Tradeshift is a cloud based business network and platform for purchase-to-pay automation, supply chain payments, marketplaces, virtual cards and supply chain financing. Its 2018 round of funding, led by Goldman Sachs, raised US$250 million at a valuation of $1.1 billion, giving the company unicorn status.[1][2] Tradeshift is headquartered in San Francisco, California and has offices in London, Copenhagen, Bucharest and Kuala Lumpur. Tradeshift has reprocessed over $1 trillion USD through transactions on its network.[3]

Tradeshift
IndustrySoftware
FoundedMay 2010
FounderChristian Lanng, Mikkel Hippe Brun, Gert Sylvest
Headquarters
Number of employees
300+
Websitehttps://tradeshift.com

History edit

Tradeshift was founded in 2010 by Christian Lanng, Mikkel Hippe Brun, and Gert Sylvest. Inspiration for Tradeshift came after they created the world's first large scale peer-to-peer infrastructure for an e-business called NemHandel. The founders also had leading roles (Governing board member, Technical Director[4]) in the European Commission project PEPPOL inside the European Union.[5]

In 2010, the Tradeshift platform launched in May in Copenhagen. Tradeshift won the European Startup Awards in the category of "Best Business or Enterprise Startup."[6] In 2011, Tradeshift made its app marketplace available.[7]

In 2012, Tradeshift moved their headquarters from Copenhagen to San Francisco.[8] In 2013, Tradeshift opened an R&D center in Suzhou, China.[9] Tradeshift opened an additional office in London.[10] And LATAM e-invoicing capabilities were added through partnership with Invoiceware.[10]

In 2014, Tradeshift expanded with offices in Tokyo,[11] Paris, and Munich.[12] The EU Commission officially approved the Universal Business Language (UBL) data format – a format Tradeshift supports – as eligible for referencing in tenders from public administrations.[13]

In 2015, Tradeshift won the Circulars "Digital Disruptor" Award at the WEF conference in Davos, Switzerland.[14] Tradeshift also acquired product information management company Merchantry, and launched e-procurement and supplier risk management solutions.[buzzword][15] In 2016, Tradeshift acquired Hyper Travel[16] and secured a $75 million series-D round funding.[17] In 2017, Tradeshift acquired IBX Business Network and launches Tradeshift Ada.[18]

In 2018, Tradeshift secured a $250 million series-E round funding.[19] and launched Blockchain Payments, the latter as part of Tradeshift Pay.[20] In December 2018 Tradeshift acquired Babelway, an online B2B integration platform. The acquisition added three new office locations to Tradeshift (Salt Lake City, Louvain-la-neuve, Belgium, Cairo Egypt).[21] In Q3 2018, Tradeshift reported year-over-year revenue growth of 400%, new bookings growth of 284%, and gross merchandise volume (GMV) growth of 262%. New total contract value also grew by US$47 million. Additionally, it added 27 new customers including Hertz, Shiseido, ECU and multiple Fortune 500 companies.[22]

In July 2023, HSBC and Tradeshift announced an agreement to launch a new, jointly-owned business focused on the development of embedded finance solutions and financial services apps. As part of the agreement, HSBC made a $35 million investment into Tradeshift and joined its board. The agreement was part of a funding round which is expected to raise a minimum of $70 million from HSBC and other investors. The new joint venture will allow HSBC and Tradeshift to deploy a range of digital solutions across Tradeshift and other platforms. This includes payment and fintech services embedded into trade, e-commerce and marketplace experiences.

In September 2023, CEO Lanng was fired for "gross misconduct on multiple grounds," including "allegations of sexual assault and harassment." Tradeshift was alleged to have fired his accuser after she complained to the company's human resources department, its co-founders and members of its board of directors about his abuse. [23]

Financials edit

The company's valuation as of May 2018 was $1.1 billion.[24] Tradeshift is now considered a unicorn,[25] and, according to Bloomberg, will not need any further funding.[24]

Jan 14, 2020, Tradeshift announced that they had raised $240 million in Series F finance.[26]

Acquisitions edit

In 2015, Tradeshift acquired product information management company Merchantry.[15] Merchantry is a retail product information management (PIM) software for multi-vendor ecommerce retailers.

In 2016, Tradeshift acquired Hyper Travel.[16] Hyper Travel is a travel management service that allows customers to access travel agents via its native messaging apps, SMS, and email.

In 2017, Tradeshift acquired IBX Business Network.[18]

In 2018, Tradeshift acquired Babelway, an online B2B integration platform.[27]

References edit

  1. ^ "Tradeshift raises $250M Series E, Goldman Sachs joins the round". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
  2. ^ "These are the 35 US tech startups that have reached unicorn status in 2018". Business Insider. Retrieved 2018-11-30.
  3. ^ "Tradeshift Frontiers innovation lab hopes to drive blockchain adoption in the global supply chain". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
  4. ^ "Europe's "Facebook" for Government Procurement". www.govtech.com. 23 September 2010. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
  5. ^ "EU e-procurement agency implements TradeShift ( - Government )". news.idg.no. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
  6. ^ "TradeShift launches to disrupt an entire financial system – And Morten Lund is advising it". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
  7. ^ Corning, Paul. "Tradeshift goes social with business apps | ZDNet". ZDNet. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
  8. ^ "Keen On… Christian Lanng: Why All Current Business Software Is Crap [TCTV]". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
  9. ^ "iBlog". Danmark i Kina. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
  10. ^ a b "Invoiceware and Tradeshift Partner: E-Invoicing Goes Global". Spend Matters. 2013-05-21. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
  11. ^ "Tradeshift Secures $75M To Expand Its Invoicing Platform Globally". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
  12. ^ "Tradeshift Accelerates Global Growth With Office Openings in France, Germany and Japan; Expands Leadership Team With New EMEA & Japan Sales Executives". MarketWatch. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
  13. ^ "European Commission Approves Referencing of OASIS Universal Business Language (UBL) Standard | OASIS". www.oasis-open.org. 19 November 2014. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
  14. ^ "Tradeshift wins Circular Economy Digital Disruptor Award". eeiplatform.com. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
  15. ^ a b "Payables News Weekly: Tradeshift Makes $30 Million Acquisition; Basware Appoints UK Managing Director - Payables Place". Payables Place. 2015-08-28. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
  16. ^ a b "Tradeshift acquires Hyper to launch virtual travel assistant for the enterprise". VentureBeat. 2016-06-24. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
  17. ^ "Tradeshift raises $75M Series D to expand its invoicing platform to new verticals". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
  18. ^ a b "Tradeshift to Acquire IBX Business Network from Capgemini". Spend Matters. 2017-03-08. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
  19. ^ "'Oh' Shift: Tradeshift Raises a New $250 Million Warchest". Spend Matters. 2018-06-01. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
  20. ^ "Afternoon Coffee: Tradeshift Adds 38 New Customers in Second Quarter, Toys R Us Settles with Suppliers". Spend Matters. 2018-07-19. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
  21. ^ "Tradeshift Acquires Babelway, a Key Innovator of Cloud Integration Technology". 2018-12-18. Retrieved 2018-12-18.
  22. ^ "Tradeshift Announces Q3 2018 Results". Retrieved 2018-11-29.
  23. ^ Musumeci, Natalie (2023-12-13). "San Fran tech founder is accused of forcing his assistant into a 'slave contract' that called him 'Master' before trafficking her for sex around the world". Business Insider.
  24. ^ a b Mathis, Will. "Tradeshift Valuation Hits $1.1 Billion After Pre-IPO Fundraising". www.bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
  25. ^ "Denmark has a new unicorn after Tradeshift raises $250 million, with Goldman Sachs leading the round". nordic.businessinsider.com. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
  26. ^ "Tradeshift Inc". 美股之家. 2021-04-19.
  27. ^ "Tradeshift Buys Babelway: A 'First Take' Analysis". 18 December 2018.