Airfreight solutions startup Pelicargo plans public launch in Q3

Airfreight and logistics solutions startup Pelicargo intends to launch its services to the public and expand its customer base in the third quarter. Founded at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2021, Cambridge, Mass.-based Pelicargo considers itself an “air cargo shopping partner for small- and mid-sized IATA freight forwarders” to assist in airfreight procurement, Jon Acquaviva, co-founder of Pelicargo, told Air Cargo World . [caption id="attachment_95084" align="alignright" width="443"] Photo/United Cargo[/caption] Operational since early summer, Pelicargo leverages both air cargo knowledge and logistics technology to provide solutions for customers, Acquaviva said. Currently the startup is handling daily shipments with a small group of IATA-certified forwarders and roughly 50 carriers. “[Forwarders] come to us with their cargo, we go out, we shop [around], and we focus specifically on the daily spot market,” he said. In Q3 the startup will look to expand its customer base beyond the initial group of IATA-certified forwarders. Roughly 4,000-5,000 U.S. freight forwarders are IATA-certified, providing sufficient grounds for expansion, Acquaviva noted. Pelicargo leverages automated processes that can integrate with forwarders and airlines to streamline its air cargo shopping solution, and can also manually determine, for instance, which airports have available carrier capacity on each day of the week. Considering the growing state of digital adoption and the fragmented airfreight industry , a lot of technology is a “patchwork of solutions,” Acquaviva said. “We consider ourselves … like a team member for the freight forwarders,” he added. “[W]e work with freight forwarders to find them the best option and direct their cargo to the right channel.” Pelicargo closed its Pre-Seed funding round in January 2022, according to Crunchbase. While Acquaviva declined to share exact funding totals from the company’s recent round, he noted that the startup had secured a “few million” in venture capital.

Airfreight solutions startup Pelicargo plans public launch in Q3

Startup provides ‘shopping’ solutions for small-, mid-sized IATA forwarders

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