Through the takeover (100%) of Cargofive, cargo.one is creating a provider of an integrated air and ocean rate infrastructure, facilitating booking processes for forwarding agents, airlines and shipping companies alike. The players have not disclosed any specific financial details. However, Moritz Claussen, Founder and Co-CEO of cargo.one, emphasized in a call with CargoForwarder Global, that the deal is being financed from his company’s own funds and not through loans. He also stressed that cargo.one’s customers were the main driving force behind the move.
Cargofive is a technologically advanced platform, well established on the maritime market. Claussen emphasizes that the Portuguese firm’s rates quality is outstanding and its digital system is very user-friendly. The collaboration between the two companies will provide the market with a unified booking platform for air and sea freight quotations. Users will no longer have to switch from the air freight to the sea freight platform or vice versa when requesting quotations, as the system will offer them both options at a glance.
No more multiple portal juggling
Most freight forwarders are still stuck in the stone age when it comes to rate procurement, comments Hugo Martins, Director IT at Iberia-based OREY Shipping. “Copying rates from one portal, pasting them into Excel, formatting them, comparing them manually, all while hoping you didn’t make a typo that could cost thousands.,” Martins illustrates possible hiccups. Each carrier has its own portal, its own login process, and its own way of presenting rates. So far, “it’s like trying to conduct an orchestra where every musician is playing from a different sheet of music.”
In contrast, a platform that unifies air and ocean freight data into a single robust foundation, is a quantum leap. It increases workflow efficiency and accelerates processes. In addition to the main freight routes by air or vessel, the uniform system also offers quotations from the source to the final destination of a shipment, emphasizes Hugo.
Becoming ‘Cargonauts’
cargo.one has lately seen annual triple-digit growth. Meanwhile, it cooperates closely with nine of the world’s 20 largest freight forwarders. “Because of this development, we have been looking around for possible players in the market for some time now in order to grow further through a takeover,” explains Claussen. When the opportunity arose, Cargofive promised to be a good fit for the portfolio, he adds. Similar to cargo.one, its approximately 50 employees work largely remotely in 30 different countries. They will all become ‘Cargonauts’ – in other words, be taken over by cargo.one, Claussen assures.
AI is gaining ground
To streamline future processes and optimize bookings, cargo.one relies heavily on artificial intelligence. To this end, the company raised USD 20 million from Bessemer Venture Partners and other leading technology investors. This influx of funds positions cargo.one as the leading infrastructure layer for AI transformation in global logistics, claims the company. “When evaluating AI partners, logistics leaders should look beyond individual features to the underlying foundation,” says Bob Goodman, Partner at Bessemer Venture Partners. “Features become commoditized quickly; what matters is having a partner with comprehensive data infrastructure and industry-specific expertise that can evolve with your needs. cargo.one has built exactly that foundation for multimodal logistics.”
However, despite massive investments in AI in the industry, most solutions remain bolt-on tools that sit disconnected from the most relevant knowledge source: structured data. The result is a fragmented technology landscape where AI promises efficiency but delivers complexity and does not progress beyond the pilot phase. cargo.one’s multimodal AI-native operating system addresses these challenges with a unified approach where agentic workflows and operational data exist natively in a single system. At the end of the day, success depends on data quality, because without accurately transmitted data, even the most sophisticated AI is overtasked, says Claussen.
Doing away with data silos
Unlike bolt-on AI tools that require integration with separate systems and third-party data, cargo.one’s workflows operate natively within the same platform. Nevertheless, humans will not be replaced by AI; they will remain in the driver’s seat for all processes. “Humans and AI work side by side using the same data, ensuring teams maintain full control while automation handles repetitive tasks.” Sebastian Cazajus, Founder and CEO of Cargofive, looks ahead optimistically. “Across the industry, forwarders are asking for integrated air and ocean solutions that eliminate data silos. cargo.one has already set the standard in air. Together, we are bringing that same quality and scale to ocean freight, creating a truly multimodal operating foundation to enable agentic workflows,” the executive concludes.
