LoadConnect — a startup that helps dispatchers of trucking companies with AI

Ulukbek Samakov, city — Bishkek, co-founder of LoadConnect, LinkedIn, Instagram

Farukh Usmanov, city — Bishkek, co-founder of LoadConnect, Instagram, LinkedIn      

How It All Started

Ulukbek. We came from IT and knew nothing about the trucking business in the US. One day, our dispatcher friends showed us how they spent hours every day searching for loads, calculating rates, and booking shipments. It was a real shock — because all of this could be automated.

Farukh. Ulukbek quickly built an IT solution that simplified the process to a single click. At first, only one company used the product, but soon demand began to grow rapidly. When people started saying they couldn’t work without our product, we realized there was huge potential and decided to develop it as a startup.

Launching the Startup

Farukh. At the beginning, we didn’t aim to create a perfect product with many features or a cool design. The main thing was that LoadConnect actually helped users. That became our driving force. The product promoted itself, and the Product-led growth effect kicked in.

Later, we added paid channels — blogs, groups, advertising — which led to the first 4,000 downloads. We didn’t make a lot of money right away, but the growing number of users energized us. Today, we have a strong team: Luiza Orozalieva, Nasikat Samakova, and Dmitry Khristoforidi. Together, we are building LoadConnect.

Target Audience

Ulukbek. LoadConnect is an AI assistant for dispatchers at trucking companies in the US. Instead of spending hours searching for loads, calculating rates, and booking shipments, our solution does it all with just one click. We save dispatchers’ time and help trucking companies grow without needing to hire additional staff. Currently, we have over 12,000 downloads on the Chrome Store, and we are the fastest-growing product in the US trucking segment, created by a team from Kyrgyzstan.

LoadConnect has significantly reduced the time needed to find loads and helped dispatchers automate many processes. Our users see real benefits literally from the first days of use. This is confirmed by more than 70 positive reviews on the Chrome Store, G2, and Trustpilot.

Incubation Programs

Farukh. In April, we joined the first batch of the Dive Into Silicon Valley program by the High Technologies Park of Kyrgyzstan. This gave us a huge boost and helped us see our prospects. Currently, we are participating in the AlchemistX accelerator — one of the largest in the B2B segment. We are undergoing acceleration in the heart of Silicon Valley, alongside the best startups from Central Asia.

Challenges

Ulukbek. One of the main tasks was to identify our ideal customer. We had a diverse user base, and everyone wanted something different. We had to make a choice — focus on one type of customer and adapt the product to their needs. This decision allowed us to stay focused and learn how to effectively segment users.

We learned from previous startups: don’t inflate the team, do everything yourself before delegating, hire slowly, and fire quickly. These principles helped us stay focused on what matters and avoid mistakes.

You can never predict in advance whether a product will be in demand — the market decides that. We realized our product was needed thanks to our dispatcher friends. They showed us the problem, and we immediately started working on a solution without wasting time on research. When they and other users began using the product, two signals became obvious: they were ready to pay, and they couldn’t work without it anymore.

Achievements

Farukh. LoadConnect is the first-of-its-kind solution for the trucking business, creating a new category of IT solutions for this industry. In one year, we reached 12,000 downloads, and our video reviews gather 100,000 views on social media. However, the most important achievement for us is when users say they can’t imagine their work without LoadConnect. This is a sign that we are doing something truly valuable.

LoadConnect is the first solution with such a set of features for dispatchers. We are proud that our experience inspires others to create new IT solutions for trucking companies. Competition is good, but it’s important that it drives development, not just copying ideas.

Plans

Ulukbek. By the end of 2024, we plan to take LoadConnect to a new level. We are already implementing AI to deeply integrate into the workflows of trucking companies and make their work much more efficient. We aim not just to improve existing processes, but also to develop a new category of IT solutions for the trucking business.