Kanan Labs · MVP product

TradeWatch

Trade intelligence infrastructure for a contested world.

Global trade
is getting increasingly complex.

Every shipment requires synchronized customs clearance, cargo insurance, and trade finance to mitigate regulatory and financial risks.

01 · Customs

The Customs Authority

Decides if your shipment can leave the country

What they check
Permission to exportActive export licence
Product categoryCorrectly classified
Declared valueMatches your invoice
Supporting documentsInvoice, packing list, transport docs

Does not see what Insurance or the Bank checks.

Get one detail wrong and your shipment can sit at the port for days, sometimes weeks — after the container is already there.

02 · Insurance

The Insurance Provider

Pays out if something happens in transit

What they check
Cover amountBig enough for the cargo
What's being shippedDeclared correctly
Route and methodCovered by the policy
The person insuringActually owns the cargo

Does not see what Customs or the Bank checks.

If the policy says one thing and your shipment is another, the insurer denies the claim — when you need it most.

03 · Payment

The Trade Finance Bank

Releases your payment once documents are perfect

What they check
Who gets paidMatches the contract
AmountMatches every document
Documents presentAll required papers in
Every number agreesAcross every document

Does not see what Customs or Insurance checks.

A USD 150 difference between your invoice and packing list is enough to delay payment by weeks.

A single shipment touches multiple decision surfaces.

What exporters need is not another dashboard to manage.

Nax · TradeWatch Analyst

Meet Nax — your trade
compliance analyst, in agentic form.

Nax doesn't wait. Nax initiates. You command. Nax sits alongside the tools you already use — Tally, Zoho Books, SAP Business One, Excel, Gmail — and reads, reconciles, drafts, and seals. Scroll to watch a working day, from the morning brief through the long-tail Section 149 defense.

Morning Brief
Home › Today · 14 May
Today · 14 May Portfolio brief · 09:02 IST
Brief me on IGM-4521 Recap yesterday's seals
3 active · 1 needs you
IGM-4521 Pune → Hamburg
Five documents in. Reconciliation clean. Awaiting broker consent before 14:00.
Awaiting consent
IGM-4518 Chennai → Rotterdam
All rules OPEN. Both packets compiled. Ready for your sign-off.
Ready to seal
IGM-4502 Mumbai → Hamburg
Sealed yesterday · dossier delivered to CHA and broker.
Dispatched

Nax initiates · you command · no dashboard to drive

N Nax
Gmail
Tally
Zoho Books
SAP Business One
Excel

Reads your books · watches your inbox · writes nothing back

Inbox · linked to IGM-4521 5 attachments · 09:31 IST
Auto-detected from rohit@acme-ev.in · classifying by document type
CI-IGM4521.pdf 09:31 Commercial Invoice
PL-IGM4521.pdf 09:31 Packing List
BL-IGM4521.pdf 09:31 Bill of Lading
COO-IGM4521.pdf 09:31 Certificate of Origin
INS-IGM4521.pdf 09:31 Insurance Certificate
5 / 5 classified · linked to IGM-4521

5 documents · classified deterministically · linked to one shipment

Commercial Invoice · 22 Apr 2026 · page 1
Exporter: Acme EV Components Pvt Ltd
Consignee: TÜV NORD GmbH, Hamburg
1HS Code: 8507.60.00
Description: Lithium-ion accumulators
2FOB Value: USD 125,000.00
Incoterm: FOB · Nhava Sheva
3e-Invoice IRN: 24AAACR4521N1ZA
Net Weight: 2,140 kg
FieldValueConfidenceCitation
HS · Level 6 8507.60.00 High CI · pg 1 · ln 4
Declared FOB Value USD 125,000.00 High CI · pg 1 · ln 6
e-Invoice IRN 24AAACR4521N1ZA High CI · pg 1 · ln 12
Consignee bank Deutsche Bank AG Medium CI · pg 2 · ln 3

22 fields total · each row links to source page, line, and bounding box

Commercial Invoice · stated
USD 125,000.00
CI · page 1 · line 6
Packing List · summed
USD 124,850.00
PL · page 2 · 14 line items
SB005 · Value mismatch Δ USD 150 · 0.12 % gap — likely weight-rounding on Line 9. Blocked
SB006
SCOMET screening · HS 8507.60.00
Schedule 3 · DRONA-compiled · last revision 22 Apr 2026
Checking…

Friction by design · every override carries a reason, a reviewer, and a timestamp

2 packets compiled · 22 fields · 1 override recorded · ready
Packet · 01
Shipping Bill Readiness Packet

For handoff to Customs House Agent

4Open
2Cond.
0Unclear
0Blocked
  • Discrepancy register · 1 item
  • e-SANCHIT references · 4 docs
  • SCOMET screening evidence
  • Boundary statement · CHA scope
  • Provenance chain · 22 fields
Packet · 02
Marine Cargo Insurance Broker Packet

For handoff to IRDAI-registered broker

3Open
0Cond.
1Unclear
0Blocked
  • Sum-insured calculation · CIF + 10%
  • Commodity-voyage consistency note
  • Exclusion-condition tracking
  • Boundary statement · IRDAI scope
  • Underwriting evidence pack
Sealed
& signed
Reviewer · Aarav S. 8a7f29c4d3e1f5b6a02c8e7f4d6a91b3c5e8f0a2d4c7e9b1f3a5d7c9e2b4f6a8
10:14 IST · 14 May 26 Audit trail · immutable
Delivered · CHA inbox Delivered · Broker inbox

Two PDF/A-3 packets · SHA-256 sealed · audit trail closed

Six months later · 12 Nov 2026
Customs · Section 149 query
"Please provide contemporaneous documentary evidence for IGM-4521."
Amendment request received. Original Shipping Bill filed 14 May 2026. Customs requires the evidence pack as it stood at the time of export.
Retrieved in 0.4 s · immutable · reviewer-signed
Evidence dossier · sealed
Shipping Bill Readiness Packet · IGM-4521
Sealed 14 May 2026 · 10:14 IST
Reviewer Aarav S.
Hash 8a7f29c4…b4f6a8
SHA-256 verified ✓

Other platforms build the document.
TradeWatch builds the defense.

The Kanan Roadmap

From shipment evidence
to persistent trade intelligence.

TradeWatch starts with the documents that decide whether a shipment can move, be insured, or be defended later. The same evidence layer compounds into broader trade-risk intelligence over time.

Now

TradeWatch

PoC · EV-Component Exports

Reviewed evidence packets for customs and marine cargo insurance handoff.

Exporters share the shipment bundle. TradeWatch reconciles the documents, checks the applicable evidence requirements, flags gaps, and prepares two reviewed packets before the CHA or insurance broker has to reject, query, or correct them.

EndpointsCHA handoff · Insurance broker handoff
ScopeEV-component export shipments
OutputReviewed packet · discrepancy report · evidence trail
Next

Evidence Layer

MVP Expansion · Multi-Surface

One shipment fact model projected into multiple institutional surfaces.

The same document spine can support customs readiness, insurance placement, post-shipment evidence, and finance-document consistency checks where the rules are clear and reviewable.

SurfacesCustoms · Insurance · Finance checks
CoverageMulti-component · multi-corridor
StateOpen · blocked · conditional · review required
Later

SectorWatch

Strategic Horizon · SCRM

Persistent trade-risk intelligence across regulated value chains.

As shipment records accumulate, Kanan can surface patterns across product classification, evidence quality, corridor exposure, insurance weakness, buyer concentration, and regulatory change.

LayerIntelligence platform
BuyersExporters · manufacturers · institutions
ScopeSector-by-sector, jurisdiction-aware

Drona · the engine inside TradeWatch

Software waits to be asked.
TradeWatch is already watching your file.

Most trade tools sit idle until you log in. We've codified what a senior trade consultant actually does — read every notification, cross-check every document, test it against your own policy — and put it to work continuously.

Most trade tools sit idle until you log in. We codified what a senior trade consultant actually does, and put it to work continuously.

Drona is the neurosymbolic engine that makes that possible

01 · Input

What we read

Customs notifications & circulars Quality control orders Foreign regulations & sanctions lists Customs rulings & tribunal decisions Industry standards Insurance & banking circulars

Every source kept, dated, and traceable. Nothing summarised away.

02 · Process

What we do with it

ReadsPulls every relevant fact. Classifies it. Marks ambiguity.
ReasonsTests each obligation against the regulation, your shipment, and your own policy framework.
RecordsLocks the evidence, the reasoning chain, and the reviewer's sign-off. The answer can always be defended.

No black box. No chatbot guessing. The answer always has a paper trail.

03 · Output

What comes out

One reviewed packet for your customs broker. One for your insurer. Both projected from the same shipment.

Shipping Bill Readiness Packet Marine Cargo Insurance Packet
The sources we actually read.
  • Customs notifications
  • Quality control orders
  • Foreign regulations
  • Sanctions lists
  • Customs rulings & tribunal decisions
  • Industry standards
  • Banking circulars

Every source kept, dated, and traceable.

How we reason through each obligation.
Reads
Pulls every relevant fact. Classifies it. Marks the ambiguity.
Reasons
Tests each obligation against the regulation, your shipment, and your own policy framework.

No black box. No chatbot guessing.

Where we lock the evidence.

Every shipment record carries its own evidence file — the source documents, the reasoning chain, the reviewer's sign-off. The answer can always be defended.

A paper trail, not a prompt history.

What you actually receive.

Shipping Bill Readiness Packet

For your customs broker.

Marine Cargo Insurance Packet

For your insurer.

Bank LC Packet

For your trade banker.

All projected from one shipment record.

The work is shown. Every answer points to a source.

What makes it different

Auditable.
Authoritative.
Explainable.

Most trade tools wait for you to ask. TradeWatch reads what regulators publish, tests each obligation against your shipments, and records every step with a citable chain of evidence.

Knowledge is compiled continuously from primary sources. The reasoning is deterministic, not guessed. The output is a reviewed packet — defensible at the customs desk, the insurance desk, and the banker's desk.

Knowledge

compiled,
continuously

Reasoning

deterministic
over sources

Memory

compounds across
shipments

Packet

defensible
at any desk

01 · Customs

At the customs desk

Cleaner filings. Lower risk-tier reviews. Fewer holds at port.

Present at: risk-tier reviews and export audits.

02 · Insurance

At the insurer's desk

Defensible claims. Premiums that reflect how you actually ship.

Present at: premium renewals and claim reviews.

03 · Banking

At the banker's desk

First-pass LC acceptance. Faster trade financing.

Present at: LC negotiations and financing reviews.

Frequently asked

Questions about TradeWatch.

What is TradeWatch?

TradeWatch is Kanan Labs' agentic trade documentation and regulatory intelligence system for cross-border manufacturers.

It is being built to automate end-to-end trade documentation workflows across export documentation, evidence readiness, intermediary handoff, and shipment-level intelligence. The first focus is cross-border manufacturers in advanced manufacturing and EV supply chains.

TradeWatch is powered by DRONA, Kanan's proprietary regulatory intelligence engine.

Who is TradeWatch built for?

TradeWatch is built for manufacturers and exporters operating across regulated cross-border value chains.

The initial focus is on EV and advanced manufacturing exporters, where shipment documentation often touches multiple domains at once: customs, marine cargo insurance, trade finance, product classification, regulatory evidence, and destination-market requirements.

What workflows will TradeWatch support?

TradeWatch is being built to support three core trade documentation workflows:

  1. Shipping Bill readiness for CHA handoff.
  2. Marine cargo insurance broker packet preparation.
  3. Letter of Credit readiness and document consistency checks.

Alongside these workflows, TradeWatch will provide a shipment intelligence dashboard that helps teams understand document gaps, evidence risks, readiness status, and unresolved exceptions before submission.

What does “end-to-end trade documentation automation” mean?

It means TradeWatch is designed to automate the work around trade documentation: extracting shipment data, checking consistency across documents, identifying missing evidence, preparing recipient-specific packets, surfacing exceptions, and supporting handoff to the right intermediary.

It does not mean TradeWatch replaces licensed actors. CHAs, brokers, banks, and authorised representatives remain responsible for actions that require statutory authority, regulated judgement, or official submission rights.

How does the TradeWatch workflow work?

Customers share a shipment document bundle through the most suitable intake method for their size and operating model. For some customers, that may begin with email or assisted upload. For larger customers, it may evolve into structured folders, integrations, or workflow-based intake.

TradeWatch then reads the shipment bundle, extracts key fields, reconciles documents against each other, checks readiness against the relevant workflow, flags issues, and prepares structured outputs for review and handoff.

What is the TradeWatch intelligence dashboard?

The intelligence dashboard is the operational view of a shipment's documentation posture.

It is designed to show what is ready, what is blocked, what is unclear, what evidence is missing, and which downstream workflow is affected. Over time, this also creates a structured view of recurring documentation patterns across shipments, corridors, products, and counterparties.

How is TradeWatch different from a document automation tool?

Most document automation tools help teams fill templates or organise files.

TradeWatch is different because it applies regulatory and trade-document intelligence to the shipment itself. It is designed to understand which documents matter, which fields must align, what evidence is missing, why an exception matters, and which intermediary needs which packet.

The goal is not only to produce documents. The goal is to make the shipment's evidence position clearer before the packet reaches a CHA, broker, or bank.

Does TradeWatch replace CHAs, insurance brokers, banks, or legal advisers?

No.

TradeWatch operates upstream of licensed and authorised intermediaries. It prepares, checks, organises, and explains the documentation position before handoff.

It does not file Shipping Bills, bind insurance, recommend insurers, issue legal opinions, submit documents to government systems, or replace regulated professional judgement.

When will TradeWatch be available?

TradeWatch is scheduled for MVP release in early December.

Selected pilot customers can begin onboarding from July through a waitlist and pilot evaluation process. Pilot selection will depend on shipment profile, documentation complexity, operational fit, and the ability to test TradeWatch against real-world trade documentation workflows.

How can a company join the pilot?

Companies can request early access and share basic information about their export profile, shipment workflows, documentation pain points, and current intermediary structure.

Kanan Labs will evaluate pilot suitability and contact selected companies with next steps. Pilot terms are available on request.

Let's talk.

For exporters

Join the TradeWatch PoC cohort.

We're building with Indian EV-component exporters operating on the EU and US corridors. Limited cohort. Reviewer-of-record onboarding included.

Thank you. We'll be in touch within 48 hours to confirm fit and schedule a working session.

For investors & partners

Read the architecture. Reach out directly.

If you'd like to understand the moat, the Drona compiler, or partner with us, the fastest path is direct.

Download the pitch (PDF) Kanan Labs · pitch & roadmap · 130 KB ↓ Email the founder sreenath@kananlabs.in · responds personally → Connect on LinkedIn For network & hiring conversations ↗