Scorpa's Tech @ Sea

PortexPro – Revolutionizing Maritime Freight Management with AI-Powered Logistics

2–4 minutes

Image Source: PortexPro official platform overview

The maritime shipping industry remains the backbone of global trade, yet the processes behind freight management are still heavily reliant on spreadsheets, manual quote requests, emails, and phone calls. These outdated systems are particularly burdensome for small- to mid-sized shippers, who make up approximately 80% of global freight customers but lack access to robust logistics software. Traditional Transportation Management Systems (TMS) are often too expensive or complex for these companies. As a result, inefficiencies, miscommunication, high costs, and long processing times dominate their workflows.

This is where PortexPro enters the picture. a cloud-based logistics platform designed specifically to empower small and medium-sized businesses in the maritime and broader freight sector. Portex brings enterprise-level freight capabilities to companies previously left behind, helping them manage shipments smarter, faster, and cheaper.

PortexPro was founded by Brittany Ennix, a supply chain professional who developed her logistics acumen at Uber Freight and Flexport. Hailing from Tennessee, Ennix grew up watching her grandfather manage logistics at Ford’s glass manufacturing division, which sparked her early interest in the industry. In 2020, she launched Portex in San Francisco, with a mission to simplify global freight processes through automation, transparency, and AI.

In September 2024, Portex successfully closed its seed round, raising $6.25 million to support its growth and development. The round was led by Footwork Ventures, with Mike Smith playing a key role as the lead investor. Several other prominent investors also participated, including Cowboy Ventures, Base10 Partners, Susa Ventures, REFASHIOND Ventures, and angel investor DeVaris Brown, among others. The raised capital is being used to scale engineering teams, expand product capabilities, and deepen AI automation features.

PortexPro streamlines the entire freight process for ocean shipping, full truckload (FTL), and less-than-truckload (LTL) operations. Key features include:

  • Automated Spot Quote Generation: Users can instantly send out rate requests to multiple brokers and carriers.
  • Centralized Messaging: All communication is managed in one chat interface, eliminating fragmented email chains.
  • Real-Time Shipment Tracking: With integrated GPS data and status alerts.
  • Freight Analytics Dashboard: Provides insights into cost per shipment, route efficiency, and partner performance.

For maritime operations, this means shipowners and cargo handlers can make faster, data-driven decisions avoiding delays, reducing costs, and ensuring better communication across time zones and ports. For example, the platform lets users compare freight quotes, chat with brokers, dispatch shipments, and analyze spend—all from one dashboard. Portex provides visibility, reduces miscommunication, and improves negotiation leverage. The platform is also developing deeper AI features that will soon handle invoice matching, predict best-fit carriers, and generate dynamic cost forecasts using past data.

While formal partnerships are limited due to Portex’s broker-agnostic design, its growing client list includes Pacific Southwest Container which claims they decreased their transportation spend by over 66% over 13 months by using the platform.

PortexPro is quickly becoming a pivotal tool for modern freight management, especially for maritime operators and supply chain professionals underserved by legacy systems. Its AI-ready features, intuitive design, and measurable ROI make it a standout solution in the logistics tech landscape. As Portex scales its AI automation and grows its client base, it’s poised to revolutionize how shipping is managed, both on land and across the seas.

References

Contributor : Ariana Tri Asti
Reviewer : Imam Buchari, David Ratner

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