What Hurricane Modular Commerce does

Hurricane Modular Commerce Limited is a UK-headquartered private company that provides a global trade data platform for cross-border eCommerce compliance. The company's core offering spans HS code classification, duty and tax calculation, prohibited and restricted goods screening, denied parties screening, EU IOSS, ICS2 compliance, and DDP pricing. It distributes these capabilities through two channels: a self-serve web portal called Global Assure (with a 30-credit free tier) and direct API integration via the Zephyr API and the all-in-one Kona API.

The platform is built on a proprietary data asset of 340 million verified customs declarations, maintained through direct relationships with 170+ customs authorities and refreshed from 200+ tariff feeds within 24 hours of publication. Two proprietary engines underpin the product: the Zephyr Matching Engine (ZME) for HS classification, claiming 97.6% rolling 3-month accuracy at ~150ms response time and 10,000 calls per second per node, and Bluestone AI, a deep learning NLP engine purpose-built for denied party screening. The infrastructure is serverless on AWS, with three active global nodes (a fourth planned for 2025) capable of handling 40,000 calls per second and up to 103 billion calls in a 30-day month. Cumulative sector knowledge is cited at 270+ man-years concentrated in the founding team.

Hurricane serves eight named verticals — carriers, retailers, customs brokers, freight forwarders, postal operators, marketplaces, airlines, and professional services — across 209+ countries. Revenue is generated through enterprise API subscriptions, usage-based API fees (approximately £0.04 per classification query), and a freemium self-serve entry point. Named customers include An Post, Pro Carrier, SEKO, The Delivery Group, International Post Corporation, Emirates Post Group, NZ Post, AEB, Intersoft, EVRi, Escher Group, and Starlinks Global. The company received a £2.25M venture debt facility from Virgin Money in 2024 and was recognized on the Deloitte EMEA Technology Fast 500 in 2024. In early 2025, Hurricane announced a cluster of strategic partnerships with the Universal Postal Union, SGS, Alice IOT, and Plusius, indicating an aggressive expansion phase.

Name

Hurricane Modular Commerce

Legal name

Hurricane Modular Commerce Limited

Website

https://hurricanecommerce.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hurricane Modular Commerce is a UK-based trade data infrastructure provider delivering HS code classification, duty/tax calculation, and sanctions screening via API and web portal to postal operators, carriers, retailers, and customs brokers across 209+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cross-Border Trade Compliance Software

NAICS

Software Publishers (5132)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Cross-Border Duty/Tax & Landed Cost Calculation/Collection (TLACAKAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cross-Border Parcel Security, Screening & Compliance (Sanctions/Restricted Goods) (TLACAKAL), Trade Compliance & Ocean Regulatory Services (Sanctions/Export Controls) (TLACABAL), Cross-Border & International Commerce Platforms (BPAMAGAI)

Keywords

• Cross-border trade data
• Customs compliance software
• HS code classification
• Duty tax calculation
• Denied parties screening

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Albans

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Operations

Revenue model

1. API/Software Subscriptions: Hurricane generates revenue through API usage and software subscription services. Customers access global trade data solutions via API integration or self-serve portal. Pricing is quote-based for enterprise customers.
2. API Usage Fees: Per-query API costs for classification and screening services. Hurricane charges approximately £0.04 per query for HS code classification.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Hurricane Modular Commerce provides a global trade data platform that delivers HS code classification, landed cost (duty and tax) calculation, prohibited and restricted goods screening, and denied parties screening for cross-border eCommerce shipments. The offering is delivered through two channels: the Zephyr and Kona APIs for direct system integration and the Global Assure self-serve web portal for users who need immediate access without integration. The platform draws on a proprietary dataset built over 10 years with 270+ man-years of sector knowledge, covering 209+ countries and integrating data from 200+ customs authorities.

Product overview

Hurricane Commerce is a global trade data platform providing cross-border eCommerce compliance and classification solutions via two delivery modes: the Global Assure self-serve web portal and the Zephyr API for direct system integration. The product portfolio centres on Kona, an all-in-one solution offering data validation, duty and tax calculation, prohibited/restricted goods screening, and denied parties screening in a single API call. Classification is powered by the Zephyr Matching Engine (achieving 97.6% accuracy in ~150ms per call), while denied party screening is powered by Bluestone AI, Hurricane's proprietary deep learning NLP engine. Solutions cover HS Code Classification, Duty and Tax Calculation, Prohibited and Restricted Goods Screening, Denied Parties Screening, EU Import One-Stop Shop (IOSS), ICS2 – Import Control System 2, and Delivered Duty Paid (DDP). Hurricane serves carriers, retailers, customs brokers, freight forwarders, postal operators, marketplaces, airlines, and professional services sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Global Assure: Self-serve web-based portal for global trade decision-making without API integration, offering duty and tax calculation with 30 free credits for new users.
• Kona
• Zephyr Matching Engine (ZME)
• Bluestone AI

Products and services

• Global Assure Hurricane's self-serve web-based portal that delivers global trade decisioning — HS classification, duty and tax calculation, prohibited/restricted goods screening, denied parties screening, and DDP compliance — without requiring system integration. Provides real-time validation of consignments using Hurricane's global decision logic and includes 30 free credits for new users. Targeted at freight forwarders, customs brokers, and lean teams needing immediate capability.
• Zephyr API Hurricane's API for direct system integration, enabling programmatic access to classification, duty and tax calculation, prohibited and restricted goods screening, denied parties screening, and DDP compliance. Used by An Post and other enterprise customers for cross-border data validation, with processing in approximately 150ms per call and serverless architecture supporting up to 40,000 calls per second per global node.
• Kona Hurricane's all-in-one API solution for global trade covering data validation, duty and tax calculation, prohibited and restricted goods screening, and denied parties screening in a single API call. Modular by design — customers can access all capabilities or select specific services. Classification is powered by the Zephyr Matching Engine and screening by Bluestone AI.

Quantifiable outcome

• Data accuracy improved to over 90% for An Post
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and strategic.

• International Post Corporation (IPC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2025Through partnerships with Hurricane Commerce, IPC enables its members and other posts to meet ICS2 requirements for mandatory Abbreviated Electronic Declaration (AED), as well as many other customs and security requirements through a common solution.
• SGSstrategicTechnology or Integration · 1 February 2025Hurricane Commerce signed agreement to utilise SGS D-TECT for revolutionising customs clearance with enhanced data compliance solutions.
• Universal Postal UnioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2025Hurricane Commerce and Universal Postal Union partnered to enhance global trade. Hurricane Commerce is a leader in cross-border data solutions for the postal sector.
• Alice IOTstrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2025Hurricane Commerce and Alice IOT align compliance intelligence with cross-border compliance orchestration to redefine how data compliance powers global trade.
• PlusiusstrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2025Hurricane and Plusius combine data and finance to power the future of global trade, creating the world's most geographically comprehensive trade solution.
• Cargo Solutions Network (CSN)coreTechnology or Integration · 10 September 2024CSN, a global network of cargo solutions providers, selected Hurricane Commerce as its data solutions partner. CSN is an invitation-only network helping members accelerate cargo business growth. Hurricane's data solutions cover validation, prohibited/restricted goods screening, denied parties screening, and duty calculation.
• NeX PortalcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2024Hurricane Commerce is the chosen cross-border data partner to the NeX Portal, providing data solutions for global trade compliance.
• An PostcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAn Post has been working with Hurricane for almost five years, starting with import and expanding to export and retail network. Hurricane provides data solutions for ICS2 compliance and data accuracy improvements to over 90%.
• Escher GroupcoreTechnology or IntegrationThe integration of Hurricane's data solutions enhances Escher's OCR engine capability for postal operator and courier customers, providing a total set of solutions for the postal sector.
• SEKOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSEKO selected Hurricane as data partner to provide Denied Parties Screening solution for parcel traffic coming into Australia, meeting key requirements for a major global marketplace contract.
• AEB (International)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAEB's partnership with Hurricane ensures both businesses continue to be at the cutting edge of cross-border eCommerce, enabling frictionless cross-border trade together.
• Starlinks GlobalcoreTechnology or IntegrationStarlinks selected Kona as a competitive all-in-one solution for their flourishing business, providing game-changing data services and benefits for their customers.
• NZ PostcoreTechnology or IntegrationNZ Post recognizes the need for HS Codes for shipping into the EU due to ICS2 second release requirements. Hurricane supports NZ Post with data solutions for regulatory compliance.
• Emirates Post GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExpansion of Emirates Post Group's international eCommerce parcels business is a top priority. They were impressed by Hurricane's experience, knowledge and quality of data solutions.
• IntersoftcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerIntersoft's carrier management platform partnered with Hurricane to give their customers peace of mind when shipping internationally through enhanced data solutions.
• EVRicoreTechnology or IntegrationEVRi is committed to providing customers with the best possible experience and ensuring parcels move seamlessly. Hurricane's solutions support this mission for international shipping.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• ShipperHQ: ShipperHQ offers shipping rate, DDP landed cost and cross-border checkout solutions for e-commerce retailers, directly competing with Hurricane's DDP and retailer-facing offerings.
• Zonos: Zonos provides cross-border landed cost, duty/tax calculation, HS code classification and compliance screening APIs for retailers and marketplaces, directly overlapping Hurricane's core product offering and target segments.
• AEB (International): AEB provides global trade management, customs compliance and screening software; Hurricane is also an AEB partner, but AEB's broader customs/declarations suite places it as a directly comparable trade-compliance platform.
• Easyship: Easyship is a cross-border shipping platform with built-in duty/tax calculation, HS classification and customs documentation, serving similar retailer and marketplace customers as Hurricane.
• Visual Compliance (Descartes): Visual Compliance specializes in denied/restricted party screening and export compliance, directly competing with Hurricane's Bluestone AI screening product for the same enterprise compliance buyer.

Broad incumbents

• Avalara: Avalara is a large, public tax compliance platform with cross-border/VAT capabilities and content for HS classification, competing broadly with Hurricane from a wider tax-tech portfolio base.
• Refinitiv World-Check (London Stock Exchange Group): World-Check is a leading global sanctions, PEP and adverse-media screening database; it competes with Bluestone AI as a higher-end incumbent in denied-party screening for trade compliance.
• Descartes Systems Group: Descartes is a global logistics technology incumbent offering customs filing, trade compliance and denied-party screening products, overlapping Hurricane's compliance and screening portfolio with a much broader suite.
• Maersk / Twill customs tooling: Maersk's digital customs and trade compliance tools (including Twill) bundle HS classification and duty calculation for shippers, representing an integrated incumbent threat to Hurricane's freight forwarder and carrier customers.

Emerging players

• Cleo (Eden): Cleo provides global trade data and HS classification services with API delivery, closely matching Hurricane's API-first model and targeting similar logistics and customs broker customers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/HurricaneCommerce
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hurricane-modular-commerce-ltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Hurricane Modular Commerce