Former Flexport/Amazon execs launch tech start-up for forwarders

Freightmate's little AI helper. Photo: freightmate.AI

You can’t keep a good techbro down. Former Flexport and Amazon executives have launched a new freight tech business, Freightmate.ai.

The new venture aims to use AI to help forwarders manage tasks and documents, according to GeekWire.

The co-founders have only just left their previous jobs, suggesting they may have been moonlighting.

Co-founder Yingwei (Jason) Yu left Flexport in May, having joined in June 2021 from Amazon. Another co-founder, Bryan Lacaillade, left Flexport in April, where he was director of product management. He too was a former Amazon executive, also joining Flexport in 2021. The third founder, Rishab Gadroo, was a senior software engineer for Amazon – he left this month.

The Freightmate.ai website explains: “Freight forwarders juggle over 50 tasks, exchange 30+ documents and coordinate with up to 15 entities per global shipment. Yet leading freight management systems still rely on outdated 1990s technology. With Freightmate, our AI takes over the tedious tasks, boosts operational quality and cuts costs, empowering you to navigate the complexities of global logistics with ease.”

Freightmate has raised $650,000 in a pre-seed funding round and is looking for its first customer, reports GeekWire.