About Freight Forwarders
There are 39.6K companies in the Freight Forwarders sector across the world, with 1.06K funded companies having collectively raised $55.2B in venture capital money and private equity. Overall 1.93K of these are Series A+ funded, and 1 of these is a unicorn.
Freight Forwarders sector has seen 1.26K acquisitions and 577 IPOs. This represents almost 4.6% of all such companies - which is higher than the 3.8% exit rate of tech companies in general.
This sector includes companies that act as intermediaries between cargo shippers and transportation service providers to organize shipments from shipper to the final point of distribution.
Freight Forwarders sector is also known as Freight brokers.
Companies included in Freight Forwarders sector
Companies that transport freight on behalf of the clients using third-party transporters. Freight transportation companies that do not own a fleet of trucks/ships/aircraft would be covered hereCompanies excluded in Freight Forwarders sector
Companies that provide logistic services, booking platforms, software solutions for freight forwarders, freight forwarder marketplace, freight forwarder listings, internet first freight forwarders, customs agents, cargo surveyors, ship agents, CEP companies are excludedMarket Map of Freight Forwarders
The market map of Freight Forwarders gives a visual overview of the sector, showing key business models, their interactions in the value chain, and industry evolution.
Reports related to Freight Forwarders
Here are some reports related to Freight Forwarders sector:
Free
Freight Forwarders - Sector Report
Edition: October, 2026 (64 Pages)
Premium
Freight Forwarders Investor Landscape
Edition: May, 2025 (12 Pages)
Premium
Freight Forwarders Exit Landscape
Edition: June, 2026 (13 Pages)
View all reports related to Freight Forwarders. Sign up today!Top Companies in Freight Forwarders
There are more than 39.6K companies in Freight Forwarders. CMA CGM is the top Freight Forwarders company globally, ranked using Tracxn Score (what's this?).
Here are 5 of the top Freight Forwarders companies globally:
Company | Description | Location | Founded | Current Stage | Private Funding Raised |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Provider of end-to-end shipping, logistics, and air freight transport solutions | Marseille (France) | 1978 | Acquired | - | |
Provider of international express shipping, freight transportation, and supply chain logistics services | Bonn (Germany) | 1969 | Public | - | |
Provider of multimodal logistics services | Gurugram (India) | 1958 | Public | - | |
Provider of express, freight, and logistics solutions | Dubai (United Arab Emirates) | 1982 | Acquired | - | |
Provider of intralogistics solutions including material handling equipment and related services | Hamburg (Germany) | 1953 | Public | - |
Companies founded year-on-year in the Freight Forwarders sector
303 new startups have been founded so far in 2026 in the Freight Forwarders sector. 2,279 Freight Forwarders startups were founded in 2020 - this is the most number of startups founded in any year in the last 10 years.
- Total Number of Companies
Year | No. of companies |
|---|---|
2026 | 303 |
2025 | 241 |
2024 | 309 |
2023 | 891 |
2022 | 1,681 |
2021 | 1,951 |
2020 | 2,279 |
2019 | 1,613 |
2018 | 1,223 |
2017 | 860 |
Companies founded across countries in the Freight Forwarders sector
United States has 7,804 Freight Forwarders startups, the most by any country, followed by India which has 5,476 startups and United Kingdom which has 3,359.
- Total Number of Companies
Country | No. of companies |
|---|---|
United States | 7,804 |
India | 5,476 |
United Kingdom | 3,359 |
Germany | 1,362 |
Canada | 1,033 |
China | 994 |
United Arab Emirates | 938 |
Australia | 662 |
Indonesia | 662 |
Estonia | 519 |
Stage-wise distribution of the Freight Forwarders sector
Out of the total 39,642 Freight Forwarders companies, 1,064 have secured funding. Among them, 1,928 have reached Series A or higher, and 1,889 to Series B or beyond.
Founded - 39,642
Funded - 1,064
Series A+ - 1,928
Series B+ - 1,889
Series C+ - 1,875
Company Stage | No. of companies |
|---|---|
Founded | 39,642 |
Funded | 1,064 |
Series A+ | 1,928 |
Series B+ | 1,889 |
Series C+ | 1,875 |
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- 39.6K+ Total Companies
- $55.2B+ Total Funding
- 1.1K+ Funded Companies
- 575+ IPOs
- 1.3K+ Acquisitions
Funding Trends in the Freight Forwarders sector
Total funding year-on-year in the Freight Forwarders sector
The Freight Forwarders sector saw a total funding of more than $40.7B in the last 10 years. The most amount of funding was in 2018 at more than $9.98B. There has been a total funding of $546M in 2026 till date.
- Total Funding
Year | Total Funding |
|---|---|
2026 | $546M |
2025 | $339M |
2024 | $1.87B |
2023 | $333M |
2022 | $3.14B |
2021 | $9.72B |
2020 | $3.49B |
2019 | $9.71B |
2018 | $9.98B |
2017 | $1.6B |
Total funding across countries in the Freight Forwarders sector
In the last 10 years, Freight Forwarders startups in United States have recieved the highest funding among all countries - $6.18B. China follows with $5.54B and France with $1.74B.
- Total Funding
Country | Total Funding |
|---|---|
United States | $6.18B |
China | $5.54B |
France | $1.74B |
India | $421M |
United Arab Emirates | $322M |
Germany | $275M |
United Kingdom | $68.6M |
Japan | $53.9M |
Italy | $13.1M |
Belgium | $9.13M |
Total funding amount raised by stage in the Freight Forwarders sector
Over the last 10 years, the Freight Forwarders sector have seen $111M into Seed Stage funding rounds, $791M into Early Stage funding rounds and $6.74B go into Late Stage funding rounds.
Funding Stage | Total Funding |
|---|---|
Debt | $17.2B |
Post IPO | $12.4B |
Late Stage | $6.74B |
PE | $1.41B |
Early Stage | $791M |
Grant | $661M |
Seed Stage | $111M |
Recent Funding Rounds in Freight Forwarders
In the year 2026, till September 2026, Freight Forwarders companies have raised $26.7M in equity funding across 7 rounds.
In the same period last year (i.e. till September 2025), Freight Forwarders companies had raised $25.3M across 10 rounds.
So, 2026 has seen a 5.44% rise in funding in Freight Forwarders companies as compared to 2025.
Here are some recent, important funding rounds in Freight Forwarders:
Company | Round Raised | Amount Raised | Funding Date | Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
PE | 6800 | Sep 21, 2026 | ||
Series B | 9769 | Jul 24, 2026 | ||
Series A | 8347 | Jul 15, 2026 | ||
Seed | 8214 | Jun 22, 2026 | - | |
Unattributed | 4499 | Feb 02, 2026 |
Top Investors in Freight Forwarders
Europa is the top investor in Freight Forwarders companies based on number of companies invested.
Here are some top investors in Freight Forwarders:
Investor | Location | Top Portfolio Companies |
|---|---|---|
Washington, DC (United States) | ||
Washington, DC (United States) | ||
Washington, DC (United States) |
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M&A activity in Freight Forwarders
In the year 2026, till October 2026, 42 acquisitions happened in Freight Forwarders sector. Last year, in 2025, a total of 71 acquisitions happened in Freight Forwarders sector.
Here are some recent, important acquisitions in Freight Forwarders:
Company | Acquisition Type | Acquisition Date | Acquirers |
|---|---|---|---|
Business Acquisition | Oct 12, 2026 | ||
Business Acquisition | Oct 05, 2026 | ||
Business Acquisition | Oct 01, 2026 | ||
Business Acquisition | Sep 18, 2026 | ||
Business Acquisition | Sep 14, 2026 |
Acquisition trends in Freight Forwarders
Here are the acquisition trends in Freight Forwarders:
- Total Number of Acquisitions
Year | No. of companies |
|---|---|
2026 | 42 |
2025 | 71 |
2024 | 99 |
2023 | 94 |
2022 | 168 |
2021 | 131 |
2020 | 68 |
2019 | 138 |
2018 | 114 |
2017 | 86 |
IPOs in Freight Forwarders
In the year 2026, till September 2026, 5 IPOs happened in Freight Forwarders sector.
Here are some recent, important IPOs in Freight Forwarders:
Company | IPO Date | Exchange Symbol |
|---|---|---|
Sep 01, 2026 | Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), National Stock Exchange (NSE) | |
Aug 05, 2026 | Singapore stock exchange. ( SGX) | |
Jul 07, 2026 | Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) | |
Jul 03, 2026 | National Stock Exchange (NSE) | |
Apr 10, 2026 | Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) |
Colleges which produce the most Freight Forwarders companies
Companies founded by alumni from top colleges in the Freight Forwarders sector
Most number of Freight Forwarders startups have been founded by alumni from Cornell University, Stanford University and IIT Delhi.
College | No. of companies |
|---|---|
Cornell University | 4 |
Stanford University | 4 |
IIT Delhi | 3 |
Carnegie Mellon University | 2 |
Harvard Business School | 2 |
IIM Bangalore | 2 |
IIM Calcutta | 2 |
IIT Madras | 2 |
Kellogg School of Management | 2 |
London Business School (LBS) | 2 |
Total funding in companies founded by alumni from top colleges in the the Freight Forwarders sector
In the last 10 years, Johns Hopkins University graduates' Freight Forwarders companies have raised the most funding among top colleges. IIT Madras alumni are second, and Stanford University alumni are third.
College | Total Funding |
|---|---|
Johns Hopkins University | $142M |
IIT Madras | $94.5M |
Stanford University | $47.1M |
IIT Delhi | $33.1M |
Stanford Business School | $33.1M |
Princeton University | $32M |
University of Toronto | $30.2M |
Carnegie Mellon University | $14M |
Ben-Gurion University of The Negev | $7M |
INSEAD | $4.87M |
Top News in Freight Forwarders
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Roadrunner Launches New Canada-Outbound Service and Announces 5.9% GRIFreightWaves•Oct 24, 2026•Roadrunner Freight
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CMA CGM Expands AI Voice Agent Deployment to 20 Countries After Successful Customer Call TrialsDigital Ship•Oct 16, 2026•CMA CGM
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