Caspian launches AI-powered global trade advisory platform with $5.4m seed funding

Caspian, an AI-driven customs compliance startup automating duty drawback and trade advisory services to help businesses manage tariff impacts, has emerged from stealth with $5.4 million seed funding. This round was led by Primary Venture Partners, with major investment from Blank Ventures.

Each year, billions of dollars in import duties are unclaimed by businesses due to a complex and paper-intensive legacy process, preventing exporters from reclaiming tariffs paid on imported goods later re-exported. Caspian’s platform ingests and analyzes companies’ international shipping and inventory data to identify eligible duty refunds and submits the claims within days instead of months. Replacing email chains and spreadsheets, Caspian enables companies to recoup money that would otherwise be left on the table.

Caspian is a rare CBP-approved tech company and licensed customs broker, a differentiator that enables Caspian to file claims directly with U.S. Customs on behalf of clients or to partner with large enterprises, customs brokers, and freight forwarders to augment their existing trade advisory work.

Justin Sherlock, Founder and CEO, Caspian: ''We built Caspian to ensure all businesses can thrive in the current trade environment, and that begins with not leaving money on the table; right now, over 90% of eligible businesses don't apply for duty drawback due to complex processes. Our technology solves this problem, which historically has cost businesses billions of dollars. Drawback is a cornerstone of U.S. economic policy to grow American exports and support re-shoring of critical industries. But the current process is excruciating for businesses, brokers, and regulators alike. Caspian brings AI fintech automation to bear on shippers’ bottom lines, improving the impact tariff incentives that support U.S. exporters.''

Caspian takes a different approach than prior global trade management and compliance software, which has historically focused on criminal activity and customs compliance, versus financial visibility and business growth. Caspian’s platform connects to clients’ trade records and inventory, identifying and calculating eligible drawback claims, and submitting necessary documentation to regulators. The result is a software product that more completely outsources and automates the financial services work than existing consultants, cutting costs and boosting bottom lines.

Emily Man, Partner, Primary Venture Partners: ''Caspian’s approach to automate complex regulatory work with a focus on tackling the opaque world of tariffs is exactly aligned with our thesis that AI will reshape niche pockets of financial services. Caspian is poised to invent their own software vertical - tariff management - and become the ‘go-to’ platform for global duty optimization.''

www.meetcaspian.com

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