MarkIt

What do they actually do

MarkIt builds AI agents that work inside the tools trade teams already use — Excel, PDFs, broker portals and the browser — to automate trade‑compliance chores like OCR/extraction from shipping docs, HTS/commodity code classification, duty estimates, and error flagging. Outputs are traceable for audit and can optionally push into filing systems/ERPs instead of requiring a rip‑and‑replace platform (YC profile, site).

Today they are running hands‑on pilots with importers, brokers, suppliers and OEMs. Teams review and accept/override agent outputs, with the aim of removing repetitive "PDF reading, classification, and reconciliation" work so humans focus on exceptions. Public materials indicate an early startup in pilot mode with a small founding team (co‑founder background in Tesla Global Trade) rather than broad production rollouts yet (YC profile, launch post).

Who are their target customer(s)

• Importer trade‑compliance manager (retailer/distributor): Manually copying data from PDFs/spreadsheets into filing systems and reconciling broker reports creates slow, error‑prone workflows and incomplete audit trails. Misclassification or missed duties can lead to fines and surprise landed‑costs.
• Customs broker handling many clients: Shipment‑by‑shipment checks across invoices, packing lists and portals are repetitive and don’t scale, making consistent classification hard while pressure increases to file faster without mistakes that trigger audits.
• Supplier/exporter preparing invoices and packing lists: Frequent back‑and‑forth to fix missing or inconsistent data wastes time and risks delays or misclassification when documents aren’t standardized or machine‑readable.
• OEM/manufacturer with complex BOMs: Deep, changing BOMs and origins make classification and duty estimates specialist, manual work. They need repeatable, defensible decisions across thousands of SKUs to keep costs and compliance stable.
• Freight forwarder / logistics coordinator: Hours spent matching shipping documents to shipments and flagging mismatches increase delay risk and extra charges when paperwork errors slip through.

How would they acquire their first 10, 50, and 100 customers

• First 10: Founder‑led, hands‑on pilots via personal trade contacts and YC introductions. Run 8–12 week pilots embedded in the customer’s Excel/portal workflow to prove OCR + HTS classification value, with discounted or risk‑share terms and optional ABI/ERP pushes (YC profile, launch post).
• First 50: Turn successful pilots into short case studies and a repeatable “pilot playbook,” then ask for warm intros to brokers, suppliers and importer peers. Run small workshops/webinars and target industry groups/events already engaged (e.g., aftermarket/OEM associations) to source clusters with similar workflows (launch post).
• First 100: Productize onboarding (self‑serve agent for Excel/browser), ship standard connectors for top ERPs/ABI systems, and launch a broker/forwarder partner program so partners roll MarkIt out to their client bases. Add 1–2 industry reps and a CS lead focused on governance (audit trails, confidence scoring) and references (YC profile).

What is the rough total addressable market

Top-down context:

Direct, comparable software market: global trade management/compliance software is about $1.2–1.4B in 2024 and growing (Fortune Business Insights, Verified Market Research). The adjacent customs‑brokerage services market is roughly $26–28B annually (Emergen Research, MRFR).

Bottom-up calculation:

Illustrative: if 5,000 customs brokers and 15,000 mid‑sized importers/manufacturers adopt automation at an average $20k–$40k per year for OCR, classification and audit tooling, that implies ~$400M–$800M in annual software spend for MarkIt‑like agents within these segments.

Assumptions:

• Segment sizing approximates a global pool of brokers plus mid‑market importers/manufacturers with meaningful entry volumes.
• Average annual contract value of $20k–$40k for agent‑based OCR/classification/audit tooling.
• High adoption within the defined segments; figures are illustrative and not a forecast.

Who are some of their notable competitors

• Descartes Systems Group: Established provider of customs and regulatory compliance, product classification/duty determination, and denied party screening used by shippers and brokers (Descartes Customs & Regulatory Compliance, Global Trade Intelligence).
• SAP Global Trade Services (GTS): Enterprise trade‑compliance suite integrated with SAP for classification, import/export management, sanctioned‑party screening, and customs connectivity (SAP GTS).
• Thomson Reuters ONESOURCE Global Trade: Global trade content and compliance platform covering classification, denied‑party screening, duty optimization, FTZs, import/export management, and ERP integrations (ONESOURCE Global Trade).
• E2open Global Trade Management: Global trade applications for due‑diligence screening, import/export management, duty programs, and self‑filing, backed by a large trade‑content database (E2open Global Trade).
• WiseTech Global – CargoWise Customs & Compliance: Customs and compliance embedded in a logistics platform, with customs declarations, screening/audit controls and regulatory intelligence for brokers/forwarders (CargoWise Customs).