Welcome to the first post on the Gondola Blog. We're Johnny MacAvoy and Adam Botica, co-founders of Gondola, and we wanted to share why we're building this company and what we hope to achieve together.

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The Xero Moment

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Having worked at companies like Xero, I'd experienced firsthand what it's like to be part of challenger brands disrupting old ecosystems. Xero transformed accounting by bringing modern SaaS principles to an industry dominated by legacy desktop software. A single, cloud ledger changed the relationship between accountant and business owner who were now able to use live data to look forward, rather than backwards.

When Adam and I worked together in trade software - having held positions in revenue and product leadership respectively - we gained valuable insights into the logistics industry and realised it had been operating in a sort of vacuum. Logistics has largely missed the entire SaaS era that transformed every other business function - the focus on intuitive UI/UX design, ease of use, mobile-first approaches, real-time collaboration, automated workflows, regular software updates, and the expectation that software should actually be enjoyable to use rather than something to endure.

I kept asking myself: How is it that logistics operators are paying so much for software that looks and feels like it was built in the 1990s?

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The Perfect Storm

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Four major forces are converging to create what we see as the perfect opportunity. First, global parcel volumes have surged, with 256 billion projected annually by 2027. At the same time, rising consumer expectations and growing cross-border complexity are putting logistics networks under immense pressure.

Second, AI technology has finally matured to the point where it can reliably handle complex customs regulations and unstructured data processing. This wasn't possible even five years ago, but now we can build systems that genuinely understand and process trade documentation.

Third, the software market has become heavily consolidated around a few major players, and logistics operators in Australia and New Zealand aren't getting the innovation they need. Many incumbents seem focussed on maintaining their market position rather than solving real customer problems.

Fourth, new regulatory complexity is making everything harder. Changes like the end of the US de minimis exemption and added GST levies in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and the UK are adding compliance burden just as volumes surge. Cross-border trade is getting more complex, not simpler.

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What's Actually Broken

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Everything is manual and error-prone. CEP (Courier, Express, and Parcel) operators spend hours every day converting unstructured data from PDFs and CSV files into their systems. A customs broker might receive a Master Airway Bill PDF where shipper names and addresses are jumbled together in a single field, and they have to manually separate and structure that data. These data issues aren't just inefficient - they can have serious compliance implications. Poor product descriptions, unrealistic valuations, or missing information can trigger customs flags, leading to fines, delays, and intensive manual screening that turns routine clearances into compliance nightmares.

The result? Slower clearance times, higher error rates, increased labour costs, and frustrated operators who can't keep up with e-commerce demand.

A friend recently highlighted this perfectly when commenting on import delays: "We find it takes 3 days to get parts sent from Europe to Auckland airport and then 5+ days to get from there to East Tamaki." Three days to fly halfway around the world, but over five days to clear customs and travel 30 kilometres.

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Our Vision: The Conductor, Not the Data Entry Clerk

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We're building an AI-powered customs clearance platform specifically designed for high-volume CEP operators in Australia and New Zealand. But more than that, we want to fundamentally change how customs brokers and air freight managers think about their work.

Instead of spending hours manually converting unstructured manifests, invoices, and shipping documents, our AI instantly identifies, validates, and structures this data. When a customs broker receives a Master Airway Bill PDF with mixed shipper information, our AI automatically separates shipper names from addresses, validates the data against customs requirements, and updates the system. What used to take hours now takes seconds.

The beauty is that our AI learns from exceptions. When customs brokers make corrections, they're training the model to be more accurate over time. This means Gondola's value actually increases with usage, turning operators from data entry clerks into conductors overseeing an automated orchestra.

Unlike human operators who need rest, our AI works continuously around the clock, supporting the 24/7 nature of global trade. Parcels arriving on late-night flights can begin processing immediately, rather than waiting for office hours to begin manual data entry.

We also recognised that this industry faces a demographic challenge - most customs brokers in Australia are over 45 years old. CEP operators will need automation to manage rising parcel volumes without inflating costs. That's exactly what we're building.

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What to Expect from This Blog

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This blog isn't just a marketing channel - it's our way of sharing the journey of building a company that's attempting to modernise an entire industry. You'll get:

• Behind-the-scenes insights into building AI-powered logistics software
• Industry analysis from our unique perspective in the trade software space
• Product development stories, including our successes and failures
• Market insights about the evolving CEP landscape
• Founder lessons from navigating startup life in a traditional industry

We'll also shine a light on the brilliant people working in logistics who rarely get the recognition they deserve. Custom brokers and freight operators are the unsung heroes keeping global commerce flowing, and we want to celebrate them.

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The Transformation We're Building Towards

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If we could change one thing about how the freight industry thinks about tech, it would be this: logistics can be as user-friendly and delightful as any other modern software category. The freight industry has accepted that their software should be complex, ugly, and frustrating to use.

Xero transformed accounting by making bookkeepers and accountants feel empowered and celebrated. We want to do the same for customs brokers and CEP operators. These are skilled professionals managing critical global trade flows - they deserve software that makes them feel like conductors of a sophisticated system, not data entry clerks fighting with 1990s interfaces.

The future of freight is AI-powered, user-centric, and actually enjoyable to use. That's the transformation we're building towards.

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Join Us on This Journey

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Whether you're a customs broker frustrated with legacy software, a logistics executive looking for better solutions, an investor interested in the intersection of AI and global trade, or simply someone curious about how modern commerce really works, we'd love to have you follow along.

The global shift toward e-commerce has fundamentally changed logistics, but the software powering customs clearance hasn't kept pace. We're here to change that.

Welcome to the Gondola Blog. Let's build the future of logistics together.

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Johnny MacAvoy and Adam Botica are the co-founders of Gondola. Both bring experience from the trade software industry, with Johnny having led global revenue operations and Adam being a licensed customs broker with freight operations experience. Together, they're building AI-powered customs clearance software for high-volume CEP operators.

Have questions or want to learn more? Contact us or follow our journey as we revolutionise customs clearance.

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