cargo.one Raises $20M, Acquires Cargofive for Freight OS

cargo.one is significantly expanding its digital freight capabilities, announcing a substantial $20 million funding round led by prominent venture capital firm Bessemer Venture Partners. This capital infusion coincides with the strategic acquisition of Cargofive, a Portugal-based specialist in ocean freight rate data. The dual moves signal cargo.one's ambitious pivot towards establishing an AI-native operating system designed to unify multimodal freight operations.

The integration of Cargofive, a transaction finalized on February 25, 2026, injects deep expertise in ocean cargo into cargo.one's established air freight infrastructure. Cargofive's technology provides access to the top ten ocean carriers and enables the ingestion of scalable rate data across an estimated four million trade lanes. This consolidation allows hundreds of global freight forwarders to manage both air and ocean shipping workflows through a single, unified digital platform, streamlining previously disparate processes.

Founded by Moritz Claussen, cargo.one has cultivated one of the most comprehensive rate databases within the global freight forwarding sector. The platform offers forwarders immediate access to real-time air and sea carrier pricing, empowering them to accelerate quoting, optimize booking decisions, and digitally manage their entire pricing and booking lifecycle. With the addition of Cargofive's extensive ocean data, cargo.one now presents itself as the most complete multimodal rate intelligence solution available to the industry.

The newly envisioned AI-native freight OS leverages cargo.one's robust data infrastructure and integrates advanced agentic AI capabilities. This combination is intended to automate complex logistics decision-making, addressing a critical gap in the market. The company asserts that many AI initiatives in logistics falter due to insufficient access to high-quality, structured data. By consolidating air and ocean freight data into a singular, reliable foundation, cargo.one's AI agents are positioned to execute comprehensive workflows, from initial rate discovery and carrier selection through to booking confirmation and shipment monitoring.

Moritz Claussen articulated the strategic imperative behind this development, stating, "Most AI projects in logistics fail to deliver ROI because they lack access to robust, structured data. We are building the foundation." This new platform aims to liberate freight forwarders from managing fragmented data tools and outdated Transportation Management Systems (TMS), offering a single source of truth for automating both air and ocean freight operations.

Bessemer Venture Partners, a long-standing supporter of cargo.one since its early stages, led this latest funding round. Their continued investment underscores a broader market trend: the logistics technology sector is entering a transformative phase where artificial intelligence can unlock significant operational efficiencies for freight forwarders, particularly those historically reliant on manual processes for critical functions like quoting and booking. This strategic expansion positions cargo.one as a formidable contender against established freight rate management platforms, differentiated by its AI-first methodology built upon proprietary data spanning both air and ocean freight markets.