
Flexport (YC W14) raises $6.9M to reinvent global trade - thedogeye
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-05-11/flexport-wants-to-be-uber-of-the-oceans
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rcarrigan87
I've experienced the pain of international freight shipping before. It's a
process that could definitely use some tech.

This article felt kind of puffy though. No mention of competitors or what else
is going on in the space.

What specifically puts flexport in the best position to solve this problem?

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ripberge
I had this same exact startup idea as well after having issues with customs
brokers and all the stupid faxing, bond issues, freight issues, etc. Its
incredibly archaic.

I actually did try to use Flexport really early on for one shipment and it was
very buggy and basically a total disaster, had to abort and use my old broker.
They seem like they're a smart team and they'll get it right though.

I think "re-inventing global trade" is a bit of hyperbolic marketing speak,
but in regards to re-inventing customs brokerage they are in the best position
to solve this problem because the founder Ryan Petersen is a co-founder of
import genius. Therefore they have an incredible database of importers to
market their brokerage services to.

And that database and expertise is why I abandoned that business plan :)

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thedogeye
Sorry to hear that. We've come a long way. Email me ryan@flexport.com I'd love
to hear what went wrong and how we can learn from it. We'll hook you up if
you're ever brave enough to try us again.

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dguaraglia
I love the idea of Flexport. It's one of the few startups in the latest
batches that I can see as positively changing the world and has a great chance
of being the next $1bn+ company.

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thedogeye
Actually we don't want to be Uber of the oceans, but we like being compared to
Uber nonetheless.

~~~
totalrobe
What's on your roadmap? Brokerage services are only a small piece of the GTM
space.

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clintboxe
I worked at a large public 3PL for 8 years before joining a VC backed startup
and at first glance the logistics industry seems ripe for disruption by
smaller tech-driven companies. I'm super excited that there are companies out
there trying to change the industry. My gut feeling however is that the large
incumbents have long relationships, tons of cash, and people on the ground in
hundreds of countries around the world. Those things might make it difficult
for a startup. How do companies like flexport plan to compete with the
Expeditors and CH Robinson's of the world? The place I worked would probably
benefit greatly by acquiring a company like this and integrating their tech,
but the culture would never allow that to happen.

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thedogeye
We are winning deals from Expeditors and CH Robinson almost every day.

~~~
clintboxe
Nice, good luck!

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codex_irl
Great news, I remember you guys from startup school last year, sounded like an
interesting product & market at the time. Congratulations!

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ellisonf9
Ryan: was curious how many times you applied to YC before getting in?

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thedogeye
I only applied once although I would guess that 1/3 of my batch had been
rejected previously, so don't be discouraged if you don't get in on the first
try. Remember you don't need anybody's permission to build a great company.

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emmiechang
Get it Ryan! You rock ;)

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nulltype
He's like the Uber of startup founders.

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Finbarr
Great work - congrats Ryan and team!

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seddona
Congrats guys, love the product!

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dang
We merged this thread and
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9525610](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9525610).
The bloomberg.com article is more informative, so we'll use that URL instead
of [https://learn.flexport.com/weve-raised-money-to-reinvent-
glo...](https://learn.flexport.com/weve-raised-money-to-reinvent-global-
trade).

