Forto Valuation, Funding & Investors

Forto is valued at $2.1B as of March 2022.

See full Forto profile

Last Forto valuation

$2.1B

Series D · Mar 2022

Last Forto funding round

$250M

Series D · Mar 2022

Cumulative funding Forto raised

$592M

across 6 funding rounds

Key investors in Forto

  • NAP
  • Northzone
  • Cherry Ventures
  • Global Founders Capital
  • La Famiglia
  • Unbound

Forto Overview

About Forto

Forto is a digital freight forwarder operating across Europe with a platform for ocean and air cargo bookings. Berlin-headquartered since 2016, it uses AI for rate comparisons, documentation automation, and tracking, handling 100,000 TEUs annually. The company serves shippers like automotive suppliers, partnering with carriers such as Maersk for seamless door-to-door logistics.


Founded

2016

HQ

GermanyBerlin

Website

forto.com

Status

Privately held

Customer focus

B2B

Revenue model

Services, Subscription

Valuation

$2.1B (Mar 2022)

Forto Valuation

Forto is currently valued at $2.1B, based on its Series D in March 2022.

The $250M round was led by Disruptive, with participation from SoftBank Group, NAP, G Squared, La Famiglia, Unbound and 2 other investors.

Forto's valuation has grown 1.8x from $1.2B at its Series C in June 2021 to $2.1B in March 2022, across 2 priced rounds.

Forto valuation by funding round

Forto valuation by funding round
DateStageValuation
Mar 2022Series D$2.1B
Jun 2021Series C$1.2B

Forto Funding History

Forto has raised a total of $592M across 6 funding rounds.

Forto's first fundraising round was a $3M seed round in September 2016. The most recent completed round was a $250M Series D in March 2022.

Forto funding rounds

Forto funding rounds
DateStageInvestorsRaisedValuationDeal Summary
Mar 2022Series DDisruptive (lead); SoftBank Group; NAP; G Squared; La Famiglia; Unbound; Northzone; A.P. Moller Holding$250M$2.1BForto, a Berlin-based provider of digitized freight forwarding and supply chain solutions founded in 2016 by Ferry Heilemann, Erik Muttersbach, Michael Wax, and Dr. Fabian Heilemann, announced a pre-emptive Series D funding round of $250 million on March 7, 2022, led by Disruptive with participation from SoftBank Vision Fund 2, G Squared, Northzone, Unbound, and A.P. Moller Holding. The round valued the company at a post-money valuation of $2.1 billion, building on a previous $240 million raise in June 2021 led by SoftBank Vision Fund 2, bringing total funding raised to over $600 million. The investment aims to accelerate international expansion, broaden product offerings, and support geographic growth into markets like Poland, Belgium, Sweden, and southern Europe amid supply chain challenges. Forto's platform handles the full freight process from booking and documentation to tracking and analytics, serving over 2,500 customers including manufacturers and e-commerce brands like Home 24 and Edeka. At the time, the company operated 16 locations across Europe and Asia with more than 750 employees in offices including Berlin, Copenhagen, Hamburg, Ho Chi Minh City, Madrid, Rotterdam, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Shanghai. It focuses on sea, rail, and air freight, shipping up to 10,000 containers annually, emphasizing transparency, frictionless operations, and sustainability in global logistics. The funding reflects strong investor confidence in Forto's technology-driven approach to address visibility and control issues in supply chains, as highlighted by Disruptive CEO Alex Davis. CEO Michael Wax noted the raise allows acceleration of existing strategies despite market challenges, leveraging the company's well-funded position from prior rounds.
Jun 2021Series CSoftBank Group (lead); NAP; G Squared; H14; Citi Ventures; Unbound; Cherry Ventures; Inven Capital; Northzone$239M$1.2BForto is a Germany-headquartered freight forwarding and supply chain digitalization software provider that automates shipping processes across sea, air, and rail transportation. The company's platform enables businesses to digitize their shipping activities, automating offer generation, booking, and document administration while providing advanced data analytics for real-time shipment tracking and activity planning. The company was founded in 2016 as FreightHub and had accumulated approximately 2,500 clients by mid-2021, including Home 24 and German supermarket chain Edeka, with capacity to ship up to 10,000 containers annually. In June 2021, Forto raised $240 million in Series C funding (referenced as both Series C and Series D in sources, though the June 2021 round preceded a later $250 million Series D in late 2021) at a $1.2 billion post-money valuation. The round was led by SoftBank Vision Fund 2 and included both new and existing investors such as Citi Ventures, G Squared, Northzone, Cherry Ventures, Unbound, and Inven Capital. This investment represented a significant milestone for the German logistics software sector, positioning Forto alongside other digital freight forwarding innovators in Europe. The funding enabled Forto to expand its trade shipment capabilities, particularly between China and Europe, and strengthened SoftBank's portfolio in logistics technology following its earlier investment in China's Full Truck Alliance.
Jul 2020Series BInven Capital (lead); Maersk Growth; NAP; Rider Global; IRIS; H14; Cherry Ventures; Northzone$50M--
May 2019Series BRider Global (lead); Unbound (lead); Maersk Growth; NAP; Global Founders Capital; Cherry Ventures; Northzone$30M-Forto was founded in 2016 and operates as a digital freight forwarder and supply chain management platform serving over 2,000 customers globally. Rider Global and Unbound are mentioned as early investors. Forto raised $50 million in a 2020 round led by Inven Capital and Iris Capital, bringing total funding to $126 million since inception in 2016. Forto raised an additional $240 million in June 2021 at a $1.2 billion valuation, led by SoftBank Vision Fund 2. By 2022, Forto raised $250 million in Series D funding at a $2.1 billion valuation, led by Disruptive.
Dec 2017Series ANorthzone (lead); NAP; Global Founders Capital; La Famiglia; Cherry Ventures$20M--
Sep 2016SeedCherry Ventures (lead); Global Founders Capital (lead); NAP; La Famiglia; Saarbruecker 21$3M--

Who has invested in Forto?

17 investors have backed Forto across its funding rounds, including NAP, Northzone, Cherry Ventures, Global Founders Capital, La Famiglia and Unbound.

Lead investors include Disruptive, SoftBank Group, Inven Capital, Rider Global, Unbound and 3 other investors.


Forto Investors

Investors in Forto by funding rounds participated
InvestorHQRoundsRoleFirst check
NAPGermanyBerlin6ParticipantSep 2016
Cherry VenturesGermanyBerlin5LeadSep 2016
NorthzoneUnited KingdomLondon5LeadDec 2017
Global Founders CapitalGermanyBerlin3LeadSep 2016
La FamigliaGermanyBerlin3ParticipantSep 2016
UnboundUnited KingdomLondon3LeadMay 2019
Maersk GrowthDenmarkDenmark2ParticipantMay 2019
SoftBank GroupJapanTokyo2LeadJun 2021
Rider GlobalCyprusLimassol2LeadMay 2019
G SquaredUnited StatesChicago, IL2ParticipantJun 2021
H14ItalyItaly2ParticipantJul 2020
Inven CapitalCzech RepublicPrague2LeadJul 2020
DisruptiveUnited StatesAustin, TX1LeadMar 2022

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Forto Competitors

Forto competitors include listed companies like Transfar Zhilian Co and Delhivery, and private ones like Loggi, EasyPost, Xpressbees and Saic Anji Logistics Co., Ltd.

Public and private companies comparable to Forto
CompanyHQStatusRevenueEBITDAValuationRevenue Multiple
Transfar Zhilian CoChinaChinaPublicly listed$3.7B$258M$1.9B1.3x
LoggiBrazilSão PauloPrivate--$1.8B-
EasyPostUnited StatesSalt Lake City, UTPrivate--$1.5B-
XpressbeesIndiaPunePrivate$271M-$1.4B5.2x
Saic Anji Logistics Co., LtdChinaChinaPrivate--$1.4B-
DelhiveryIndiaIndiaPublicly listed$1.1B$80M$3.4B2.7x

Forto Public Comps

Forto is still privately-owned, but its public comps include Karooooo, Werner Enterprises, Hub Group, Xinhua Winshare, Alexandria Containers and Goods, GigaCloud Technology, Transfar Zhilian Co, STEF, Pitney Bowes and ID Logistics.

Last FYEV/RevenueEV/EBITDA
RevenueEBITDALast FYLTM2027ELast FYLTM2027E
Karooooo$337M$148M6.3x5.7x14.3x13.8x
Werner Enterprises$3B$299M1.0x0.9x10.3x7.7x
Hub Group$3.9B$333M0.6x0.7x7.4x9.4x
Xinhua Winshare$1.7B$248M0.4x0.4x2.9x3.4x
Alexandria Containers and Goods$160M$102M11.4x10.5x17.9x14.4x
GigaCloud Technology$1.3B$158M1.6x1.4x12.8x10.6x
Transfar Zhilian Co$3.7B$258M1.0x1.3x14.0x12.5x
STEF$5.9B$508M0.6x0.6x6.8x6.0x

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Common questions about Forto

When was Forto founded?Forto was founded in 2016.
Where is Forto headquartered?Forto is headquartered in Berlin, Germany.
Is Forto publicly listed?No, Forto is a private, VC-backed company.
What is Forto's valuation?Forto was last valued at $2.1B in its Series D in March 2022.
How much funding has Forto raised?Forto has raised $592M across 6 funding rounds.
What was Forto's last funding round?Forto's last funding round was a $250M Series D in March 2022, led by Disruptive.
Who are Forto's investors?Forto's investors include NAP, Cherry Ventures, Northzone, Global Founders Capital, La Famiglia, Unbound, Maersk Growth, SoftBank Group, Rider Global, G Squared and 7 others.
Which companies are comparable to Forto?Companies comparable to Forto include Transfar Zhilian Co, Loggi, EasyPost, Xpressbees, Saic Anji Logistics Co., Ltd and Delhivery.

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