This Gurugram-based startup uses tech approach to make cross-border shipping seamless

When the Ever Given container ship blocked the Suez Canal in 2021, the largely hidden world of supply chains and global trade was visible to everyone. The crisis laid bare the complexities of the fragmented and complex supply chains in the post-pandemic world, particularly affecting the fast-growing ecommerce and direct-to-consumer sectors that have to grapple with delays, lack of visibility, and rising costs.

“If you’re a founder sourcing products from China to sell in India, every shipment feels like navigating a maze. Different partners are involved at every stage, processes are unclear, and unexpected delays are common,” explains Dibyanshu Tripathi, who co-founded Hexalog in 2024 along with Utkarsh Tripathi, Vineet Malik, and Shobhit Singh, to offer end-to-end logistics solutions. 

Hexalog focuses on the export-import (EXIM) trade landscape for businesses operating in and out of India. It combines advanced technology, deep industry expertise, and a unified digital platform to simplify complex cross-border logistics and supply chain challenges.

The Gurugram-based startup offers a comprehensive ‘one-stop shop’ service for international shipping. Its offerings cover freight forwarding, customs clearance, warehousing, and last-mile delivery across India.

“Our digital platform integrates all critical EXIM logistics functions, order management, warehouse operations, customs compliance, and delivery tracking under a single roof. This creates transparency, real-time control, and seamless orchestration for our customers,” CEO Dibyanshu tells YourStory.

From retail roots to logistics expertise

Tripathi began his career in retail after graduating with a B.Com from Calcutta University and a PG Diploma in Retail Management from Birla Institute of Management Technology. 

“Retail gave me an understanding of how crucial logistics is in fulfilling customer expectations. But it was during my eight years at Ecom Express, where I managed cross-border operations and a revenue portfolio of Rs 2,100 crore, that I truly grasped how logistics underpins customer satisfaction,” he explains. 

Tripathi identified the fragmented cross-border supply chains as a core challenge. 

“Ecommerce brands had to coordinate with multiple entities handling freight forwarding, customs clearance, warehousing, and delivery independently. This fragmentation caused friction, delays, and increased risks,” he notes. 

Hexalog’s integrated orchestration platform solves this by dynamically coordinating each component, giving brands end-to-end visibility and control, either as a full-stack solution or modular services.

Bootstrapped with Rs 6 crore of personal investment from founders, Hexalog raised a friends-and-family round in January 2024. The startup now employs 62 full-time staff and 150+ contractual workers, including customs and compliance specialists led by co-founder Vineet Malik, who brings two decades of regulatory expertise from running his own customs agency. 

Operations are managed by brothers Dibyanshu and Utkarsh Tripathi, with Utkarsh overseeing daily functions and strategy, while Shobhit Singh leads technology, ensuring product development aligns with business needs.

Speed, control, and operational advantage

Hexalog’s platform claims to deliver up to 50% faster processing than standard practices by streamlining India–China and India–Middle East operations, with full shipment lifecycle control. Unlike traditional logistics, documentation and compliance begin at the outset, enabling customs clearance preparation before freight forwarding. 

Shipments arrive at Hexalog’s 17,000 sq ft origin consolidation centre in Shenzhen, where SKU-level quality checks are performed based on customer parameters, allowing early identification and rejection of defects and reducing costly delays. Post-inspection, goods are sorted by Harmonised System Nomenclature (HSN), a standardised, internationally recognised system for classifying goods in international trade, to speed up destination customs clearance.

“Prioritising speed, especially for ecommerce clients, Hexalog predominantly uses air freight with dedicated cargo space from select airlines, achieving transit times of around four days versus the typical 7–10days elsewhere. Ocean freight remains available for bulkier shipments such as furniture or medical equipment,” the co-founder adds.

Upon arrival in India, shipments go to destination value-add centres where skilled teams handle finishing processes, and for some clients, oversee fulfilment and last-mile delivery.

Close collaboration with customers on compliance frameworks enables many shipments to qualify for expedited green channel customs clearance. “We only operate in lanes where we can control every step, enabling a faster, smoother experience for our customers,” Dibyanshu says.

Leveraging tech for smarter logistics

The platform is built on AI and automation, with agentic AI streamlining documentation workflows, OCR (optical character recognition) accelerating document processing by recognising and extracting text from images, and Natural Language Processing ensuring accurate HSN code classification—critical for customs duty and compliance. 

“Misclassification of HSN codes leads to delays and extra costs. Our AI models significantly reduce errors and expedite clearance,” Tripathi emphasises. Predictive analytics optimise routes and manage congestion, IoT devices and RFID tags enable real-time tracking for integrity, while blockchain secures transactions and documentation with tamper-proof ledgers and smart contracts. Cloud-based systems further automate warehouse, inventory, and order management through live dashboards.

Hexalog serves 96 clients, including Urbanic, Frido, Newme, Alamode, and OKNO, processing 45,000–50,000 orders daily. It has facilitated goods worth Rs 350–400 crore in GMV and generated Rs 32 crore in revenue to date. 

It projects earnings of Rs 65–80 crore at the end of the current fiscal year. Currently operating on India–China and India–Middle East lanes, Hexalog plans expansion to Vietnam, Thailand, and Oceania, along with a stronger presence in Turkey, South Korea, and Australia, with a new Middle East facility and a warehouse launch in Kolkata.

Yogesh Agarwal, Country Head for Urbanic, notes Hexalog’s role in tackling fragmentation in the global trade supply chain and the burgeoning Indian freight and logistics market, projected to reach $546.6 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 9.32%, according to Mordor Intelligence.

“By bringing together suppliers, transporters, and specialised fulfilment centres under a single, AI-driven orchestration layer, Hexalog is enabling true end-to-end visibility and control. For businesses, this translates into reduced inefficiencies, faster execution, and the confidence to scale cross-border operations seamlessly,” he adds.

Looking ahead

Within the next 8–12 months, Hexalog plans to raise funds to fuel its growth. “Our vision is a transparent, efficient ecosystem where businesses of all sizes can engage in international trade without unnecessary barriers,” Dibyanshu adds. 

Over the next five years, the startup aims to become a sustainably profitable startup, with a longer-term goal of a public listing.

Hexalog operates in a competitive landscape with established players like DHL, FedEx, UPS, and Maersk. In the Indian market, firms like Xpressbees operate in domestic fulfilment and ecommerce logistics, while longtime giants like Allcargo Logistics offer multimodal transport and consolidation services.

“In contrast to these players, our platform isn’t just about moving goods; it’s about seamless orchestration. We offer unified control from origin to delivery, backed by AI, predictive analytics, and real-time visibility, without brands having to stitch together multiple vendors,” Dibyanshu concludes.