Every week we feature a new startup at Fundsup that forces a radical breakthrough. This time we chat with Munib Ali, Founder & CEO of Seanode Global.
Read the Dutch version on Emerce.
Munib, what exactly are you doing?
As consumers, we can buy almost anything online; from car washes to home renovations. So why do most businesses still order their basic supplies over the phone? Why is there no easy way for them to navigate different vendors’ prices? Today, the majority of B2B companies still use emails and Excel to manage their purchases. With Seanode B2B Marketplace, we aim to change that. We are leveraging cloud-computing technology to enable a smarter and sustainable way to trade globally. How? Our centralized application connects upstream supply chain stakeholders (tier-1 suppliers & manufacturers) with downstream partners (retailers & dealers), where they can place orders, track order & shipment statuses and transfer money securely.
The tomorrow of global trade is digital – we strive to start that journey today
Where do you see its main application?
From a broader lens, we see its applications in almost all B2B sectors. However, our main focus is on the engineering industry, specifically the automotive sector. The automotive sector is one of the most important industries in the world, where one vehicle can have over 20,000 parts sourced from thousands of suppliers across the globe. This makes the automotive supply chain one of the most complex in the world, with the least amount of digital transformation. We strongly believe that our application is capable of transforming their supply chains for improved reliability, agility and effectiveness.
What is the impact of your business?
We live in an era where only (positive) financial impact is no longer sufficient. Companies need to realign their interest and simultaneously focus on sustainable and ethical impacts. This is where we position ourselves. Influencing B2B companies with a positive financial and sustainable impact. The positive financial impact is achieved through supply chain resilience. Through Seanode application, companies can be interconnected 24/7, resulting in ad hoc and real-time planning amongst all stakeholders involved. In case of an external crisis (such as COVID-19), these companies can realign their supply chain to meet the changing demand or supply situations.
On the other side, our mission is to enable end-to-end supply chain transparency. Supply chain transparency plays a major role in promoting ethical sourcing. Linking tier-1 suppliers with their manufacturers and then retailers can provide Seanode with a full trail of orders so consumers can be assured where and how their goods were produced.
Where do you stand right now?
We are currently in the process of rolling out a major pilot project with the Automotive Association in South Asia. These manufacturers supply hundreds of thousands of parts to the European market. To achieve transparency, we have to first prioritise the supply side – the source of goods. Upon successful completion of our pilot, we will begin onboarding European buyers (retailers, assembly lines, dealers, etc.) for end-to-end interconnectivity.
Seanode Global influencing B2B companies with a positive financial and sustainable impact.
When are you planning to go to the market?
The MVP version of the Seanode application has been live for a few months already. We are currently in the process of iterating our value proposition to align it better with the engineering industry.
Who has invested in you and what kind of investors are you looking for?
We raised a pre-seed round earlier this year which was mostly limited to close friends & family. We aim to work with private investors (either angels or industry professionals) who can guide us further with their experience and knowledge of the engineering industry. We certainly prioritize the wealth of knowledge over a large pool of monetary sum.
What would be the ideal investor match?
Our ideal investor should be a visionary, not afraid to disrupt traditional industries. We must have a shared alignment of interest and vision with our stakeholders. We are aiming to change the way global trade was once conducted; an extremely hard road to pave. We need support from those who are ready for this challenge and can help us achieve a global presence. The online B2B marketplace will be worth trillions of dollars in the coming decade, but the hard work starts today.
Best of luck with everything!
Thanks, check out our pitch deck in the Fundsup app: https://api.fundsup.co/go/NBW20NYV-m