#06: Is Freightos a disruptor? with their CEO Zvi Schreiber

Is Freightos a disruptor? with their CEO Zvi Schreiber Featured Image

Freightos is an online freight marketplace and SaaS software to usher the logistics industry into the digital era, making global shipping faster, more cost-effective and smoother. Simply put, like Expedia or Kayak for the shipping industry. With Investors including GE Ventures and the Singapore Exchange they raised $94.4 million. And currently have around 200 employees and six offices across the United States, Asia, and the Middle East.

Zvi Schreiber is a serial Internet entrepreneur. He founded Tradeum Inc. one of the pioneers of B2B E-Commerce, which achieved revenues of over US$100m. Later on founded Unicorn Inc., sold to IBM, and G.ho.st, sold to Infinity Fund. He also was CEO of clean-tech electronics company Lightech which he sold in 2011 to General Electric (GE) Lighting. He has a Ph.D. in Computer Science and he’s also the author of Fizz: Nothing Is as It Seems, which tells the history of physics as a novel.

Listen to the full discussion here:

 

 

Some of the highlights from the podcast:

  • Automated pricing at a few clicks away – for freight? Does this really work?
  • Transparency is inevitable – how do you work with this?
  • Why selling online is better? You don’t need an army of people in nice suits playing golf with your client.
  • Why Zvi works in an open space, not an office?
  • What do to as an entrepreneur when you know most startups fail?
  • 50% of all importers still use excel sheets – how does Freightos tackle that?

Show notes:

  • [01:31] What threw you in the entrepreneurship bug? Does it run in the family?
  • [03:02] How did you decide to found Freightos? How did you end up in the freight industry?
  • [05:16] Considering that nearly 50% of all importers (47% to be exact) still use spreadsheets. How does Freightos address this issue?
  • [09:10] There have been a few hurdles to get over. Forwarders have naturally been nervous about a potential downward pressure on rates that could come from an online booking service. How did you overcome these hurdles?
  • [11:51] You said somewhere that the launch of other online platforms, such as Kuehne + Nagel’s – FreightNet – has also helped the industry move on. How do you see this movement?
  • [14:04] Who is your main target customer and do you work with them? What are some examples you can give us?
  • [17:14] How does Freightos ensure that all liners hosted on their website are just not competing on the price point but also giving the desired level of service to its customer?
  • [19:07] The Singapore Exchange (SGX) has completed a US$44.4 million, Series C funding round for Freightos. Can you tell us more about how you plan to develop synchronicities between SGX and Freightos?
  • [22:01] What are the biggest challenges that the company has when working in Europe and Asia? what are the differences in terms of standards and operations?
  • [24:16] Where do you plan to expand next? Any focus areas you have in mind?
  • [26:55] What do you focus on when hiring people at Freightos?
  • [29:01] What are some of the elements that define the culture of Freightos?
  • [30:34] How do you manage to attract the top talent – why do people choose your company and not others?
  • [32:42] What were some of the lessons you learned so far as an entrepreneur? Key Takeaways.
  • [34:19] Looking back at the Freightos story so far, what are the things that make you most proud of?
  • [36:18] Tell us a bit more about the book – Fizz: Nothing Is as It Seems. 
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