Forto raises $250 million

The new investment increases the valuation of the Berlin logistics start-up to 2.1 billion US dollars.

The logistics start-up Forto has received 250 million US dollars in a recent round. In addition to Disruptive, existing investors Softbank, G Squared, Northzone, Unbound and A.P. Moeller Holding also invested. The current financing round comes just eight months after a round of 240 million US dollars announced in June 2021, which already made the start-up a unicorn. This increases the company's valuation to 2.1 billion US dollars.

The company intends to use the new capital to drive its global expansion and broaden its product range. Forto intends to hire additional technology and logistics experts and expand its management team to achieve the targeted growth. The start-up recently appointed Jochen Freese, formerly Chief Commercial and Marketing Officer at Ceva Logistics, as Executive Vice President of Procurement and Business Development.

Ferry Heilemann, Fabian Heilemann, Erik Muttersbach and Michael Wax founded Forto in 2016. At that time, the start-up was still called Freighthub. The founders developed a logistics platform designed to act as an interface for various processes. Customers can use it to obtain and book quotes and track their freight in real time. The start-up now employs more than 750 people at 18 locations in Europe and Asia. Forto is focusing on Poland, Belgium, Sweden and southern Europe for its planned expansion.