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Based in Boston, Fishtail is a financial technology company that develops an artificial intelligence-driven trade finance automation platform to help freight forwarders fund the procurement and physical movement of goods for small and medium-sized businesses worldwide. The software extracts complex risk signals from supply chain logistics and financial data to facilitate embedded financing solutions, specifically targeting purchase orders for enterprises operating across emerging markets. By addressing a structural two trillion dollar working capital gap in the global trade sector, the company secured $4.5 million in seed funding during 2022 to scale its proprietary underwriting infrastructure. This financing round was led by Thursday Ventures, featuring additional equity participation from institutional investors Rackhouse Ventures, Amara Ventures, and project44 chief executive officer Jett McCandless. While its exact founding year remains undisclosed, Fishtail was established by co-founders Marc Held and Min Tan.
Fishtail has raised $5.0M across 1 funding round.
Fishtail has raised $5.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Fishtail refers to multiple technology companies across distinct sectors, with no single dominant entity matching the query. The most prominent recent player is Fishtail, a Boston-based fintech startup automating trade finance for freight forwarders and SMBs in global supply chains[3][6]. It builds a machine learning-powered platform that finances goods movement and procurement, solving a $2tn working capital gap by enabling extended payment terms or direct goods financing within minutes[3]. This data-driven solution extracts risk signals from supply chain data, serving freight forwarders and SMBs in emerging markets with scalable, real-world trade finance akin to "Pipe for the real world," backed by VC funding and generating revenue[6].
Other entities include Fishtail Technology, an IT consulting firm offering custom software, ERP implementations (SAP, Workday), big data analytics, and project-based solutions for enterprises, founded by Fortune 500 veterans[1]; FishTail Design Automation, a chip design software company (acquired by Synopsys) focused on automated timing constraints for semiconductors, founded in 2002 with $7M revenue[2]; Fishtail Technologies, LLC, an edtech tool integrating student information and learning management systems (LMS) like D2L for universities[4][5]; and a smaller education-focused IT firm building LMS API solutions[5].
The trade finance Fishtail was co-founded by serial entrepreneur Marc Held, CEO with expertise in AI, IoT, and supply chain; he previously built and sold ODYN (inventory optimization, acquired by Turvo) and Weft (maritime intelligence, acquired by Genscape/DMGT), plus early mobile and smart assistant work[3]. The idea emerged from Held's pattern of applying advanced tech to supply chain gaps, launching Fishtail to automate the underserved $10tn trade finance market for SMBs[3][6].
Fishtail Technology stems from industry veterans with 45+ years in Fortune 500s, evolving into specialists in ERP, custom dev, and big data without a specified founding year[1]. FishTail Design Automation was founded in 2002 in Portland/Lake Oswego, Oregon, shipping its first product in 2004 and taping out customer chips in 2005, later acquired by Synopsys[2]. Fishtail Technologies, LLC originated from University of Arizona inventors (e.g., Adam Brokamp, Mark Felix) developing LMS integration tools[4].
Fishtail (fintech) rides the digitization of global trade amid supply chain disruptions, where $2tn financing gaps persist for SMBs; timing aligns with rising e-commerce, IoT data proliferation, and post-pandemic logistics demands, influencing ecosystems by onboarding freight forwarders into fintech[3][6]. Fishtail Technology supports enterprise digital transformation via ERP/big data, key in a cloud-native shift[1]. FishTail Design Automation advanced semiconductor automation during the chip shortage era, now amplifying Synopsys' EDA dominance for faster, reliable ICs amid AI/hardware booms[2]. Edtech variants address LMS fragmentation in higher education, aiding hybrid learning scalability[4][5]. Collectively, they tackle niche inefficiencies in finance, enterprise IT, hardware, and education.
Fishtail (fintech) eyes expansion in emerging markets and deeper ML for predictive trade risk, shaped by AI supply chain trends and regulatory fintech tailwinds—potentially scaling to disrupt traditional banks. Fishtail Technology could grow via ERP demand in AI-driven enterprises; FishTail's tech endures within Synopsys for next-gen chips; edtech players may consolidate amid LMS standardization. Their niche strengths position them to thrive in fragmented markets, echoing the query's tech company essence by solving real-world pain points with precision tools.
Fishtail has raised $5.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Fishtail's investors include Ryan McKillen, Plug & Play Ventures, Rackhouse Venture Capital, Wave Capital, David Wolfson, Mark Cuban, Sam Nazarian, Jason Duboe, Jett McCandless, Amara Ventures.
Fishtail has raised $5.0M across 1 funding round. Most recently, it raised $5.0M Seed in March 2022.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 1, 2022 | $5M Seed | Ryan Mckillen | Plug & Play Ventures, Rackhouse Venture Capital, Wave Capital, David Wolfson, Mark Cuban, SAM Nazarian, Jason Duboe, Jett Mccandless, Amara Ventures | Announced |
