FreightBro becomes first Indian start-up to join Digital Hub Logistics Hamburg

October 23, 2019: FreightBro today became the first Indian start-up to join the ‘Digital Hub Logistics Hamburg’, the network that enables start-ups to work alongside the experienced logistics sector of Germany for digital transformation. The network hub has already introduced FreightBro to DAKOSY, one of the hub partners, who are keen on working on Indo-German synergies.

The freight technology start-up that digitizes operations for freight forwarders can now engage with the established global players in Hamburg metropolitan region and Germany which includes Hamburg Port Authority, Lufthansa, DAKOSY, Volkswagen, SHELL, HHLA and City of Hamburg.

Earlier in June 2019, the logistics tech start-up became the official digital partner for Germany’s only deep-water port Wilhelmshaven. The collaboration with Digital Hub Logistics Hamburg comes as a significant step ahead in strengthening FreightBro’s Indo-German ties and establishing a footprint in the European logistics hub.

Mohammed Zakkiria A, Co-Founder, FreightBro, said, “Joining hands with Digital Hub is a strategically sound decision for us and is the perfect platform for us to connect with the right partners in Germany and plan future expansion in the European market.”

The announcement came during the event titled ‘Digital Hub Logistics Hamburg Roadshow - An Indo-German Logistics start-ups Connect’ in Hamburg, Germany. Organised by FreightBro, the event focused on the importance and the success of building a digital logistics ecosystem in Germany and the potential of replicating similar ecosystem-based models in India.

The event brought together the pioneers of digital transformation in German and Indian logistics sector who discussed synergies, possibilities and opportunities in the logistics and freight forwarding industry. The first half of the event essentially focussed on logistics start-ups presenting their industry solutions and business models to Hamburg Invest and Digital Hub Logistics, Hamburg.

Johannes Berg, Managing Director, Digital Hub Logistics Hamburg, said “There is immense potential for partnership and expansion opportunities for Indian start-ups in Germany. We have collaborated with an Indian start-up for the first time and introduced FreightBro to one of our hub partners, DAKOSY who are keen on working on Indo-German synergies. We eagerly look forward to further connect Indian start-ups to hub partners in Germany and connect German start-ups with the Indian market.”

Prasad Menon, CEO, Centre for Incubation and Business Acceleration (CIBA), emphasized the significance of incubators in the flourishing of start-ups in India especially from the idea validation to growth stage. Vikram Gupta, an industry veteran in venture capital, business consulting, M&A and strategy mentioned how the focus for venture capitalists has seen a shift towards logistics based start-ups and the immense potential they hold.

Founded in October 2016, FreightBro was formed by industry veterans - Mohammed Zakkiria A, Raghavendran Viswanathan and V Anand Babu. FreightBro is headquartered at Chennai. The start-up provides a digital platform for freight forwarders that enable them to procure rates faster, reduce operational inefficiencies, boost sales, make informed decisions using data analytics and thereby provide a seamless user experience. FreightBro enables freight forwarders to concentrate on their core competency of increasing the customer base and sales as they take care of the backend functions.