Nadya Eka Lestari
TechInAfrica — A truck logistics marketplace based in Cairo, Trella, has acquired its Egyptian competitor Trukto to create the country’s largest platform of its kind. Once the two companies are fully merged, a network of around 10,000 truckers will operate across the country.
Trella has a digital platform that allows users to connect shippers and carriers in real-time, using data to optimize drivers’ routes and increase the volume of loads. It reduces the amount of wasted space and costs for both sides of the shipping transaction.
In acquiring its local rival, Trella is planning to leverage Trukto’s established infrastructure and network of truckers and shippers across the agriculture, consumer goods, cement, and logistics sectors to accelerate its growth in Egypt, according to a report.
In August 2019, Trella was accepted into Silicon Valley-based tech accelerator Y Combinator’s for the summer 2019 batch.
Read also: Egyptian Trucking Marketplace, Trella, is Now Part of Y Combinator’s S19
Trella was founded in 2018 by CEO Omar Hagrass, a former Uber executive, chief technology officer Pierre Saad, and Mohamed el Garem, head of sales.
Hagrass helped U.S. ride-hailing firm, Uber in its strategy to expand Uber Eats across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, launching the food delivery service in Dubai, Cape Town, Riyadh, and more than 40 cities across the U.K.
In February 2019, Trella successfully secured $600,000 in a pre-series funding round led by Cairo-based VC fund Algebra Ventures. In the meantime, Trella is reportedly in the process of raising a multi-million-dollar funding round.
The Silicon Valley-based Y Combinator is probably the world’s most powerful startup accelerator program. The problem that Trella is trying to solve may have attracted YC as an investor. YC invested $150,000 in Trella as part of the accelerator program it was in.
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Source: moguldom.com
