Latest news with #Rosenzweig
Business Insider
29-05-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
This logistics startup is getting 'buried in inbound' from brands after de minimis ended. It just raised $18 million.
Portless, a logistics startup that helps brands to offer quick shipping, has raised $18 million in a Series A funding round led by Commerce Ventures. FJ Labs, eGateway Capital, Red Swan Ventures, and Group Up Ventures also contributed to the round. Portless offers Western brands the chance to use a shipping and fulfillment model made popular by Shein. Shein grew to dominate the fast-fashion world by responding quickly to changing style trends and shipping packages on planes going directly to customers from warehouses in China. Products cross borders in a matter of days rather than months. For years, Shein did this using the de minimis provision, which allows for the duty-free import of packages valued at less than $800. Portless emulates this model by shipping from its fulfillment center in Shenzhen, China, near where many of its customers manufacture their goods. For a while, it also used the de minimis exemption. However, on May 2, the Trump administration ended de minimis shipping as part of its tariff program. That meant many companies had to pivot. Portless' founder and CEO, Izzy Rosenzweig, told Business Insider that the company had been preparing for the end of de minimis since last September. It raised its Series A with the understanding that de minimis would be ending. Rosenzweig said that with tariffs disrupting global supply chains, Portless' pitch is resonating with many brands. By fulfilling orders outside the US, the company can help brands defer their duty payments until an order crosses the border on its way to a customer. Portless uses an informal entry process called Type 11 to import the goods to the US. It pays duties on behalf of its brand customers, who then pay Portless back later. "There isn't a company in the US that isn't looking for a new way of doing things," Rosenzweig said. "We're getting buried in inbound." Businesses impacted by tariffs and the end of de minimis have also explored other strategies, like storing inventory in bonded warehouses and foreign trade zones, to defer their duty payments and lessen the hit on their balance sheets. Portless typically works with mid-market brands earning between $5 million and $150 million in annual revenue. Rosenzweig said brands of that size benefit the most from having better access to cash, which Portless helps with by fulfilling small orders by plane instead of tying up large amounts of inventory on shipping containers. "In our model, it is like a live supply chain," he said. "You're reacting immediately to the demand." Its customers include home wellness device brand Canopy, kids' clothing brand Andy & Evan, and apparel brand SA Fishing. Building a 'supply-chain-as-a-service' company Before creating Portless, Rosenzweig founded an online marketplace called Browze that sourced products directly from factories in China. In his 10 years running the company, he saw firsthand how complicated global supply chains are. He said Portless plans to use the funding to expand into new markets. It has a new fulfillment center in Vietnam and plans to open another in India by the end of the third quarter. The company also plans to build more services to help brands improve their supply chain. It plans to introduce the ability to book quality control inspections through its customer portal within the next two months. "While today Portless is fundamentally changing cash flow with a new supply chain model, we want to simplify supply chain," Rosenzweig said. "A lot of things will change in our model, like small-batch manufacturing, and we'll be rolling out services." Commerce Ventures partner Matt Nichols said the firm led Portless' Series A because it believes "that the 'direct-ship-from-manufacturer' model will be the future for much of retail." He said that they invested with the assumption that the de minimis loophole would go away. "We were able to get comfortable by talking to many of Portless' customers and finding out that the tax advantage was not the reason they decided to choose Portless," he said. "They were all focused on aligning production volumes with actual demand, and this was the best model to facilitate that."
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Yahoo
Court filing claims Amber Waterman's rights were violated during murder investigation
BENTON COUNTY, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — The attorneys for Amber Waterman, a Missouri woman accused of kidnapping and killing a Benton County woman and her unborn child, claim their defendant's rights were violated during the murder investigation, according to court documents. Waterman, 45, of Pineville, Mo., is charged with two counts of capital murder in connection with the deaths of Ashley Bush and her unborn child, Valkyrie Grace Willis. Prosecutors previously told KNWA/FOX24 that they are seeking the death penalty. On May 21, Jeff Rosenzweig, one of Waterman's attorneys, filed a motion requesting that the court agree to suppress statements and evidence related to alleged violations during her upcoming trial in July. Rosenzweig claimed that on Nov. 2, 2022, McDonald County Sheriff's Office and Benton County Sheriff's Office investigators entered Waterman's Pineville, Mo., home without a search warrant. Arkansas officials react to shooting deaths of two Israeli embassy staff members in Washington DC Waterman was reportedly interviewed twice by Benton County investigators at 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. and was never advised of her constitutional right to remain silent, according to the filing. The filing says that on the following day, a BCSO deputy and an FBI agent removed Waterman from her home without a warrant, drove away with her and questioned her without reading her her rights. Waterman was questioned for nearly two hours before being told that she would be taken to Arkansas and booked into the Benton County Jail, where she was finally informed of her rights, according to the filing. Other agencies in Missouri are also alleged to have failed to advise Waterman of her rights. Arkansas State Police seize 36 pounds of fentanyl, 86 pounds of cocaine in Interstate 40 traffic stop 'On several occasions subsequent to her arrest, Amber Waterman was questioned by employees or contractors of the detention facilities in Greene County and Bates County, Missouri, who were purportedly providing mental health assessments or treatment. These state actors also did not advise Ms. Waterman of her constitutional rights regarding custodial statements,' Rosenzweig wrote. Rosenzweig also claimed the search of Waterman's home, a truck on her property and a nearby outbuilding violated her rights. Her attorney's request comes after he filed two other motions on April 30, one for a mental evaluation to determine whether Waterman is fit to stand trial, and the other to prevent prosecutors from referring to her federal convictions, along with any statements Waterman made in federal proceedings. Waterman has a pretrial hearing in Benton County on July 7. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Borneo Post
30-04-2025
- General
- Borneo Post
Anzac Day 2025 honours Confrontation's Iban Trackers, Sarawak defenders
The flags of Sarawak, Sabah and Malaysia on display during the march by the contingent of Malaya and Borneo veterans during Anzac Day 2025. KUCHING (April 30): The Sarawak flag was featured prominently at the Anzac Day march in Adelaide, South Australia last Friday, as the National Malaya and Borneo Veterans Association Australia Inc (NMBVAA) contingent honoured the services and sacrifices of those defending Sarawak in 1965. In a press release, NMBVAA South Australia and Northern Territory branch state president Major Paul Rosenzweig said he carried the Sarawak flag during the march to honour the 11 Australians who lost their lives supporting the defence of Sarawak during the Malaysia-Indonesia Confrontation. He added the Sarawak flag was also to honour the service and sacrifice of the Iban Trackers and all Sarawakians in defence of their homeland. He revealed that eight Australians lost their lives while on operational service supporting the defence of Sarawak—four died near Kampung Stass, one near Kampung Gumbang, one near Kampung Bokah and two had been swept away during a river crossing. He added a further three Australian soldiers had died after being evacuated from Sarawak. Recalling one of these incidents near Kampung Stass on March 23, 1965, Rosenzweig said a patrol struck an Indonesian anti-personnel mine near the border, which caused Sergeant Reg Weiland to be killed instantly and Iban Tracker Mudah Jali perished from his wounds while being carried back to the 3RAR base camp. 'Their sacrifice was not in vain, upholding the sovereignty of Sarawak. Lest we forget,' he said. Rosenzweig (right) carries the Sarawak flag during the march. Anzac Day, observed every April 25, is the national day of commemoration of Australia and New Zealand for victims of war and recognising the role of their armed forces. During the Confrontation, Australian soldiers occupied a series of defensive positions, responsible for defending their allocated areas within Sarawak and the Sarawak-Kalimantan border. Confrontation veteran Don Cameron, who is also NMBVAA South Australia and Northern Territory branch vice president led the contigent of Malaya and Borneo veterans in this year's march. In a press statement, Cameron said he was paying tribute to the Iban Trackers he served alongside in Sarawak nearly 60 years ago. This Australian War Memorial image shows Lance-Corporal Andre Dor (front), Private Oscar Johnson (centre) and Tracker Lulut from the Sarawak Rangers as they conduct an early morning patrol alongside a small stream close to the Sarawak-Kalimantan border. He said he served near Kampung Gumbang as a Rifleman with 6 Platoon, 'B' Company of the 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (3RAR), and he recalled the name of the two Iban Trackers attached to his platoon—Balling Ajong and Unchat Unyong from Kapit. Also marching was Oscar Johnsson, who had a long military career in the Australian Regular Army. He had served as a Regimental Signaller in the Federation of Malaya in 1957-59 during the Malayan Emergency, on the Malay Peninsula in 1963-65, and in Sarawak on Borneo in 1965, as well as in South Vietnam in 1968-69.
