Trucking startup Trella has decided to wind down its business in Pakistan, exiting an economy going through one of its biggest crises.
The Egypt-based company stopped taking new orders last month, according to two people familiar with the matter. Trella, which raised $42 million in 2021 from investors including the venture arm of A.P. Moller-Maersk A/S, didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Pakistan has incurred multiple downgrades by rating agencies because of a delay in its loan program with the International Monetary Fund. It has restricted imports because of a dollar shortage, seen its currency drop by a third of its value, and almost doubled fuel prices in the past year. All that impacts the trucking business.
Pakistan’s startup economy is also experiencing a funding crunch along with a squeeze in the valuations of global technology companies. In the past year, Vitol-backed VavaCars has exited Pakistan, Dubai-based Swvl Holdings paused daily rides, Uber’s Careem suspended food delivery and Airlift, which raised a record $85 million, folded.