What is Flexport?
Digital freight forwarder and supply-chain platform for global trade.
- Category
- Digital freight forwarding
- Headquarters
- San Francisco, CA
- Founded
- 2013
- Employees
- ~2,100
- Total funding
- ~$2.4B disclosed
- Status
- Private
What is Flexport?
Flexport is a digital freight forwarder that manages ocean, air, truck, customs, financing, and visibility workflows for global shippers.
Flexport combines freight forwarding operations with software for quoting, booking, tracking, customs brokerage, inventory visibility, trade finance, and supply-chain analytics. Customers use it to move goods globally while centralizing documents, exceptions, and shipment data.
The company scaled quickly during the pandemic freight boom, then went through layoffs and operating resets as freight rates normalized. By 2026 Flexport remained one of the best-known venture-backed challengers to legacy freight forwarders, with reported revenue in the multibillion-dollar range but a continuing push toward durable profitability.
Sources:FlexportFlexport Wikipedia
What does Flexport offer?
Flexport offers freight forwarding, customs brokerage, trucking, fulfillment, trade finance, insurance, and supply-chain visibility software.
- Ocean freight· Freight
- Air freight· Freight
- Trucking· Ground
- Customs brokerage· Compliance
- Trade finance· Finance
- Cargo insurance· Risk
- Order management· Software
- Supply-chain visibility· Software
How does Flexport make money?
Flexport makes money from freight forwarding margins, customs and brokerage fees, logistics services, financing, insurance, and software-enabled supply-chain services.
Flexport does not publish simple SaaS-style pricing because freight is quoted by lane, mode, weight, volume, service level, fuel, duties, and market capacity. The company earns margin between carrier capacity and customer price, plus fees for customs, brokerage, insurance, financing, warehousing, and related services.
Growth depends on managed freight volume, customer retention, rate cycles, working-capital discipline, and operational efficiency. Flexport's software is a differentiator, but the business still has exposure to freight-market cyclicality and service execution.
Who leads Flexport?
Flexport is led by founder Ryan Petersen, who returned as CEO, with leadership across freight operations, finance, technology, and global logistics.
- Ryan PetersenFounder, Chairman, and CEOFounder - since 2013; returned as CEO in 2023Public face of Flexport and owner of strategy and operating turnaround.
- David PetersenCo-founderCo-founderCo-founded the company with Ryan Petersen.
- Teresa CarlsonPresidentExecutive leadershipLeads go-to-market and enterprise growth.
- Neel Jones ShahEVP, Global Key AccountsExecutive leadershipFreight industry operator focused on large shipper relationships.
How do you contact Flexport's leadership?
Flexport publishes company sales and support channels; verified personal executive emails are not public. Executive addresses below are format-following only.
first.last@flexport.com (format-following; verify before use)Sources:Flexport contactFlexport company
How much funding has Flexport raised?
Flexport has raised roughly $2.4 billion in disclosed funding and was valued at about $8 billion in its 2022 Series E.
Flexport's major rounds include early seed and Series A/B capital from investors including Founders Fund and Google Ventures; a $110 million Series C in 2017 led by DST Global; a $1 billion Series D in 2019 led by SoftBank Vision Fund at a reported $3.2 billion valuation; and a $935 million Series E in 2022 led by Andreessen Horowitz and MSD Partners at about an $8 billion valuation.
The post-pandemic freight reset pressured Flexport's cost structure and profitability targets, but the company retained significant capital and brand recognition. Its latest durable public private valuation remains the 2022 $8 billion mark, while operating performance is the key question for any future IPO path.
How did Flexport get here?
Flexport rode digitization, pandemic supply-chain chaos, and a freight-market reset.
- 2013FoundedRyan Petersen founded Flexport in San Francisco.
- 2017Series CRaised $110M to expand digital freight forwarding.
- 2019SoftBank roundRaised $1B at a reported $3.2B valuation.
- 2022Series ERaised $935M at about an $8B valuation.
- 2023Founder returnsRyan Petersen returned as CEO after leadership turnover.
- 2025Profitability focusCompany continued cost and operations discipline after the freight reset.
Who are Flexport's competitors?
Flexport competes with global freight forwarders, digital forwarders, and supply-chain visibility platforms.
- DHL Global ForwardingLarge incumbent forwarder with global carrier capacity and enterprise relationships.
- Kuehne+NagelGlobal logistics incumbent competing on freight scale and services breadth.
- DB SchenkerGlobal freight and contract logistics provider.
- ExpeditorsAsset-light freight forwarder with strong customs and global logistics operations.
- project44Supply-chain visibility platform that competes with Flexport's visibility layer, not forwarding services.
Flexport — frequently asked questions
