambition.

One area we’re currently looking at is interactive design in 3D. The ability to drag and drop elements of the warehouse or supply network to alter the design will make the process more intuitive and interactive.

We’re also excited about new AI assistants that will further enhance the speed and simplicity of accessing simulation. These assistants will operate in a myriad of areas, including sustainability, efficiency and cost saving opportunity discovery and implication surfacing. They will be able to explore business implications of design or procedure change, including the impact of total costs and labour, as well as scenario comparison and interpretation, allowing for rapid analysis of different design or process change options.

Lastly, simulation enhancements to enable the injection of ‘events’ into scenarios. For example, to explore the implications of input goods supply interruption, or unexpected labour availability reductions. With all this in the pipeline, it’s an exciting time for us and our customers.