Fishtail

What Fishtail does

Fishtail is a US-based fintech company providing trade finance to small and medium businesses (SMBs). The company addresses a gap in working capital access for shippers and freight forwarders whose purchase orders and invoices are underserved by traditional banks and US-only financiers. Fishtail's product is a cloud-based trade finance platform that enables SMBs globally to receive financing against purchase orders and invoices within minutes, bypassing the long timelines and hidden fees of conventional trade lenders.

The platform is anchored by a proprietary automated underwriting engine that processes uploaded POs and invoices, returns instant financing decisions, and additionally surfaces shipment-level risk insights. Customers interact via a self-serve web application where they upload documentation directly, or alternatively route their financing through a partnered freight forwarder who submits documentation on the customer's behalf. This two-sided onboarding — direct SMB plus embedded forwarder channel — defines the product architecture and distribution strategy.

Fishtail operates a transaction-based revenue model, earning fees on financed PO/invoice volume rather than charging disclosed subscription or interest rates. The company is privately held, was founded circa 2021, and in March 2022 closed a $4.5 million seed round led by Thursday Ventures with participation from Rackhouse Ventures, Amara Ventures, and project44 CEO Jett McCandless. Use of funds was directed toward expanding operations and geographic reach. Headcount is in the 11–50 range, consistent with a seed-stage operating company. There is a discrepancy in disclosed headquarters between Boston (firmographics data) and New York City (funding announcement source); the funding-announcement location is the more recent and primary source.

Name

Fishtail

Legal name

Fishtail Inc.

Website

https://fishtail.ai

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Fishtail provides cloud-based trade finance for SMBs, financing purchase orders and invoices through an automated underwriting engine with instant decisions and embedded shipment risk assessment, serving small businesses and freight forwarders globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trade Finance / Supply Chain Finance

akta.pro primary industry

Supply Chain Finance (Trade Credit, PO/Inventory Financing) (FSAKAGAE)

Keywords

• Trade finance
• Purchase order financing
• Invoice financing
• Working capital
• Freight forwarding

Headquarters

HQ city

Boston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Trade Finance Financing: Provides working capital financing against purchase orders and invoices. Revenue generated through financing fees charged to small businesses. Customers pay a fraction of what they would pay a loan shark or bank.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Fishtail provides a cloud-based trade finance platform that finances purchase orders and invoices for small businesses anywhere in the world. SMBs upload their PO or invoice directly in the Fishtail app or via their freight forwarder, after which Fishtail's underwriting engine delivers an instant financing decision and shipment risk assessment, unlocking working capital in minutes.

Product overview

Fishtail operates as a single unified trade finance platform designed for SMBs. The platform centers on financing purchase orders and invoices, allowing small businesses anywhere in the world to access working capital that traditional financiers won't provide. Users interact with the Fishtail app to upload their PO/invoice documentation, receive underwriting assessment, and accept financing offers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Trade Finance Platform

Quantifiable outcome

• Customers can handle more business and grow more quickly by overcoming capital barriers

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• BlueVine: BlueVine provides SMB financing including invoice factoring and lines of credit — directly competing with Fishtail in digitizing working capital access for small businesses via a self-serve platform.
• Fundbox: Fundbox offers SMB invoice and bill financing through a digital platform — a closely comparable B2B financing model targeting the same small-business working capital gap Fishtail addresses.
• C2FO: C2FO operates a working capital marketplace connecting suppliers and buyers in supply chains — directly comparable to Fishtail's trade finance focus on PO/invoice financing for businesses in supply chains.
• Stenn: Stenn provides cross-border trade finance and invoice financing to SMBs and mid-market companies globally — a direct competitor with similar geographic scope and PO/invoice financing products.
• OnDeck: OnDeck provides small-business lending products including lines of credit and term loans — competing for the same SMB working capital customer segment with similar online origination model.
• Behalf: Behalf provides SMB financing for B2B purchases, offering short-term credit at the point of sale — comparable business model financing SMB purchase orders against supplier invoices.

Broad incumbents

• Kabbage (American Express): Acquired by American Express, Kabbage provides SMB lines of credit and cash flow analytics — competing with Fishtail but with substantially more capital, brand, and Amex distribution behind it.

Emerging players

• Resolve: Resolve offers B2B trade financing and net terms solutions for SMBs — overlapping with Fishtail on SMB working capital but focused more on buyer-side terms rather than supplier PO financing.
• Teylor: Teylor is a European digital lending platform providing SMB financing — comparable fintech-native origination approach, though primarily serving European SMBs rather than the US-focused Fishtail.
• Kickfurther: Kickfurther provides inventory and purchase order financing to SMBs and consumer brands — directly comparable PO financing focus for small businesses that need capital to fulfill purchase orders.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/fishtailai

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors5 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Fishtail