Submitted by editor on Wed, 2017/02/08 - 12:11pm
Abstract & Summary: By some estimates, ocean freight shipping is responsible for transporting 90% of every physical good that people consume - moving trillions of dollars worth of goods from one place to another, connecting markets, and keeping commerce humming across far flung national borders. This presents opportunities that more technology startups are pursuing. In this post we outline the ocean freight shipping industry's structure, and economics. We also discuss the opportunities that startups and venture capitalists are pursuing. Finally we discuss some threats and opportunities that we feel one should be aware of. The article is written from the perspective of a seed stage venture capitalist trying to understand the market.