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The Seattle waterfront and Port of Seattle properties, with a container ship and West Seattle in the background. (GeekWire Photo / Taylor Soper)
Buoyed by longtime logistics giants such as Amazon and the rapid rise of trucking startup Convoy, the Seattle region has emerged as a major epicenter for supply chain software innovation.
There are at least 15 startups in the Seattle area (listed below) that develop logistics software to help companies move and manage physical goods.
The supply chain talent pool in Seattle has a unique blend of “technical skill and customer focus required to win in today’s economy,” said Jason Murray, a former Amazon vice president and co-founder of Seattle-based shipping logistics startup Shipium.
That talent can be traced back to global corporations in Seattle such as Starbucks, Costco, Expeditors, and Amazon.
The city has an abundance of “supply chain awareness,” said Dan Lewis, co-founder and former CEO of Convoy, a one-time darling of Seattle’s startup scene that raised investment from the likes of Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates. The digital trucking marketplace was valued at more than $3 billion before shutting down in 2023 and selling its assets to Flexport, which re-launched the platform this year and has a Seattle-area satellite office.
The supply chain crisis during the pandemic, along with advances in mobile, AI, and other software-related technologies, has driven interest and funding to logistics startups, Lewis said.
Lewis and his co-founder Grant Goodale cut their teeth at Amazon before launching Convoy in 2015.
Other Amazon leaders have taken the startup leap into logistics in Seattle, including Dave Clark, the former Amazon Worldwide Consumer CEO who just raised $100 million for Auger, a supply chain tech startup.
An Amazon electric van in Seattle. (GeekWire Photo / Kurt Schlosser)
Clark, who was recently based in Dallas, returned to the Seattle area to launch Auger.
“I think some of the best talent in the world for this particular problem space lives in Seattle,” he told GeekWire in October.
Bryan Lacaillade is another former Amazonian now leading a Seattle-area logistics startup, launching Freightmate earlier this year.
“Seattle’s logistics tech ecosystem is truly world-class and was the primary reason we chose to launch Freightmate here,” said Lacaillade, who previously worked at Flexport.
Mo Afshar, CEO of Pipe17, a Seattle e-commerce operations startup, said the physical proximity to Amazon gives his company an advantage.
“Amazon has defined a lot of what logistics means in the modern world, so being in the same city really makes a difference,” he said.
Seattle has built a reputation around the country as a hub for logistics tech talent. Cargado, a new trucking load board startup out of Chicago that raised $6.8 million this year, hopes to open a permanent engineering office in Seattle.
“There’s top-notch talent and a lot of great people coming from Amazon and Microsoft,” said Cargado CEO and co-founder Matt Silver. “It’s really valuable to keep investing there.”
Rylan Hawkins, co-founder and CTO at Cargado, is based in Seattle. He’s one of several former Convoy leaders who have gone on to lead or join logistics startups, many in the Emerald City.
Hawkins said more software engineers are being drawn to logistics startups, which raised $4.5 billion in the first half of 2024, according to PitchBook.
“We see tech talent enjoying the idea that their work affects real atoms, not just pixels on the screen,” Hawkins said. “Folks want to have an impact in the world, to real people’s lives and the economy.”
Several logistics startups in Seattle are ranked on the GeekWire 200, our list of top privately held tech startups in the Pacific Northwest.
We’ve listed supply chain and logistics startups in Seattle below. Email us at [email protected] to let us know if we’re missing any companies.
Auger
Founded: 2024
CEO: Dave Clark
The pitch: AI-powered system for supply chains that unifies data, targets inefficiencies, and provides real-time insights and automation.
GeekWire 200 ranking: No. 194
Related coverage: Former Amazon exec Dave Clark is back in Seattle with a startup of his own — and $100M in funding
Cargado (co-working office)
Founded: 2023
CEO: Matt Silver
The pitch: Invite-only trucking load board for brokers and carriers moving shipments across borders, including to and from Mexico.
FlavorCloud
Founded: 2018
CEO: Rathna Sharad
The pitch: Software that helps e-commerce companies ship products around the globe.
GeekWire 200 ranking: No. 127
Related coverage: Profitable and growing, international shipping startup FlavorCloud raises $6.3M
Flexe
Founded: 2013
CEO: Karl Siebrecht
The pitch: Provides online retailers with on-demand warehousing space and offers services for other shipping needs.
GeekWire 200 ranking: No. 73
Related coverage: Warehousing and logistics startup Flexe cuts 38% of workforce in latest layoffs
Flexport (engineering office)
Founded: 2013
CEO: Ryan Petersen
The pitch: End-to-end logistics services including ocean, air, truck and rail freight, drayage and cartage, warehousing, customs and compliance, financing and insurance, and more.
Related coverage: Flexport relaunches Convoy trucking marketplace after acquiring tech from Seattle startup
Freightmate
Founded: 2024
CEO: Bryan Lacaillade
The pitch: A next-generation management system to help freight forwarding companies with their tasks and documents.
Related coverage: Another logistics startup emerges in Seattle as former Amazon, Flexport execs reveal Freightmate
GoodShip
Founded: 2022
CEO: Ryan Soskin
The pitch: Software designed for finance and analytics needs related to shipping goods across the country.
Related coverage: GoodShip, a freight network logistics startup led by Convoy vets, raises $8M
Grydd
Founded: 2018
CEO: Daniel Acosta
The pitch: Supply chain software for shippers, carriers, and logistics operators.
Logixboard
Founded: 2022
CEO: Julian Alvarez
The pitch: Helping shippers manage fragmented documents and data.
GeekWire 200 ranking: No. 192
Related coverage: Logixboard lands $32M as supply chain chaos drives demand for freight forwarding software
Manifold Freight
Founded: 2024
CEO: Oliver Jones
The pitch: Aggregate spot freight opportunities for carriers.
Related coverage: YC grad Manifold Freight raises $1.9M for trucking logistics software
OpenTug
Founded: 2019
CEO: Jason Aristides
The pitch: A marine logistics platform that helps companies optimize freight efficiency on inland and coastal waterways by streamlining booking, quoting and tracking.
Related coverage: Maritime marketplace and software platform OpenTug raises $3.1M
Outgo
Founded: 2021
CEO: Marcus Womack
The pitch: Banking services for freight carriers.
Related coverage: Freight fintech startup Outgo raises $15M to help trucking carriers access cash quickly
Pandion
Founded: 2020
CEO: Scott Ruffin
The pitch: Helping online retailers deliver orders to customers.
GeekWire 200 ranking: No. 75
Related coverage: Pandion, an e-commerce delivery startup led by Amazon Air founder, lands $41.5M
Pipe17
Founded: 2019
CEO: Mo Afshar
The pitch: A platform that helps online retailers tie together e-commerce software systems related to inventory, order flow, fulfillment, and more.
Related coverage: E-commerce logistics startup Pipe17 raises $8M amid pandemic-driven online shopping surge
Sendle (U.S headquarters)
Founded: 2014
CEO: James Chin Moody
The pitch: Helps small e-commerce businesses with shipping.
Related coverage: Australian shipping company Sendle opens U.S. headquarters in Seattle to help small businesses
Shipium
Founded: 2019
CEO: Jason Murray
The pitch: Helps e-commerce companies improve their supply chain capabilities by reducing cost and speeding up deliveries.
GeekWire 200 ranking: No. 148
Related coverage: Solving the ‘Prime problem’: Shipium lands $27M to help online retailers compete with Amazon
Trapezoid Technologies
Founded: 2023
CEO: Jonathan Cook
The pitch: Captures images and videos of trucks and trailers, with help from artificial intelligence.
