Marine transportation services account for more than 90% of total international logistics volume. It is over a trillion dollar industry. There was a global movement observed of 1.6 billion containers (TEUs) in the year 2015 and India alone contributed to 11.3 million out of this. The gargantuan figures of this industry were quickly noticed by two smart minds to tap the potential and make way for a new kind of business. That is exactly how ShippingExchange saw its formation in the summer of 2015. ShippingExchange claims to be the world’s largest online marketplace for sea logistics which helps exporters get freight rates for their shipments directly from shipping lines erasing the hassles of dealing with numerous middlemen. The idea of acting as a technology bridge between shipping lines and shippers was a very transparent and win-win opportunity for all and was received well by the target customers very quickly. But behind such unique ideas there are always brave hearts and smart brains working together to bring out the perfect recipe for a successful business model. Similarly, founders Harmeet Kohli, a seasoned entrepreneur, and Ashutosh Shrivastava, an accomplished IT business head, met at a party and found their synergy in bringing a technology platform to bridge the gap between shippers and shipping lines together in a seamless way. “The very fact that sea logistics, despite being the largest part of logistics industry, didn’t have any online trade element was fascinating. We were stunned with the potential and possibilities,” said Ashutosh. The combination was just right - Harmeet, having had worked with shipping giants like Maersk and CSAV, easily brought in the required operational knowledge and shipping industry experience whereas Ashutosh, an ex-SAP sales & marketing professional, contributed with his technology and marketing prowess. The stage was set, http://www.shippingexchange.com was developed in a period of five months and launched in April, 2015. The two-fold business objective was very clear from the days of initiation, i.e. to aid the importers and exporters grab best sea freight and service terms for shipping the cargo and eventually helps shipping lines secure healthy margins on every shipment and higher volumes of business. Mainly these two groups were brought together in one online platform where they get to connect directly, look at all the quotes and negotiate to finally close the deal. Maximum transparency allows end customers and shippers to get best deals and allow the lines to feel the competition and give best quotes. The road was not without challenges, entrepreneurship never is, however, when asked about one major challenge, Ashutosh said, “The biggest challenge we faced was of convincing the shippers as well as carriers that such business-to-business transactions could be closed online. To address this we handhold our customers during the entire process and provide them all operational assistance until they get completely comfortable with trading over the Internet.” And that is what won them the trust of 19 liners and more than 6,500 shippers at present date. And yes of course, the number is growing every day at significant rate as they add almost 60 to 70 exporters every single day. What sets ShippingExchange apart from the rest is that they do business in a fair way allowing direct interaction between reputed lines and the shippers allowing better service quality and safety unlike most others who do not reveal the identity of the two until unless they secure their own margins. This is a one of its kind technological platform where direct business transactions can be made along with perfect technical assistance and superior customer service experience for one and all.