Egyptian B2B trucking marketplace Trella has been selected to take part in the S19 batch of Silicon Valley-based accelerator Y Combinator, securing US$150,000 in funding and access to the renowned programme.
Trella, founded last year, connects shippers with carriers in real-time, with the goal of making the entire supply chain faster and more reliable while reducing slack and exceptions. It empowers drivers and reduces costs for shippers by improving load utilisation and efficiency, offering transparent pricing schedules, and enabling shipment tracking in real-time.
Disrupt Africa reported in February the startup had raised more than US$600,000 in a pre-seed funding round led by Algebra Ventures, and it has now secured access to further funding and expertise by taking part in Y Combinator’s S19 batch. The startup joins the ranks of the Y Combinator portfolio, which includes Airbnb, Dropbox, Stripe, Reddit and Doordash.
Trella believes its acceptance into the programme further validates its commitment to digitising trucking and offering a top-class end-to-end solutions to both shippers and carriers, and opens doors to opportunities for synergies and collaboration with fellow Y Combinator companies and alumni, as well as unparalleled access to its network of investors, mentors, and partners.
“We’re excited to be part of such a prestigious programme,” said Trella chief executive officer (CEO) Omar Hagrass. “Y Combinator has already been super valuable and cemented our position with investors, partners, and stakeholders. We’re looking forward to building something really big.”
Michael Seibel, Y Combinator CEO and partner, said it was the accelerator’s job to help talented founders from anywhere in the world to access the advice, network, and funding that Silicon Valley has to offer.
“With Trella, we saw extremely strong founders, tackling a huge problem, in a region of the world that needs more tech investment. It was an obvious fit,” he said.
Trella is the latest Egyptian tech startup to be accepted into the programme, after food delivery platform Breadfast earlier this year. Other African Y Combinator alumni startups include Nigerian companies Aella Credit, Cowrywise, Releaf, Kudi, StackDx, Thrive Agric, CredPal, Wallet.ng and Schoolable, Tanzanian startup Nala, and Morocco’s WaystoCap.
