2017 Under the Radar: TradeLanes eyes Midwestern Ag as future clients
August 29, 2017 | Meghan LeVota
Editor’s note: Startland News picked 10 early-stage firms to spotlight for its annual Under the Radar startups list. The following is one of 2017’s companies. To view the full list, click here.
A recent graduate of the 2017 Sprint Accelerator program, TradeLanes is a newbie in Kansas City and showing significant movement.
The TradeLanes platform automates global trade focused on agriculture firms, lowering costs and removing days from the supply chain. To date, more than 90,000 cargo units have been shipped using the platform, said co-founder Vijay Harrell.
Digitizing documents, tracking shipments, notifying shippers of supply status, online bookings and detailed reports, the TradeLanes platform aims to make trade more efficient, Harrell said.
Thanks to its participation in the Sprint Accelerator, Trade Lanes (formerly of Miami, Florida) developed a beneficial working relationship with Kansas City-based Dairy Farmers of America. Harrell said the firm hopes to continue a partnership with the Ag giant, as well as other Kansas City area corporations.
The Sprint Accelerator is the third accelerator program for TradeLanes, since the firm launched in 2015. It also participated in the FedEx Logistics Accelerator and Venture Hive Miami.
Following the Sprint Accelerator program, Harrell has made a Kansas City hire and plans to open an office in the Crossroads this fall. Harrell believes that Kansas City is the best place for the firm to do business thanks to its central location and abundance of potential corporate partners
TradeLanes is in the middle of raising a seed round, which has yet to be announced publicly. Harrell is excited to focus on snagging as many Kansas City-area customers as possible, he said.
Featured Business
2017 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
This beloved family chicken chain is dropping its first new location in decades; Go for its G-Sauce in 2025
Kansas City’s longtime favorite Go Chicken Go is expanding to the Northland — its first new location in nearly 25 years. The hometown staple — a family-owned, third generation business based in Overland Park — is taking over the former Taco Bueno freestanding building at 380 N.E. Vivion Road, for an early 2025 opening. The new…
BLK + BRWN owner calls on funders to co-author bookstore’s story of activism for silenced narratives
A recently launched crowdfunding campaign to help BLK + BRWN make rent could mean the difference between access and censorship for the community served by the indie bookstore, said Cori Smith. “This is my flavor of activism,” Smith said of BLK + BRWN, the 39th Street business she describes as both a passion project and…
Fresh pour at former Ça Va space: Popular chef takes over Westport hotspot with crisp new Champagne concept
Westport Champagne bar and bistro Ça Va closed in March for a quick rebrand. Six months later, a new name, owner and concept are bubbling in the space — with plans to reopen by the holidays. Chef Amante Domingo — perhaps best known for his Midtown restaurant The Russell — is taking over the spot…
How a $4B Panasonic plant could ‘revolutionize region’s economy’ — starting next year
Editor’s note: This story was originally published by Kansas City PBS/Flatland, a member of the Kansas City Media Collective, which also includes Startland News, KCUR 89.3, American Public Square, The Kansas City Beacon, and Missouri Business Alert. Click here to read the original story. Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly believes the opening of the $4 billion electric car…