The clothes you’re wearing right now had a heck of a time getting to you. After they were made (probably outside the U.S.), they had to be packaged, shipped across the globe, tracked, and pass through customs. Then they had to be shipped again. Someone had to pay the tariffs. Even in the 21st century, when information technology and free trade reign, international trade is still super cumbersome.
Ryan Petersen, founder of Flexport, wants to make it easy “for any two people on planet Earth to trade with each other.” The Flexport app not only streamlines the cascade of processes required for global shipping, it also makes sure companies are complying with arcane and complex international shipping and trade regulations.
And while it might sound boring, Flexport’s technology has the potential to make everything you use in your daily life cheaper without hurting the profits of the people who made it all.
