Locus raises $4 million in pre-series B funding

4 June, 2018: Logistics optimisation platform Locus has raised $4mn in their pre-Series B round of funding from Rocketship.vc, Recruit Strategic Partners, pi Ventures and Hemendra Kothari of DSP Group, with participation from previous investors Blume Ventures, Exfinity Venture Partners, BeeNext and growX ventures. Locus optimises logistics operations for enterprises, across sectors, to improve efficiencies resulting in higher profitability. The funds will be used to continue to build IP and for global expansion.

Locus is a decision making engine that uses deep learning and proprietary algorithms to provide intelligent route optimisation, real-time tracking, insights and analytics, beat optimization, efficient warehouse management, vehicle allocation and utilisation, intuitive 3D packing and measurement of packages.

Sailesh Ramakrishnan, Partner, Rocketship.vc, said, “Locus is in the forefront of a new wave of technology companies that are disrupting traditional fields like logistics and optimization through the use of cutting-edge artificial intelligence techniques”.

Nishith Rastogi speaking at the High-Logistics Summit, organised by ITLN in Bangalore last year

Manish Singhal, Founding Partner, pi Ventures, commented, "Logistics accounts for 10 percent of world GDP and is a direct contributor to inflation. Fortunately, with increasing data availability on operations it is now more possible than ever before to use technology for impactful logistics optimisation. Locus' sophisticated AI engine has delivered 10 to 15 percent cost reduction in real-world scenarios across the globe."

Veteran investment banker Hemendra Kothari of DSP Group, said, “Winning companies differentiate themselves by their efficient logistics operations. We believe that Locus’ innovative approach, with algorithms at the core, will enable companies to achieve performance enhancing logistics automation and supply chain efficiencies. We believe that Locus will make headway on a global scale in this important sector”.

“Locus’ team is focussed on building IP to solve complex real-world logistics problems globally, to increase productivity and profitability for enterprises. We are delighted to have marquee investors support us in our vision to automate all human decisions involved in logistics”, said Nishith Rastogi, CEO & Co-founder, Locus.

Locus has automated logistics for leading companies worldwide like Urban Ladder, Tata Group of Companies, Droplet, Licious, Rollick, Lenskart, other global FMCG, pharma, e-commerce, 3PL and logistics conglomerates. Locus currently works with clients in India, Singapore, Jakarta, Phoenix and Vancouver.

Locus was founded in mid 2015 by Nishith Rastogi and Geet Garg who worked together at Amazon. The company has assembled a strong team of engineers, scientists from Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) and Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), with sales led by a seed round investor and a multifaceted deployment team with extensive operational execution experience.