Trade Network

What Trade Network does

Trade Network Inc. is a Michigan-based B2B barter exchange founded in 1991 that operates a community-led marketplace enabling over 1,000 local small businesses to trade goods and services using a proprietary unit of account called the Trade Dollar, pegged one-to-one to the U.S. dollar. The platform is built on Nextrade360 cloud software and comprises a member portal (nextrade360.com), iOS and Android consumer mobile apps, a Nextrade360 Merchant POS authorization app for restaurants and retailers, and an online barter store/marketplace where members can browse products and gift certificates by category and location. Members are matched and supported by a small in-house team of trade brokers and a marketing broker, with personalized matchmaking, email campaigns, social media promotion, and quarterly in-person member events across Lansing, Grand Rapids, and other Michigan cities.

The company earns revenue primarily through a 12% cash commission collected only when a member spends Trade Dollars (i.e., when the member benefits from trading), plus a small annual renewal fee paid in Trade Dollars; membership itself is free to join with no monthly fees or minimum commitments. Member segments span restaurants, entertainment venues, retail and wholesale businesses, service providers, and non-profits, all primarily Michigan-based SMBs. The network is geographically anchored in Michigan but extends to over 50,000 businesses nationally through reciprocal trading arrangements with other independent barter exchanges.

Trade Network is a privately held, family-led company (CEO Evan Kay grew up in the family business) with no disclosed external institutional investors, a 1–10 employee headcount, and a 30+ year operating history. Its most significant recent strategic move was the September 2023 acquisition of Saginaw-based Business Trade Exchange (BTE), which expanded membership to over 1,000 businesses and extended coverage into the Flint and Tri-Cities Region. In June 2025, the company relocated its headquarters from Lansing to Grand Rapids.

Name

Trade Network

Legal name

Trade Network Inc.

Website

https://tradenetwork.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Trade Network is a Michigan-based B2B barter exchange, founded in 1991, that connects over 1,000 small businesses through a Trade Dollar system on a cloud-based platform, charging a 12% commission only when members spend trade credits.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

B2B Barter Exchange Services

NAICS

Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers (42512)

akta.pro primary industry

B2B Marketplaces & Wholesale Platforms (BPAMAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Wholesale/B2B Generalist Marketplaces (CRAFAAAF), Trade Finance & Supply Chain Finance Platforms (FSAGAJAL)

Keywords

• Barter exchange services
• B2B trade platform
• Trade dollar system
• Reciprocal trading network
• Business barter exchange

Headquarters

HQ city

Lansing

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Transaction Commission: 12% cash commission collected when members benefit from spending trade dollars. This is the primary revenue stream and aligns company success with member success.
2. Annual Membership Renewal: Small annual renewal fee paid in trade dollars after the first year. No monthly fees or hidden costs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Trade Network operates a Michigan-based B2B barter exchange that connects over 1,000 local businesses to trade goods and services using a proprietary Trade Dollar currency (1 Trade Dollar = 1 USD). The platform includes a cloud-based member portal (Nextrade360), iOS/Android mobile apps, a merchant POS app, an online barter marketplace, and personalized trade broker matchmaking services. Members earn Trade Dollars by selling to other members and spend them on goods and services from any member, with Trade Network collecting a 12% cash commission only on trade-dollar spending.

Product overview

Trade Network operates as a Michigan-based B2B barter exchange platform connecting over 1,000 local businesses to trade goods and services. The core offering consists of the Trade Network Barter Exchange Platform, which includes a cloud-based member portal (nextrade360.com), mobile apps (iOS/Android), the Nextrade360 Merchant POS App for retail/restaurant establishments, and an online Barter Store/Marketplace. Complementary services include Trade Broker Services for personalized matching, Member Marketing Services (email campaigns, social media, customizable listings), and a Trade Dollar Credit System enabling barter lines of credit. The platform functions as a commission-only sales force, charging a 12% cash commission only when members benefit from spending Trade Dollars, plus small annual renewal fees. Following the 2023 acquisition of Business Trade Exchange, Trade Network expanded its coverage to include the Flint and Tri-Cities Region in addition to Grand Rapids, Lansing, Jackson, and Saginaw.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Trade Network Barter Exchange Membership A B2B barter exchange membership that allows Michigan businesses to trade goods and services using Trade Dollars (1 Trade Dollar = 1 USD), with access to the online member portal, mobile apps, an online marketplace, and trade broker services.
• Trade Network Mobile App iOS and Android mobile application that enables Trade Network members to browse nearby trade opportunities, manage their account, process sales, pay other members, view transaction history, and access a virtual member card with barcode for in-person transactions.
• Nextrade360 Merchant POS App A point-of-sale authorization app for iOS and Android devices designed for restaurants and busy retail establishments, enabling Trade Network members to scan member cards and process sales by entering account numbers, sale amounts, and descriptions.

Quantifiable outcome

• Hundreds of thousands of dollars in increased barter revenue annually generated for members through email campaigns alone

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Business Trade Exchange (BTE)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 September 2023Trade Network acquired Saginaw, MI-based Business Trade Exchange in September 2023. This strategic acquisition expanded Trade Network's presence to the Flint & Tri-Cities Region and increased membership to over 1,000 businesses statewide. The merger brought new opportunities for small businesses across Michigan to enhance trading capabilities.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• ITEX Corporation: Publicly traded B2B barter exchange operating a multi-market member network that mirrors Trade Network's model. Directly comparable as a Michigan-relevant competitor vying for SMB barter volume and reciprocity agreements with regional exchanges.
• BizX: Pacific-Northwest-rooted B2B barter exchange providing a trade-dollar-based marketplace to SMBs. Closely comparable in product mechanics (trade dollars, transaction commissions, network reciprocity) and target customer (small businesses seeking to conserve cash).
• Bartercard: International B2B barter exchange network with country-level member directories and national reciprocity models. Operates the same multilateral trade-dollar model with member directories, broker support, and reciprocity with affiliated exchanges.
• Tradebank: Multi-regional B2B barter exchange with reciprocal trade capabilities and a transaction-commission revenue model. Comparable as a regional barter operator with national reach via reciprocity, targeting similar SMB cash-conservation use cases.
• Barter Network Inc. Regional B2B barter exchange operating with the trade-dollar / barter-line-of-credit architecture and broker-assisted GTM model. Direct competitive overlap in SMB-facing barter exchange services.

Emerging players

• Greater Gift: B2B barter/gifting platform focused on corporate incentive programs, ESG impact rewards, and member-based trade credit. Compares on the trade-credit-as-incentive underpinning, though skews toward corporate programs rather than SMB-to-SMB trade.

Broad incumbents

• Toast: Restaurant-tech platform providing POS, payments, and embedded fintech to SMBs — including many of Trade Network's restaurant and retail members. Comparable on SMB software distribution, embedded payments, and broker-led sales motion, though anchored in a single vertical.
• Block (Square): SMB-focused payments and software ecosystem (Square, Cash App, BNPL) with extensive broker-free onboarding. Comparable on SMB distribution and embedded working-capital features; a broader fintech incumbent whose rails encroach on the trade-dollar/credit value proposition.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@tradenetwork5922
• Facebookfacebook.com/tradenetworkmichigan
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/trade-network-inc-
• Instagraminstagram.com/tradenetworkinc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Trade Network