FAQPage
main entity: What is CompanyLine?
  type: Question
  accepted answer: Answer
    text: CompanyLine is the Federated AI Network for Trusted Industrial Commerce. It connects verified suppliers with institutional buyers through a privacy-first AI network, allowing suppliers to keep their sensitive IP private while AI routes relevant buyer RFQs.
main entity: Who founded CompanyLine?
  type: Question
  accepted answer: Answer
    text: CompanyLine was founded by Nick Ogden in 1985 in Northampton, UK. Nick Ogden is the inventor of e-commerce and later founded WorldPay (1997), ClearBank, and RTGS.Global. Mustafa Sokullu joined as co-founder in 1986 for the Türkiye expansion.
main entity: Is CompanyLine free for suppliers?
  type: Question
  accepted answer: Answer
    text: Yes. Suppliers join CompanyLine for free. There are no listing fees, no percentage take-rates on trade, and no hidden costs. Suppliers keep full ownership of their data and relationships.
main entity: How does CompanyLine protect supplier data?
  type: Question
  accepted answer: Answer
    text: CompanyLine uses TrustBox DS3 (Distributed Secure Supplier Storage) with zero-knowledge architecture. Suppliers hold their own cryptographic keys. CompanyLine AI only processes blinded vector embeddings for matching, never accessing proprietary plain-text data.
main entity: What countries does CompanyLine operate in?
  type: Question
  accepted answer: Answer
    text: CompanyLine operates through federated joint venture nodes in the UK, Türkiye, Germany, France, Netherlands, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, China, USA, Brazil, Egypt, South Africa, and Australia.
main entity: What industries does CompanyLine serve?
  type: Question
  accepted answer: Answer
    text: CompanyLine covers automotive suppliers, machinery manufacturers, construction materials, chemicals and coatings, defense and aerospace, electrical components, industrial sensors, food processing, maritime, energy, mining, and agricultural machinery.
main entity: How is CompanyLine different from B2B marketplaces?
  type: Question
  accepted answer: Answer
    text: Unlike marketplaces that force suppliers to expose their IP publicly and extract rent on every transaction, CompanyLine is a trust infrastructure layer. Suppliers keep their intelligence private. Buyers pay for verified discovery and trade execution. The model is privacy-first, AI-driven, and federated.
main entity: Does CompanyLine handle payments?
  type: Question
  accepted answer: Answer
    text: CompanyLine is building an integrated financial layer with smart escrow, milestone payments, B2B credit facilities, real-time FX, and CompanyLine Trade Trust Score. This is a future layer currently in development.
main entity: How can I invest in or partner with CompanyLine?
  type: Question
  accepted answer: Answer
    text: CompanyLine is currently in private preview with founding partners and investors. The fundraising roadmap includes a Demo MVP ($100k–$150k), Pilot Deployment ($250k), and Commercial Seed ($1M–$5M). Contact mustafa@numanufacturing.com for inquiries.