# The Midwest Startup Taking on Billion-Dollar FMCs with Donuts and AI

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/iowa-tech-podcast-7097920/the-midwest-startup-taking-on-billion-dollar-fmcs-with-donuts-and-ai
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/iowa-tech-podcast-7097920/the-midwest-startup-taking-on-billion-dollar-fmcs-with-donuts-and-ai.md
Podcast: [Iowa Tech Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/iowa-tech-podcast-7097920)
Published: 2025-09-30T11:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://iowapodcast.com/drake-bauer
Audio file: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/f8302322-1d6c-46da-acd0-a4cdad4ddaab/Drake_Bauer_Final.mp3?dest-id=4673877
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/iowa-tech-podcast-7097920/episodes/the-midwest-startup-taking-on-billion-dollar-fmcs-with-donuts-and-ai
Duration seconds: 2560

## Resource

On this episode of the Iowa Tech podcast, host Kaylee Williams welcomes Proaction CEO and co-founder Drake Bauer to unpack the startup's rebrand (formerly Flete) and its mission to modernize fleet management. Drake shares how Proaction streamlines asset operations - inspections, maintenance, compliance, and reporting - into a single pane of glass, replacing a tangle of spreadsheets, sticky notes, and legacy tools. He credits early traction to obsessive customer service and "doing things that don't scale," from overnight fixes to mapping clients' workflows on-site. The team's Midwestern roots and hands-on approach underpin an October roadshow in a black Sprinter van across Middle America to shake hands, share donuts, and turn relationships into long-term partnerships. Drake also zooms out on industry dynamics: companies are increasingly bringing fleet management in-house, opening space for platforms like Proaction to compete with traditional FMCs by delivering modern, integrated, AI-powered software at a fraction of the cost. He spotlights AI use cases already live - auto-processing any fleet paperwork via a document center and instant answers to KPI queries - and explains why Proaction hired a Director of Innovation early to keep them on the cutting edge. The conversation wraps with rapid-fire personal notes, from a newfound olive-oil-and-espresso morning ritual to a love of timeless books and Christopher Nolan films. Find this show on your favorite app: https://iowapodcast.com/drake-bauer

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## Transcript

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