Digital Catapult invests £500,000 in Exabler to transform cross-border trade   

Digital Catapult has announced a £500,000 investment in London-based startup Exabler to support the practical application of its deep tech solution in cross-border trade and strengthen UK industrial supply chain resilience. With international trade increasingly impacted by tariffs, supply chain setbacks and complex regulatory requirements, Exabler’s solution uses proprietary software to empower business leaders by simplifying processes and streamlining trade operations.  

Founded in 2015, Exabler is an alumnus of the Made Smarter Innovation Digital Supply Chain Hub delivered by Digital Catapult, where it partnered with defence primes BAE Systems and Leonardo UK to develop a solution for the defence and security sector. Exabler’s solution is also helping to transform trade in other highly regulated and complex sectors including logistics, pharmaceuticals and financial services, by using advanced analytics to help businesses reduce costs, improve operational efficiency and mitigate future supply chain disruptions.  

Leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), Exabler’s solution can optimise a business’ supply chain performance in real-time, gathering extensive pre-trade and post-trade data from sources including the Customs Declaration Service (CDS) and global financial systems. Using this data, the solution provides actionable insights, detects and prioritises compliance and operational challenges, improves decision-making and response times, and ultimately drives industrial supply chain resilience.  

With ambitions to expand into international markets, Exabler will use Digital Catapult’s £500,000 investment, which takes the form of a convertible loan note (CLN), to grow its team and to meet demand for its solution. There is already interest in the solution from companies across the European Union, in Asia Pacific, the Middle East and the United States, with paid pilot schemes planned to further validate and demonstrate how the tool can be integrated successfully into larger businesses that have more stringent security requirements.    

Exabler has seen early success with core supply chain actors including a top 5 global freight forwarder, as demand increases for interoperable solutions that can be easily integrated into larger businesses with complex global operations and subsidiaries. As well as expanding into new markets, Exabler will re-invest in its solution, enhancing its capabilities and capitalising on new opportunities that emerge with more varied data sources and better automation. This will improve operational efficiency and reduce the need for manual data analysis, offering business leaders a valuable tool to understand trade developments and policy in real-time.  

Aligned with the UK Government’s Industrial Strategy, Digital Catapult’s latest investment in Exabler underscores the importance of scaling startups that enhance the resilience of critical supply chains and unlock economic potential across the UK. This approach is reflected in the breadth of startups supported, with investment focused on the Government’s identified Growth-Driving Sectors, including the creative industries, business services, advanced manufacturing and digital technology to equip the UK to be future ready.  

Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Exabler, Ramin Takin, said: “Successful cross-border trade is a key pillar of economic growth, and our solution means that business leaders have the data they need to overcome complex trade challenges with ease. Digital Catapult’s support has been critical to our success, providing invaluable technological consultancy, investment readiness support and now this investment. We will use the capital to expand into international markets, meeting global demand for our solution and ensuring that business leaders are empowered, informed and able to adapt quickly in an increasingly uncertain trade climate.” 

Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Exabler, Chris Woodington, said: “International trade is often discussed at a macro level, yet many business leaders underestimate the direct impact that new policy decisions can have on their company’s commercial performance. In an increasingly precarious global environment, there is a growing need for valid and reliable data to help businesses mitigate trade disruption and maintain operational efficiency. Our solution addresses this challenge by providing critical support when it’s needed most. This investment will enable us to further develop the platform, expand our team and unlock new opportunities to grow our customer base and increase export activity.” 

Susan Bowen, CEO of Digital Catapult, said: “For over a decade, Digital Catapult has worked to strengthen the resilience of the UK’s industrial supply chains. Our investment in Exabler will help businesses mitigate supply chain disruption and enable more seamless cross-border trade operations. This marks the sixth investment made by Digital Catapult under the Cross-Catapult Fund, as part of our mission to support deep tech companies to scale and help founders realise their commercial ambitions, and we are excited to partner with Chris and Ramin as Exabler enters this next phase of its growth.”