South Korean import-export freight platform SURFF COMPANY has completed its seed round of funding with investment from the Korea Investment Accelerator, following earlier investments from Hyundai Motor’s ZER01NE Fund and Hyundai Glovis. SURFF COMPANY offers a solution that not only compares freight rates across different carriers and forwarders by route, but also allows for actual shipping reservations. The company plans to use the investment to enhance its system by integrating real-time information from ports, carriers, and transport companies.

SURFF COMPANY was established as a spin-off from Hyundai Glovis by former employees, and has won several startup competitions, including first place at KDB 2022 Start Up and the Excellence Award at the 2023 Marine Startup Contest. It also demonstrated its technical capabilities by being selected for the TIPS program, an R&D support program from the Ministry of SMEs and Startups.

A SURFF COMPANY representative stated that its monthly active user index (MAU) had tripled compared to January 2024, when it began expanding its business, and inquiries via its website had increased fivefold. The company has now secured and matched over 100 container transport orders from over 30 import-export companies.

SURFF COMPANY’s CEO Choi Sun-jin stated, “While most industries are transitioning to IT, the maritime logistics market still has many digital challenges. Due to the closed nature of the industry, there is unnecessary communication for even a single shipment, and import-export companies still need to use multiple logistics firms to check the volatile maritime freight rates. SURFF COMPANY aims to build a solution by the end of this year that reduces unnecessary communication and provides customers with real-time shipping rates.”