Tradelanes

About Tradelanes

Tradelanes offers a software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform designed to automate and digitize the complexities of global trade execution for exporters. The company targets businesses of all sizes, from individual producers to large public corporations, that are burdened by the manual processes of managing international shipments. Revenue is generated through subscriptions to its platform.

The company's core service centers on automating vessel schedule monitoring to address constant changes like blank sailings and updates to Earliest Return Dates (ERD) and Container Yard (CY) cutoffs. Its platform delivers real-time alerts on critical schedule changes, provides daily consolidated reports for non-urgent shifts, and supplies pre-verified ERD and CY cutoff data to prevent discrepancies. By automating the hourly task of checking carrier and terminal websites, Tradelanes helps clients reduce costly fees from demurrage and storage, avoid rolled shipments, and minimize delays. The system is built to turn trade execution into a competitive advantage by providing data-driven insights for better planning.

Founded in 2015 by CEO Vijay Harrell, Tradelanes was inspired after he met a small manufacturer who had to decline a large contract due to the complexities of export documentation. Harrell, a self-taught software engineer with a background in global supply chain and logistics, sought to create a solution for this widespread problem. The company spent its initial years conducting extensive on-site research with export teams to inform the platform's development, launching its first enterprise pilots in 2017. A significant milestone was achieved in 2018 when Tradelanes piloted its software with a top global agriculture merchant and gained support from the Plug and Play Logistics Platform and the Techstars Farm-to-Fork accelerator. The company has secured several rounds of funding, including a $4 million Series A round in September 2020 and a $5.05 million venture round in March 2022, to expand its product capabilities.