SaaS Development Company in Miami

Cross-Border Trade / LATAM Commerce

A Miami-based trade technology company (Series A, $11 million raised) was building a platform to simplify cross-border commerce between US brands and LATAM retailers. US consumer brands (food, beauty, fashion) wanted to sell in LATAM markets but were deterred by the complexity — each country requires different import documentation, duties, product labelling (in the local language), and distribution logistics. The existing process was entirely manual: brokers, freight forwarders, and in-country distributors coordinated through email and spreadsheets. A single shipment from a US brand to a Colombian retailer could involve 15+ documents and 8+ intermediaries. Problems: documentation complexity (each LATAM country requires different customs documentation, product certificates, and regulatory filings — a product approved for import in Mexico might require completely different documentation for Colombia), duty and landed cost uncertainty (brands didn't know the final landed cost of their products until after shipment — making pricing decisions impossible), payment complexity (LATAM retailers pay in local currency, US brands receive USD — with 30-90 day payment terms creating FX risk), and no visibility (once a shipment left the US warehouse, the brand had no visibility until delivery confirmation — which could take weeks). The company needed 50 active trade lanes (brand-to-retailer connections) within 12 months to demonstrate platform value.

We built a cross-border trade SaaS platform with automated documentation, landed cost calculation, cross-border payment orchestration, and end-to-end visibility. (1) Automated trade documentation: generating correct documents for each country. Product classification: using AI to classify products into HS (Harmonised System) codes — the international product classification that determines duty rates. The AI model was trained on 100,000+ classified products and achieves 94% accuracy, with human review for edge cases. Country-specific document generation: for each destination country, the platform generates required documents automatically — commercial invoice, packing list, certificate of origin, phytosanitary certificates (for food products), and country-specific regulatory filings. Mexico: NOM compliance declarations, COFEPRIS certificates for food and cosmetics. Colombia: INVIMA registration for food products, DIAN import declarations. Brazil: ANVISA registration, Siscomex filing, and ICMS tax documentation. Chile: SAG certificates for food, Aduanas import declarations. Document validation: before shipment, the platform validates all documents against the destination country's current requirements — catching errors and missing documents before they cause customs delays. (2) Real-time landed cost calculation: knowing the final cost before shipping. Duty calculation: HS code-based duty rates for each destination country — updated monthly as trade agreements and rates change. Tax calculation: in-country taxes (Mexico's IVA 16%, Colombia's IVA 19%, Brazil's combined federal and state taxes that can exceed 60% for some products, Chile's IVA 19%). Logistics cost: ocean freight, air freight, and last-mile delivery estimates based on product weight, volume, and destination city. Currency conversion: real-time FX rates applied to the calculation — showing the landed cost in both USD and local currency. Total landed cost: presented as a clear breakdown — product cost + shipping + duties + taxes + logistics = landed cost — enabling the US brand to set profitable retail prices before committing to the shipment. (3) Cross-border payment orchestration: managing money across currencies and terms. LATAM payment collection: the platform collects payment from LATAM retailers through local payment methods — bank transfer (the dominant B2B payment method in LATAM), Mercado Pago for smaller retailers, and credit terms for established relationships. Currency management: collecting in local currency and settling to US brands in USD — with transparent FX rates and no hidden markups. Payment terms: managing 30, 60, and 90-day payment terms — the platform provides early payment options (financing against the receivable) for brands that need faster cash flow. Payment reconciliation: matching payments to invoices across currencies — handling partial payments, FX differences, and payment timing discrepancies. (4) Supply chain visibility: tracking from US warehouse to LATAM shelf. Milestone tracking: US warehouse departure → port of export → ocean transit → port of import → customs clearance → in-country logistics → delivery. Each milestone triggers automatic notifications to the brand and retailer. Customs status: real-time customs clearance status — "Documents submitted," "Under review," "Duty payment required," "Cleared" — with estimated clearance times based on historical data for that port and product category. Exception management: when issues occur (customs hold, document discrepancy, delivery delay), the platform creates an exception ticket with resolution options and estimated delay impact.

Trade lanes: 72 active trade lanes in 12 months (44% above the 50-lane target) — covering 28 US brands selling to retailers in Mexico (24 lanes), Colombia (18), Brazil (14), Chile (10), and Peru (6). Annual trade volume: $34 million GMV processed through the platform in year one. Document accuracy: 97% of shipments cleared customs on first submission (from an industry average of 78% — the 22% rejection rate causes an average 5-day delay per rejected shipment). The AI classification and automated document validation eliminated the most common customs clearance errors. Landed cost accuracy: calculated landed costs were within 3% of actual landed costs — enabling brands to set profitable prices with confidence. Previously, brands reported cost uncertainty of ±15-20%, making LATAM pricing a guessing game. Payment processing: $34M in cross-border payments processed with zero payment disputes. Average collection time: 38 days (within the 30-60 day terms — consistent with LATAM B2B norms). Early payment adoption: 35% of brands opted for early payment (receiving funds in 5 days instead of 30-60) — the financing margin became an additional revenue stream. Visibility impact: brands report that end-to-end visibility reduced their internal operations burden by 60% — previously, brand operations teams spent significant time calling brokers and freight forwarders for status updates. Average delivery time: reduced from 28 days (manual process) to 19 days (platform-managed) — a 32% improvement driven by pre-clearance document preparation and logistics optimisation. Brand expansion: 8 of the 28 brands expanded from their initial target country to additional LATAM markets within 12 months — the platform made it easy to add a country. Average brand expansion: 1.6 countries after initial launch. Series B: the 72 trade lanes, $34M GMV, and 97% customs clearance rate contributed to a $38 million Series B. Development investment: $340,000 over 16 weeks.