Parnity raises US$250,000 to perfect networking platform for freight forwarders

Contxto – Freight forwarding is anything but straightforward. When it comes to international logistics, delays in customs, messy paperwork, nasty weather… it can all make operations complicated.

So to help small and medium-sized freight forwarding companies connect, Brazilian Parnity recently raised a seed investment for US$250,000.

Unnamed investors from six different countries pitched the funds which will serve for product development. Correspondingly, Parnity’s software and UX team will gain a few new members.

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Good things come when least expected

MassChallenge had chosen Parnity as part of its latest accelerator cohort. And the startup was minding its own business when one of its users reached out to the team.

“We got a call from one of our platform’s ‘early adopters’, a CEO from a forwarder in Switzerland,” Guilherme Luz, CEO at Parnity told Contxto.

“They said they were very impressed with our platform and after they heard about Parnity’s plans, they asked about the possibility of investing in the company.”

A few meetings and conversations later and the startup had rallied the funds from parties in Costa Rica, India, Germany, Brazil, Mexico, and the aforementioned Swiss forwarder.

Partner up with Parnity

When handling a business project, you want a reliable partner to help you. But you don’t always have the luxury of personally knowing who you’re buddying up with.

This principle applies in logistics, where freight forwarders—professionals/businesses charged with overseeing a cargo load for a third party—need reliable allies to help move a load to its final destination.

The need to connect with reliable businesses is what Brazilian Parnity is all about.

Forwarders can build their company profiles, earn a trust score, even share office pics and videos. It works somewhat like LinkedIn, but specializing in freight forwarding businesses.

Over 7,000 forwarders from 121 different countries are registered on Parnity’s platform. 

Joining the network and using some of its tools is free. Though there are extra features that come at a cost for users who grow uber fond of using the network.

In upcoming months, Parnity plans to launch new services to improve communication, business intelligence tools, and payment solutions.

Freight as we knew it

For many freight forwarders navigating goods throughout Covid-19 has been like riding a bike. 

Except the bike is on fire. And the forwarder is on fire. And everything is on fire because they’re in hell.

Flight cancellations, border shutdowns, shifting priorities for cargo with medical equipment, everyone working remotely… all of a sudden many factors popped up to obscure communication and visibility in logistics.

This scenario was likely worse for small and medium-sized forwarders who don’t have as many resources as their multinational counterparts.

A hard lesson, but many in the industry came to understand the need to innovate. One survey showed that as a result of the Covid chaos, 67.6 percent of shipping and freight professionals will invest in technology. 

This is something the Parnity team noted as well.

“With logistics fair and meeting cancellations, remote work, and no chance to personally visit customers, SMEs began looking for tech platforms to build new connections and improve their existing ones,” added Luz.

Consequently, tech tools like Parnity’s are bringing in users, easing communication, and raising funding too.

Related articles: Tech and startups from Brazil!

-ML