Singapore’s logistics firm Locad has raised $9 million in Pre-Series B fundraise co-led by Global Ventures and its existing investor Reefknot Investments.

Locad said in a statement on Wednesday that other participating investors include Sumitomo Equity Ventures and existing investors Antler Elevate; Febe Ventures; and JG Summit.

According to the statement, the new funding will accelerate Locad’s international expansion, starting with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia in the fourth quarter of 2024 as part of its ‘Grow Global, Go Local’ strategy for brands.

It will also be used to enhance Locad’s artificial intelligence (AI)-driven smart logistics capabilities.

Locad is also on a mission to build the supply chain infrastructure of modern commerce connecting brands to consumers in growth markets with a global cloud supply chain as-a-service.

“We are on a mission to enable smart digital logistics for consumer brands,” said Constantin Robertz, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Locad.

“Over the last four years we have built a cloud supply chain platform in Asia Pacific (APAC) that allows brands to unify their omnichannel distribution and access localized fulfillment in growth markets of Southeast Asia (SEA) and Australia (AU),

“We are now excited to take Locad global, opening our presence in the United States and entering the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), to make it easier for brands to sell anywhere with a fully localized customer experience,” he added.

Shrey Jain, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Locad, commented that by integrating smart digital logistics with AI-driven insights, they empower brands to optimize their supply chains—placing inventory closer to demand, reducing delivery times, and enhancing customer satisfaction.

“This fundraise allows us to double down on building a robust, tech-enabled logistics ecosystem that drives efficiency and helps brands thrive in an increasingly dynamic commerce landscape,” he added.

Jannis Dargel, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Locad, said for brands, unifying inventory across sales channels in ecommerce and retail leads to higher revenue and faster sell-through; and localized fulfillment and delivery allows brands to increase conversion rates and improve customer experience.

Since its 2023 Series A round, Locad has made significant strides in expanding its market presence and refining its platform.

The company now supports over 300 consumer brands across Southeast Asia and Australia, providing smart digital logistics solutions to enhance operational efficiency and customer experience.

The firm’s cloud supply chain enables smart digital logistics and open commerce for consumer brands through an integrated operating system and supply chain infrastructure as a service.

Locad also allows brands to connect all sales channels in e-commerce and retail to a single pool of inventory and a smart logistics network, managed through its control tower orchestration platform that provides real time visibility, analytics, and ai enhanced workflow automation.

“Locad’s innovative engine is transforming how brands manage their supply chains and enabling faster, more efficient customer reach – aligning with our thesis on the need for decentralized and resilient supply chains to meet today’s consumer demands,” said Noor Sweid, Founder and Managing Partner of Global Ventures.

“Locad is a prime example of this shift – offering a localized, efficient solution that aligns with our vision for the future of supply chains,

“We are confident Locad is well-positioned to capitalize on opportunities in rapidly evolving markets like Middle East and North Africa (MENA), embodying the future of agile and sustainable logistics,” she added.

Marc Dragon, Managing Director of Reefknot Investments, commented that since their Series A investment, Locad has demonstrated a strong ability to execute, scaling their asset-light fulfillment model across markets in Southeast Asia, Australia, and China, while continuously deepening their product capabilities with AI-driven features such as demand, inventory and carrier analytics and optimization.

“We are confident that Locad’s global expansion, combined with their dedication to product, technology, and service quality and innovation, will create exceptional value for brands aiming to grow overseas and elevate their respective customer experience,” he added.

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