5U AI Raises $3.2 Million in Pre-Seed Funding

The Munich-based AI startup 5U AI has closed a pre-seed funding round of $3.2 million. The round was led by London-based venture capital firm Emerge Capital and included participation from Inari and angel investors.

With this fresh capital, the company—founded in 2025—plans to further develop its platform for digital AI employees and accelerate its market entry in Europe. At the same time, 5U AI plans to expand its team in the areas of product development, engineering, operations, and sales.

AI Takes on Operational Tasks in the Freight Forwarding Business

5U AI is developing a platform that relies on so-called “AI Workers.” These are specialized AI agents that handle operational tasks in air, sea, and road freight logistics.

These include, among other things, quote generation, bookings, shipment tracking, invoice reconciliation, data entry, and other administrative processes. The AI operates directly within the existing IT systems of freight forwarders and logistics companies, eliminating the need for a complete infrastructure overhaul.

Decisions are documented in a traceable manner

A key feature of the platform is the so-called Context Layer. It documents not only the result of a decision but also the underlying decision-making process of the AI.

This allows logistics companies to understand why a particular decision was made and to use this knowledge in the long term to optimize their processes. The goal is not only to automate individual work steps but also to systematically build up and scale a company’s operational know-how.

First Customers in Europe

According to the company, the platform is already being used by several freight forwarders and logistics service providers in Europe. Customers include TCI International Logistics, where the AI solutions are already being used in the air and ocean freight businesses.

5U AI was founded by Yagiz Abik and Fehmi Şener, graduates of the Technical University of Munich. The company is also supported by former executives from well-known logistics groups such as DHL, DSV, Maersk, GEODIS, and CEVA Logistics.

AI Is Transforming the Logistics Industry

With the growing shortage of skilled workers and increasing pressure to digitize, artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly important in logistics as well. While many solutions automate individual processes, 5U AI takes a more comprehensive approach and is developing a digital workforce that independently handles operational tasks while continuously expanding its company-specific knowledge.

With this pre-seed funding, the Munich-based startup aims to further expand its position in the European FreightTech market.