German logistics technology company cargo.one has acquired Portuguese ocean freight rate platform Cargofive and launched what it describes as the industry’s first AI-native operating system for multimodal freight.
According to a press release shared by Índico Capital Partners, an investor in Cargofive, the new operating system brings together air and ocean freight data into a single infrastructure layer designed to power agentic workflows that operate alongside logistics teams.
The move is supported by around $20 million in investment from backers including Bessemer Venture Partners.
The statement points to what it describes as a fragmented technology landscape in logistics, where many AI tools remain disconnected from structured operational data.
It adds that although freight forwarders and carriers are increasingly investing in AI initiatives, many of the solutions available today function as bolt-on tools, promising efficiency but often struggling to move beyond pilot phases.
By acquiring Cargofive, which provides ocean rate coverage across four million trade lanes and serves hundreds of freight forwarders globally, cargo.one expands its data foundation to include connections with the top 10 ocean carriers. The transaction closed on February 25 for an undisclosed amount.
“Most AI projects in logistics fail to deliver ROI because they lack access to robust, structured data,” said Moritz Claussen, founder and co-CEO of cargo.one.
He said that meaningful returns require unified data infrastructure operating at enterprise scale, and that integrating Cargofive expands the foundation already embedded in many forwarders’ operations to encompass ocean freight.
Cargofive has focused on digitizing and automating ocean freight rate management for forwarders operating across more than 10 countries.
Its co-founder and CEO, Sebastian Cazajus, said forwarders have been seeking integrated air and ocean solutions that eliminate data silos. In his view, cargo.one had already set the standard in air, and that together the companies are bringing the same quality and scale to ocean freight.
cargo.one provides freight forwarders with direct integrations to 75 airlines, the top 10 ocean carriers, and dozens of General Sales Agents (GSAs). Its platform offers multiple digital distribution channels for e-booking and rate distribution to 30,000 freight forwarder users across 172 countries, along with real-time analytics and sales and customer support AI agents.
From an investor perspective, Bob Goodman, partner at Bessemer Venture Partners, said logistics leaders evaluating AI partners should look beyond individual features and assess the strength of the underlying data infrastructure and industry expertise.
Stephan de Moraes, managing general partner at Índico Capital Partners, said the acquisition is a testament to the technology built by the Cargofive team to digitize the complexities of ocean freight.
He added that bringing air and sea together in a single AI-native operating system sets a new benchmark for global logistics.
cargo.one’s AI-native operating system is available immediately. The first customers have already been onboarded to its ocean rate management and quoting solution, with broader access for its wider customer base expected in the coming weeks.
Featured image: Source: Índico Capital Partners
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