Cargoz
Comment: Press releases, routine business reporting such as funding rounds (usually also based on press release), interviews, and other primary sources do not establish notability per WP:NCORP. DoubleGrazing (talk) 11:28, 12 November 2026 (UTC)
- Comment: In preparing this draft, I disclose that AI assistance was used as follows: An AI assistant transferred the user's pre-prepared wikitext into the draft and completed the AfC submission workflow; it did not write or fact-check the article text. HarshaPeddiCargoz (talk) 11:18, 12 November 2026 (UTC)
| File:Cargoz logo.svg | |
| Private | |
| ISIN | 🆔 |
| Industry | Logistics technology; warehousing marketplace |
| Founded 📆 | January 2022 |
| Founders 👔 | Premlal Pullisserry Lijo Antony |
| Headquarters 🏙️ | , Dubai , United Arab Emirates |
Number of locations | Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia |
Area served 🗺️ | United Arab Emirates; Saudi Arabia |
Key people | Premlal Pullisserry (CEO) Lijo Antony (CTO) |
| Members | |
Number of employees | ~30 (June 2024) (2024) |
| 🌐 Website | www |
| 📇 Address | |
| 📞 telephone | |
Cargoz is a United Arab Emirates–based logistics technology company that operates an online marketplace connecting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with third-party warehouse operators that have spare storage capacity.[1] The company does not own the warehouse space it markets; it operates a commission-based model and has been compared in the press to Airbnb or Booking.com for commercial warehousing and storage.[1][2] It was founded in Dubai in January 2022 by Premlal Pullisserry and Lijo Antony,[1][3] raised successive undisclosed early-stage rounds from regional investors led by Nama Ventures, and by mid-2024 had begun taking bookings in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.[1][4][5]
History
Cargoz began operations in Dubai in January 2022.[1][3] Its founders previously worked together at Boxit Storage, an on-demand personal storage startup: Pullisserry was a co-founder and chief executive of Boxit, and Antony served as head of product development there.[3][6] According to Pullisserry, the idea for Cargoz grew from the difficulty SMEs faced obtaining flexible warehouse space under traditional yearly leases after the COVID-19 pandemic, alongside unused capacity among warehouse operators that agents and long leases left hard to fill.[1]
In August 2022 the company announced an undisclosed pre-seed investment from Saudi venture firm Nama Ventures, intended to support expansion across the UAE.[3][7][8][9]
In May 2023 it announced an undisclosed bridge round from Nama Ventures, RAZ Group, and angel investors from the UAE and Saudi Arabia, with plans for a soft launch in Riyadh.[2][10][1]
In January 2024 Cargoz announced an undisclosed seed round led by Nama Ventures, with participation from RAZ Holding, Innovest Properties, and other regional family offices and angel investors, to support a Saudi launch in the first quarter of 2024.[4][11][12][13][14][not in citation given]
By June 2024 The National reported that the company had expanded into Riyadh, where it held space in 25 warehouses and had begun taking bookings, and that Dubai Silicon Oasis housed its UAE office.[1] In a January 2025 Arab News interview about Saudi venture capital, Nama Ventures founder Mohammed Al-Zubi named Cargoz among portfolio companies expanding their footprints into Saudi Arabia.[5]
Operations
Cargoz markets short- and long-term warehouse storage to SMEs through a commission-based marketplace model; Pullisserry told The National that commission rates typically range from 5% to 15% depending on size and contract duration.[1] Customers may request a quote through the company or book listed spaces online, where listings show warehouse spaces, pricing and reviews in a manner compared in coverage to Airbnb-style browsing.[1] Listed facility types reported in coverage include climate-controlled, chemical, dry, open-yard, food, medical, cold, and general storage.[1]
Pullisserry described the typical client as smaller SMEs seeking roughly one to five containers of space for a few months, rather than large corporates.[1] He told The National that many warehouses keep 30% to 40% of space empty for seasonal peaks, and that by filling unused capacity Cargoz could lease space at a discount that he estimated at an average of about 40%, depending on location and type of space, while warehouse operators earned revenue on capacity that would otherwise have been idle.[1]
As of June 2024 the company stated it had more than 1.5 million square feet of storage space available across more than 1,000 warehouses in Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Umm Al Quwain and Ajman, of which about 200,000 square feet was in use.[1] The National’s company profile listed about 30 staff at that time and described the firm as based in Dubai at seed stage.[1] Pullisserry also said that in the preceding year revenue had grown about 400% and users about 500% (the article’s introduction summarised last year’s growth as roughly threefold for revenue and customers).[1]
Geographic footprint
Coverage through mid-2024 places Cargoz’s primary UAE operations in Dubai, with listed warehouse inventory across Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Umm Al Quwain and Ajman, and a company office in Dubai Silicon Oasis.[1] Seed-round announcements in January 2024 framed a planned launch in Riyadh in the first quarter of that year.[4][11] By June 2024 The National reported space in 25 Riyadh warehouses with bookings underway, noting that many of the company’s investors were based in Saudi Arabia.[1] A January 2025 Arab News piece recorded Nama Ventures describing Cargoz as among firms expanding in the Saudi market.[5]
Funding
Publicly reported rounds have not disclosed dollar amounts:
- Pre-seed (August 2022) — Nama Ventures.[3][7][9]
- Bridge (May 2023) — Nama Ventures, RAZ Group, and selected UAE and Saudi angel investors.[2][10][1]
- Seed (January 2024) — led by Nama Ventures; participants included RAZ Holding, Innovest Properties, and regional family offices and angels.[4][11][12][13]
Founders
Premlal Pullisserry is co-founder and chief executive of Cargoz.[1][3] Press coverage of Cargoz’s fundraising describes him as having more than a decade (and in later accounts, about twenty years) of warehousing and logistics experience in the Gulf Cooperation Council region.[3][11] He previously co-founded Boxit Storage, an on-demand personal storage company launched in Kuwait, where he served as chief executive.[6][3] In a June 2024 interview with The National he discussed hiring challenges in the UAE, educating customers and warehouse operators about the on-demand model, and longer-term ambitions to operate across the wider MENA region and major regional port cities; he also said the company would have preferred to launch in Saudi Arabia earlier.[1]
Lijo Antony is co-founder and chief technology officer of Cargoz.[1][3] Coverage of the Cargoz pre-seed round described him as having more than fourteen years of software development experience and as formerly head of product development at Boxit.[3][6] Nama Ventures’ Mohammed Alzubi has publicly described Pullisserry and Antony as complementary co-founders building a second startup together after Boxit.[3][8][2]
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 Halligan, Neil (3 June 2024). "'Airbnb for warehouses' start-up Cargoz experiences surge in Dubai business". The National. Abu Dhabi. Retrieved 6 November 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 El Shaeri, Nour (28 May 2023). "Nama Ventures and RAZ Group fund UAE-based logistics startup Cargoz". Arab News. Retrieved 6 November 2026.
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 "Cargoz secures pre-Seed funding from Nama Ventures". Wamda. 24 August 2022. Retrieved 6 November 2026.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 "Cargoz raises Seed funding to accelerate expansion into Saudi market". Wamda. 9 January 2024. Retrieved 6 November 2026.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 El Shaeri, Nour (1 January 2025). "International investors flock to Saudi Arabia's expanding VC market in 2024". Arab News. Retrieved 6 November 2026.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Farhat, Reine (25 May 2016). "Kuwait's Boxit gets seed funding, looks to tackle UAE and KSA". Wamda. Retrieved 6 November 2026.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "UAE's Cargoz secures Pre-SEED funding". MAGNiTT. 25 August 2022. Retrieved 6 November 2026.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Cargoz, A UAE Logistics Startup Secures Pre-seed Funding by Nama Ventures" (Press release). Nama Ventures. 23 August 2022. Retrieved 6 November 2026.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "UAE-based Cargoz closes pre-seed round via Nama Ventures". Jawlah. 24 August 2022. Retrieved 6 November 2026.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Cargoz raises undisclosed bridge round to fuel KSA expansion". Wamda. 28 May 2023. Retrieved 6 November 2026.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 "Cargoz raises undisclosed Seed round, led by Nama Ventures and other major Saudi investors" (Press release). Nama Ventures. 2 January 2024. Retrieved 6 November 2026.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 "UAE's Cargoz closed seed funding round to expand into KSA this quarter". EnterpriseAM. 15 January 2024. Retrieved 6 November 2026.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 "UAE-based Cargoz closes seed round led by Nama Ventures". Jawlah. 9 January 2024. Retrieved 6 November 2026.
- ↑ "UAE's Cargoz expands business in Saudi Arabia via funding round". Zawya. 10 January 2024. Retrieved 6 November 2026.
External links
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