Shypple raises €1.7M in second round of funding: How Rotterdam startup became Booking.com of sea freight?

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Over 90 percent of the world’s international trade happens by ship. However, it is not as easy as it looks, though. Every importer and exporter have to address lots of problems like in transparent costs, an outdated communication process, and a non-transparent logistical process on daily basis.

Some say necessity is the mother of invention! It is safe to say a problem can be a catalyst for a solution and thus born ‘Shypple‘.

Make transparent and accessible market!

Rotterdam startup Shypple established itself to make the sea and air cargo market transparent and also to make world trade accessible to more people. In a bid to up their game in the market, the digital intermediary has raised €1.7 million in the second round of funding raised with Brabantse Ontwikkelmaatschappij (BOM, regional development fund), August Ventures and private investors.

Investors and future plans

Among others, Treatwell- and Just-Eat.nl-founder Laurens Groenendijk, currently CMO at satellite startup Hiber and Fonq-founder Patrick Kerssemakers invest on behalf of August Ventures in Shypple.

Patrick Kerssemakers states that “Shypple solves a problem a lot of importers and exporters experience daily: sea freight is often coupled with in transparent costs and a very diffuse transport process. Shypple tackles these common issues with a smart solution that reminds me of the ease of use of online platforms like Booking.com.”

Goes digital all the way

As per the company, this fund will be used to improve the product and make the ocean freight market more transparent and simpler. The Rotterdam startup is also planning to enter the air freight market as well.

In most of the cases, the cost of shipping goods has to do with the handling of and the communication between the various stakeholders. Hence, Shypple wants to put an end to this excessive paperwork created by the communication and documentation of sea freight. As a result, it offers a web application with a simplified administrative handling and communication between parties.

To be specific, it has a real-time dashboard that displays the status of the shipments while offering shippers with several booking, planning and communication possibilities. On top, Shypple lists the most efficient and cost-effective routes via a user-friendly web-interface.

Jarell Habets, Shypple founder, said, “In our two years of existence, we have snowballed from three to twenty employees. This growth curve – we hire two to three people on a monthly basis – can be explained by the markets’ increasing need for companies to give better insights into their supply chain. We ensure shipping freight is no longer a black box.”

800 ports and still going strong!

According to Shypple, this leads to more assurance in managing the costs and handling of sea freight. Founded in 2016, the company has launched a communication tool, much like a chat-app Slack for the industry.

About the app, the company said “We’ve had some stellar feedback to it, as thanks to this chat-functionality tied to each shipping enable a more seamless collaboration. Often, more than eight people are involved with a shipment: from purchasing to logistics, and warehousing. At long last, we have provided the industry with a powerful tool that purveys efficient communication.”

Claiming themselves as the Booking.com for sea freight, Shypple employs 25 staffs and connects more than 800 ports worldwide. Having said that, progress is being made in the shipping industry in parts across the globe since the entry of Shypple. But, the fragmented nature of this industry makes it a bit difficult to fight it out as well.

 For more updates, stay tuned to Silicon Canals.