Smart Border Systems
Smart Border Systems is a pre-revenue, San Diego-based software company building a patent-pending digital border traffic orchestration platform that digitizes checkpoint interactions for travelers, trade carriers, and government port of entry operators across North American land borders.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersSan Diego, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Smart Border Systems does
Smart Border Systems is a privately held, pre-revenue software company founded in 2020 by Eduardo Cabrera and headquartered in San Diego, California. The company is building a digital border traffic orchestration platform that digitizes interactions between port of entry operators, travelers, and trade carriers at North American land border checkpoints. The founder relocated to the US-Mexico borderlands in 2020 and conceived the company after directly experiencing checkpoint congestion, with the stated objective of converting unpredictable border crossings into scheduled, pre-authenticated arrivals.
The product suite is anchored on a patent-pending core system called the Border Traffic Orchestrator (SBS), which functions as a shared digital bridge between checkpoints, travelers, and trade carriers. Three vertical modules are layered on top: SBS for Checkpoints, which provides administrators with real-time monitoring and arrival volume anticipation; SBS for Travelers, which enables pre-enrollment, pre-authentication, and reserved arrival windows with access to dedicated lanes; and SBS for Trade, which allows commercial carriers to digitally secure spots for programmed waits with notifications across multiple communication platforms. The system is described as patent-pending and is currently accessible only through waitlist and pre-enrollment forms.
The go-to-market motion is dual-pronged: enterprise field sales targeting government checkpoint authorities and policymakers, paired with self-service pre-enrollment for individual travelers and trade carriers. Revenue is intended to flow through subscription licensing for checkpoint operators, transaction fees for trade reservation spots, and subscription or per-use fees for traveler pre-enrollment. No pricing is publicly disclosed, no customers are named, and the company has raised approximately $120,000 from Techstars in 2023, where it is a portfolio company. Subsequent recognition includes a 2024 Impact Project designation at the World Downtown Conference.
Smart Border Systems firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Smart Border Systems
- Legal name
- Smart Border Systems
- Website
- https://smartborder.systems
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Smart Border Systems is a pre-revenue, San Diego-based software company building a patent-pending digital border traffic orchestration platform that digitizes checkpoint interactions for travelers, trade carriers, and government port of entry operators across North American land borders.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Smart Border Systems industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Border Traffic Management Software
- NAICS
- Regulation and Administration of Transportation Programs (92612)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Customs, Immigration & Border Processing Services (TLAHAEAF)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Customs, Port Health & Border Agency Integration Solutions (TLAHAOAG)
Keywords
Where Smart Border Systems is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Diego
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Smart Border Systems business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Checkpoint Management Platform Licensing: Platform licensing or subscription model for checkpoint administrators providing monitoring and coordination tools. The system enables checkpoint managers to manage flows at scale through their digital orchestration platform.
- Trade Carrier Reservation Services: Trade carriers pay for digitally secured spots and reservation windows at checkpoints, reducing wait times and providing reliable estimations for border crossings.
- Traveler Pre-Enrollment Services: Travelers access dedicated lanes and controlled wait times through pre-enrollment, likely through subscription or per-use transaction model.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Smart Border Systems product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Smart Border Systems builds and sells the SBS software platform, an AI- and digital-twin-powered Border Traffic Orchestrator that forecasts, schedules, and optimizes cross-border traffic at land ports of entry. The platform is delivered as three separately accessible product modules — SBS for Checkpoints (government operators), SBS for Trade (commercial carriers), and SBS for Travelers (cross-border commuters and tourists) — addressing congestion, wait times, and trade-lane coordination.
Product overview
Smart Border Systems offers a unified border traffic orchestration platform called SBS, comprising a core system and three specialized modules. The core SBS platform (patent pending) provides shared value by digitizing arrivals to checkpoints while uplifting security standards. It is complemented by SBS for Checkpoints (administrator monitoring tools), SBS for Travelers (commuter pre-enrollment and arrival window reservations), and SBS for Trade (trade carrier spot reservations and notifications). Together, these products form an integrated digital bridge for managing border checkpoint operations across travelers, trade, and checkpoint administrators.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- SBS (Smart Border Systems platform) Core AI- and digital-twin-powered software platform that forecasts, schedules, and orchestrates cross-border traffic at land ports of entry, integrating government checkpoint operations, commercial carrier reservations, and traveler pre-enrollment into a single system.
- SBS for Checkpoints Software module for government agencies and port-of-entry operators that uses predictive analytics and digital twins to forecast vehicle and pedestrian volumes, schedule inspection windows, and optimize staffing and lane allocation at land border checkpoints.
- SBS for Trade Software module for commercial cross-border trade carriers, drayage operators, freight brokers, and customs brokers that enables reservation of inspection appointments, optimization of trade-lane timing, and reduction of dwell time and driver idle hours at ports of entry.
- SBS for Travelers Consumer-facing module that lets individual cross-border commuters, tourists, and travelers pre-enroll, view forecasted wait times, and schedule crossing appointments at land ports of entry.
Companies that use Smart Border Systems
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Smart Border Systems technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Smart Border Systems partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- World Downtown Conference (WDC)minorSmart Border Systems was designated as an Impact Project at the World Downtown Conference 2024, recognizing the company's potential contribution to urban and border region development.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Smart Border Systems competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Conduent: Large public-sector services and technology provider offering mobility, tolling, and government transaction solutions including cross-border and public transportation administration. Comparable to Smart Border Systems because it sells software and managed services to transportation/border authorities at scale, though across many programs beyond border orchestration.
- Kapsch TrafficCom: Global provider of intelligent transportation systems, tolling, and border-control solutions, including dedicated border management offerings for government agencies. Comparable to Smart Border Systems as a long-standing incumbent in the border/ITS technology space serving the same checkpoint-administrator customer segment.
- Iteris: Intelligent transportation systems and traffic-management software vendor serving public agencies in the U.S. Comparable to Smart Border Systems through its traffic-monitoring, sensor data, and mobility-management offerings that overlap with SBS's checkpoint monitoring tools.
- Cubic Transportation Systems: Transportation and mobility solutions integrator with public-sector deployments in fare collection, traffic management, and border/secure-travel programs. Comparable to Smart Border Systems given its focus on government transportation clients and integrated platform deployments.
- IDEMIA: Identity and border management technology provider offering biometric border control, e-gates, and trusted-traveler programs. Comparable to Smart Border Systems because it sells into the same border-administration customer base with authentication and lane-control capabilities adjacent to SBS's traveler pre-authentication module.
- Verra Mobility: Provider of mobility solutions including government services for tolling, red-light, and safety camera programs; increasingly focused on smart mobility platforms. Comparable to Smart Border Systems in its enterprise/government sales motion to transportation authorities with software-led offerings.
Emerging players
- Neology (PIPS Technology): RFID and automated vehicle identification provider for tolling, border, and secure-access applications. Comparable to Smart Border Systems because it sells vehicle identification and crossing-time infrastructure to the same border/trade-customer segment SBS targets with its trade carrier reservation system.
- Border Wait Time apps (e.g., BWT / Canam Border Solutions): BWT-class consumer wait-time apps and Canadian border solutions providers that give travelers visibility into crossing waits. Comparable to Smart Border Systems because they serve the same traveler pain point (unpredictable border wait times) but typically via read-only wait-time data rather than reservation/orchestration.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Smart Border Systems social profiles
Digital presenceSmart Border Systems financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Smart Border Systems leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Smart Border Systems funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Smart Border Systems M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Smart Border Systems
What does Smart Border Systems do?
Smart Border Systems builds and sells the SBS software platform, an AI- and digital-twin-powered Border Traffic Orchestrator that forecasts, schedules, and optimizes cross-border traffic at land ports of entry. The platform is delivered as three separately accessible product modules — SBS for Checkpoints (government operators), SBS for Trade (commercial carriers), and SBS for Travelers (cross-border commuters and tourists) — addressing congestion, wait times, and trade-lane coordination.
Is Smart Border Systems a public or private company?
Smart Border Systems is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Smart Border Systems founded?
Smart Border Systems was founded in 2020. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Smart Border Systems based?
Smart Border Systems is headquartered in San Diego, United States, in the North America region.
How does Smart Border Systems make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Checkpoint Management Platform Licensing is the primary driver. The others are trade Carrier Reservation Services and traveler Pre-Enrollment Services.
Who are Smart Border Systems's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Conduent, Kapsch TrafficCom, Iteris, Cubic Transportation Systems, IDEMIA and Verra Mobility. Emerging players are Neology (PIPS Technology) and Border Wait Time apps (e.g., BWT / Canam Border Solutions).
Does Smart Border Systems have an API?
No public API is recorded for Smart Border Systems.
What industry is Smart Border Systems in?
Smart Border Systems's product category is Border Traffic Management Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is TLAHAEAF, Customs, Immigration & Border Processing Services, with a secondary code of TLAHAOAG, Customs, Port Health & Border Agency Integration Solutions. Its NAICS code is 92612.