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
Kauffman earmarks $32M in grants to boost entrepreneurship, workforce, education efforts
Just-announced Kauffman Foundation funding for a cohort of 27 organizations — each focused on advancing economic mobility in Kansas City — reflects the grantees’ “relentless commitment to innovation and equity,” said Allison Greenwood Bajracharya. “Rather than being defined by the challenges our communities face, they’re defining what’s possible — building on the brilliance and resilience…
Brothers behind Session Taco launching ‘destination Mexican spot’ in upscale JoCo dining district
Just weeks after closing Session Taco in Leawood’s Park Place, the owners expect to revamp the prominent spot for a new destination Mexican restaurant. Lapez Mod Mex is scheduled to open this summer at 11563 Ash St. Brothers Adam and Jason Tilford first opened Mission Taco Joint in the space in June 2023. It rebranded…
PMI Rate Pro exits: KC fintech calls acquisition the ‘natural next step’ for its mortgage tech solution
MIAMI — A strategic acquisition between a software leader and a Kansas City fintech startup brings together two innovators in mortgage tech to deliver the industry’s most comprehensive platform, said Nomi Smith, co-founder of PMI Rate Pro. LoanPASS on Thursday announced its purchase of PMI Rate Pro, an Overland Park-based fintech specializing in API-driven private…
Merck plans $895M expansion for its De Soto biologics site; leaders tout strength of KC animal health corridor
DE SOTO, Kan. — A biopharmaceutical giant plans to invest $895 million to expand its biologics facility in Kansas, notching another win as leaders position Kansas City as a hub for digital and animal health innovation. The 200,000-square-foot expansion project includes an $860 million investment in Merck Animal Health’s existing manufacturing site west of the…