Kestraa wants to move import-export processes onto the cloud with US$2.7 million round

Contxto – Behind every imported product you own, multiple stakeholders were involved as were dozens of emails and at least one person pulling their hair out.

To save everyone some stress, Brazilian Kestraa recently raised R$15 million (US$2.7 million). Round participants included Canary and angel investors.

The logistics startup will use the funds to snag more customers. It also plans to add new perks to its freight-management platform—including financial services at some point.

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Kestraa wants imports to be easy

The first time someone explained the exporting and importing process to me, I needed to lie down afterward. Theoretically, moving goods from point A to point B, should be straightforward. Nonetheless, reality always defers.

When it comes to international logistics, there’s forwarders, airlines, shipping companies, ground handling agencies, customs brokers—the list is all too long. Now imagine keeping track of all these parties for multiple loads of freight and simultaneously staying sane.

But Kestraa wants to orchestrate and organize this mess via its cloud-based products: Symphony and Chamber. 

Through them, stakeholders can manage shipments, contact other parties, and prioritize tasks. All without the need for Excel spreadsheets and those mountains of emails that play the sour notes on stakeholders’ day-to-day.

Logistics in a post-Covid era

The logistical chaos that ensued after Covid-19 broke out showed that migration towards the cloud was no longer a “nice to have.”

Likewise, companies will be eager to access platforms that give them more visibility to handle rising trade volumes that’s been largely fuelled by e-commerce adoption.

Consequently, further integration and building more robust networks among stakeholders—as Kestraa is doing—will enable for smoother processes. And, as an industry, that’s still highly reliant on paper and pen-type approaches, there is still plenty of ground to cover. 

For example, in many countries, for a trucker to pick up a load sitting around in a waiting room and signing off dispatches is the norm. These are huge no-nos when social-distancing is uber important.

Likewise, machine learning may become the industry’s BFF in the future to anticipate delays, optimize the use of cargo space, and ultimately improve delivery times.

All things considered… I definitely “ship” logistics and tech.

Okay, that was terrible.

Related articles: Tech and startups from Brazil!

-ML