5U AI Raises $3.2M Pre-Seed to Automate Freight Forwarding with AI Workers

5U AI Secures $3.2 Million Pre-Seed Funding

Munich-based logistics AI startup 5U AI has raised $3.2 million in pre-seed funding to accelerate the development of its AI-powered freight workforce platform.

The round was led by Emerge Capital, with participation from senior logistics executives from DHL, GEODIS, DSV, Maersk, and CEVA Logistics.

The fresh capital will support product development, European expansion, multilingual capabilities, and team growth.

AI Workers for Freight Forwarding

Founded by Yagiz Abik, 5U AI develops AI-powered digital workers designed specifically for freight forwarding operations.

Its AI Workers automate tasks across air, sea, and road freight by:

• Managing emails

• Processing shipping documents

• Coordinating shipments

• Working across existing logistics workflows with human oversight

Rather than replacing existing software, the platform integrates directly with transportation management systems (TMS), communication platforms, and productivity tools.

Context Layer Captures Operational Knowledge

A key component of the platform is its Context Layer, which records the reasoning behind every operational decision made by AI Workers.

According to the company, this enables organizations to preserve institutional knowledge while automating complex freight workflows instead of simply executing isolated tasks.

The platform integrates with tools including:

• WiseTech

• Timocom

• Gmail

• Outlook

• Slack

• Microsoft Teams

• WhatsApp

• SMS and voice systems

Funding to Expand Across Europe

5U AI will use the new investment to:

• Enhance product capabilities

• Expand across European markets

• Improve multilingual support

• Hire across engineering, product, operations, commercial, and customer success teams

The company says its platform is already being used by freight forwarders, including TCI International Logistics, across air and ocean freight operations.

Growing Demand for AI in Logistics

Freight forwarding companies continue to face labor shortages while managing large volumes of customer emails, shipment updates, and operational workflows.

5U AI aims to address these challenges by deploying AI Workers that automate repetitive logistics tasks while keeping humans involved for oversight and exception handling.