Hustler Words – A new era of global commerce is dawning, spearheaded by a startup founded by former Big Tech luminaries. In a world increasingly shaped by unpredictable trade policies, two ex-engineers from Google and LinkedIn are leveraging artificial intelligence to modernize the antiquated customs brokerage industry, a sector still heavily reliant on paper and fax machines. Their venture, Amari AI, promises to inject much-needed agility into a critical yet overlooked cog in the global supply chain.
Sam Basu, who departed his senior software engineering role at Google in early 2023 following the public release of ChatGPT, initially explored several AI-driven business concepts. The true breakthrough, however, arrived unexpectedly when a friend sought assistance with complex customs paperwork. This seemingly mundane request ignited Basu’s curiosity, prompting him to conduct extensive research among customs brokers in the Los Angeles area. What he uncovered was an industry largely dominated by small, family-run operations, many of which had barely progressed beyond 20th-century technology.
Basu recounted a pivotal moment during a FaceTime call with his first customer, whose office was filled with towering stacks of manila folders. "That was the eye-opening moment," Basu shared in a recent interview with Hustler Words. "There’s just papers and papers. I was both shocked and impressed. Shocked that this is how the industry runs, and impressed that everything around us, from the watch that you’re wearing to the glasses, literally everything that’s imported, and this is what’s happening behind the scenes." This stark realization underscored the immense potential for technological disruption.
This nascent concept rapidly evolved into Amari AI, co-founded by Basu and Arushi Vashist, a former senior software engineer from LinkedIn. The duo, along with their compact team, has swiftly amassed over 30 clients, facilitating the movement of goods valued at more than $15 billion. The startup’s impressive traction caught the attention of leading early-stage investors, securing $4.5 million in funding co-led by First Round Capital and Pear VC, all prior to its official emergence from stealth mode.
Amari AI operates with a dual mandate. Firstly, it aims to streamline customs brokers’ operations, many of whom have lagged in adopting modern technologies. While some utilize optical character recognition (OCR) for data entry, Basu notes its limitations and inflexibility. Amari’s platform automates data entry and paperwork, liberating human employees – who, by law, must be U.S.-based – to concentrate on higher-value tasks like client relations and navigating complex trade regulations.
This leads to Amari’s second, equally crucial objective: empowering brokers to navigate the turbulent waters of international trade policy. Chris Bachinski, CEO of GHY International, a 125-year-old firm and one of Amari’s early adopters, highlighted the increased importance of customs brokers in an era marked by unpredictable trade shifts, such as those seen during the Trump administration. Bachinski informed Hustler Words that many of his clients lack dedicated compliance staff, relying instead on brokers like GHY to interpret sudden policy changes, especially for goods already in transit.
The industry, Basu explains, is grappling with significant burnout. With a tightly regulated workforce and a customs broker licensing exam pass rate typically ranging between 10% and 20%, he asserts that the sector presents "a perfect fit for AI." Basu added, "Experienced people are leaving the industry or taking early retirement. So we’re positioning ourselves as these extra set of hands that logistics companies can hire or keep alongside the human expertise."
Amari’s proprietary AI agents continuously track global trade rules, adapting their logic instantly whenever changes occur. This proactive monitoring significantly accelerates brokers’ ability to advise clients and expedite cargo clearance, a process that historically involved time-consuming manual research. The company develops its own AI models, trained on over a million anonymized documents from shipments it has already processed, though it also utilizes commercially available AI solutions. Basu emphasized Amari’s commitment to data privacy, stating, "We do not sell their data, and we make sure that their data is theirs. They’re very serious about these documents."
Todd Jackson, a partner at First Round Capital, attributes Amari’s rapid success to Basu’s hands-on approach and willingness to engage directly with brokers to understand their needs. "He’s going to conferences, he’s going to trade shows, [and] the word of mouth starts to get very strong," Jackson noted, acknowledging the traditional nature of the industry.
It was at one such event, the National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America, that Basu’s presentation captured Bachinski’s attention. GHY International, while not a small "mom-and-pop" operation, isn’t a Fortune 500 giant either, and Bachinski is actively seeking innovative ways to maintain competitiveness and foster growth.
Addressing concerns about potential job displacement among GHY employees, Bachinski reassured his team, predicting that technologies like Amari’s will enable GHY to expand its operations and allow staff to focus more on crucial customer relationships and complex compliance work. "It’s an old industry, and technology is going to shift our industry faster than I think most customs brokers understand," he remarked. With trade now a constant fixture in the public eye, Bachinski believes brokers must be exceptionally agile. He quipped, "I make this joke that last year, the first time in history, our families know what we do for a living. Because all of a sudden, customs brokers became very, very important."
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