iContainers starts door-to-door ocean service

Recent growth of the Barcelona-based online freight forwarder has been propelled by $1.4 million in Series B funding.    iContainers has begun door-to-door ocean freight services for imports, exports and overseas moves between the United States and Spain, according to a statement from the company.
   The new door-to-door service will allow customers to “book shipments as easily as they would send a package overnight, without worrying about pickups, paperwork and delivery,” the company said. iContainers intends to expand the service throughout Europe and Latin America by 2016.
   “This new online service is much like what FedEx does with letters and packages. We can ship from any zip code in the U.S. to any zip code in Spain, something no other company in the industry can do online,” said Managing Director Carlos Hernandez. “Our customers don’t need to hire a shipping broker or another intermediary to manage logistics.”
   “We developed technology to simplify the reservation process of overseas shipping while eliminating hidden charges and bringing transparency to the shipping industry,” Hernandez added.
   The Barcelona-based online freight forwarder previously offered instant airfreight and ocean liner quotes, booking and logistics assistance, as well as door-to-port container and less-than-container ocean services. iContainers targets small and medium-sized businesses with limited logistics infrastructure and overseas shipping experience, reportedly handling 4000 international shipments in 2014.
   The company’s recent growth was spurred primarily by a $1.4-million Series B investment in February by venture capital firms Kibo Ventures and Vitamina K, as well as Spanish logistics provider GrupoRomeu, among others.