Software CEO Adds 'AI' to Company Name, Raises Round at 38% Markup, Cannot Say What Changed

AUSTIN, TX—Brad Kellner, chief executive of Apex AI Logistics, said Thursday that the company's January decision to rename itself from Apex Logistics Solutions had yielded "tremendous clarity" around its core value proposition, though he was unable across a 45-minute interview to name a product, feature, or engineering hire that postdated the change.

Apex AI Logistics, which provides warehouse routing software to mid-market retailers, closed a $34 million Series B in March at a $210 million valuation — 38 percent higher than its September pre-rename round — after pitching investors on what Kellner described as its "AI-first architecture."

Asked to define AI-first architecture, Kellner said the company uses machine learning. Asked when it had adopted machine learning, he said 2021.

The company's engineering headcount is 12, unchanged since January. Its product roadmap, reviewed by a reporter, contains no features added after the rename. A December 2025 version of the company's pitch deck, obtained separately, describes its proprietary algorithm as "AI-powered" in the executive summary and "rule-based" in the technical appendix.

"We're not a logistics company that uses AI," Kellner said. "We're an AI company that does logistics. That's a fundamental shift."

Asked what, specifically, was different, he said: "The framing."

Apex AI Logistics employs no one with "AI" in their job title. Its most senior technical hire, a software engineer brought on in 2019, described himself in a LinkedIn post last month as "proud to be part of the AI revolution." Reached separately, the engineer confirmed he had also helped produce the Series C deck. "The AI section came out really strong," he said.