Trademo is an IBM Fintech Partner focused on global trade finance compliance. Shalabh Singhal, CEO, Trademo and IBM Account Lead, Daisy Sarne, sat down with us to talk about Trademo’s origins, their target industries, and the advice he has for other fintech’s considering joining the IBM Fintech Partner Program.
KS: Shalabh, thank you for taking time to talk with us today. Could you first share a little about your professional background?
SS: I am an engineer-turned-entrepreneur with a background in finance, I worked at Goldman Sachs and earned a CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst). After starting a CRM company in India, which was acquired, I co-founded a startup called Ziploon which provided a platform for working capital to small businesses in India, funding nearly 20K businesses in four years.
KS: Are you based at your India location or Palo Alto?
SS: I'm in Palo Alto, but I'm spending a lot of time in India also. A large portion of my product team is in India, we also have some presence in Singapore and the UK.
Supply Chain Disruptions Lead to the Launch of Trademo
KS: And what was the genesis of Trademo?
SS: The COVID-19 pandemic caused major disruptions among global supply chains, proving the need for a robust supply chain intelligence platform. I was always asking myself how supply chains could be improved, and this disruption gave me an idea. This idea would eventually grow to be Trademo’s first product called Trade Intel. In June 2020, we incorporated. Our vision was to build a single source of truth for global supply chains.
KS: What are your primary product and service offerings?
SS: Trademo's main product is a comprehensive global supply chain knowledge graph that connects various entities, including buyers, suppliers, products, countries, ports, and vessels.
The platform pulls in open-source intelligence around these entities to provide visibility into deep-tier supply chain networks and manage compliance with global trade regulations.
KS: You led perfectly into my next question, what are Trademo’s target markets or industries?
SS: We work with stakeholders participating in or facilitating global supply chains, so this includes importers, exporters, logistic companies, and trade finance institutions, by offering supply chain diversification, risk assessment, and financial crime prevention.
Becoming a Fintech Partner
KS: How did you learn about the IBM Fintech Partner Program, and what interested you about the program?
SS: We got connected to IBM when we were looking for cloud partners. I think the IBM Cloud team put us in touch with the IBM Fintech Partner Program team. What I liked about this entire initiative was, given IBM’s strong consulting practice and strong B2B practice, they have already identified a clear strategy and a niche in which they want to focus.
When we connected with IBM Fintech Partner Program, they already knew a lot about this space. They quickly appreciated the capabilities that we’d developed which was a catalyst for meaningful progress on the go-to-market side.
Secondly, we wanted to leverage IBM's AI capabilities, off-the-shelf solutions, and existing trade finance ecosystem. This partnership enhances Trademo's solutions, making them more accurate, more effective, compared to some of the other cloud providers.
KS: Daisy is there anything you’d like to add?
DS: Trademo's a good fit into our program since we are servicing similar clients and mutual end-users. When we can find innovative startups like Trademo that are providing value on top of the relationship IBM has with an end user, there's a strong “better together” story. So, we're able to build impressive solutions in the supply chain, thanks to relationships with partners like Trademo.
KS: Salabh, what advice would you give to other fintechs considering IBM’s Fintech Partner Program?
First I would say to really take this partnership seriously because what I've seen is the IBM Cloud team and the Fintech Partner Program team are really committed to make this work. If they've already identified you as a potential partner, they have done their homework.
They are serious about this relationship, and they have a win-win approach to it.
Secondly, IBM is really opening its resources to make this partnership successful, so just stay committed and this can be a strong partnership.
To learn more about Trademo, visit: https://www.trademo.com
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