Qargo lands £24.6m to cut empty running and admin using AI
This article covers Qargo, a supply chain startup, and its £24.6m Series B funding to accelerate its AI-driven transport management system across Europe. The investment aims to support Qargo's expansion into new markets, growth of its team and development of its AI capabilities, affecting fleet operators and logistics providers that use transport management software.
Qargo, a supply chain startup with bases in Ghent and London, has raised £24.6m ($33m) in a Series B round to accelerate its AI-driven transport management system across Europe. The funding follows rapid growth over the past 18 months — customer count has quadrupled, annual invoicing processed through the platform has climbed from £420m to more than £1.9bn, and Qargo has expanded from two to six European markets — and will be used to grow the team, enter new territories and develop its AI capabilities.
Why it matters
Transport and logistics remain largely analogue compared with other parts of the economy, yet efficiency, security and emissions targets are forcing rapid change. Qargo’s platform automates end-to-end transport workflows and claims significant time savings on administrative tasks while reducing empty running for fleets. For operators facing thin margins, stricter decarbonisation rules and rising cyber risk, software that can cut costs and tighten controls has clear commercial relevance.
The Series B also raises the total capital into Qargo to $54m, signalling continuing investor interest in automation and AI applied to logistics infrastructure.
Inside the product
Qargo’s product centres on a cloud-based transport management system (TMS) and an AI engine called Qargo Intelligence. The platform automates activities from order creation and route planning to load building, invoicing and warehouse time-slot booking. The company says customers can spend up to 75% less time on repetitive administrative tasks and that its optimisation functions can cut empty running by as much as 30%.
The platform includes agentic AI that can interact with external systems to accelerate processes at scale. Qargo Network, a real-time work-sharing layer, lets operators subcontract or share jobs with transparency and control comparable to running those jobs in-house. Security is a core design point: Qargo holds ISO 27001 certification, runs exclusively on Google Cloud with Cloud Armor, uses continuous code-scanning tools such as Aikido, conducts regular penetration testing and maintains in-house security specialists. The company describes its approach as cloud-first to shift security responsibilities away from customers.
Growth metrics the company cites include a fivefold increase in revenue since its Series A and a customer base expansion from roughly 100 to over 400.
Who are the investors?
The £24.6m ($33m) Series B was led by Sofina, the Belgian family-backed investment company, with participation from existing investor Balderton Capital. The company says the funds will support team expansion, entry into new markets and further development of its AI-driven product while maintaining independence and a partner-friendly approach.
Anthony Keusters, Principal at Sofina, said:
Qargo’s experienced team combines deep industry knowledge with strong product velocity and client centricity. This results in exceptional customer traction. Road transport is the backbone of Europe’s economy, and Qargo is delivering meaningful, measurable cost and CO2 efficiency gains for fleets of all sizes. They are building something genuinely transformative in the transport-technology market, and we are excited to back them on the journey ahead.
If you're researching potential backers in this space:
- Explore our list of supply chain venture capital firms in the UK
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Founder perspective
Adriaan Coppens, CEO and co-founder of Qargo, framed the round as validation of the company’s progress and approach.
Adriaan Coppens, CEO and co-founder of Qargo, said:
This round is a strong endorsement of our progress and our mission to modernise transport management. Since our Series A we’ve grown revenue, customers and team at an exceptional pace, while remaining highly capital efficient. The Series B funding allows us to continue investing and grow the team so that we can keep offering the same level of customer service.
Customer references underline the product’s operational impact. Stijn Gheyle, Chief Operating Officer at CLdN Cargo, said:
Efficiency, transparency, and flexibility are central to our customer offering. Qargo’s intelligent transport management platform provides the scalability and automation we need to further enhance our multimodal services and deliver an even better experience for our customers.
CLdN Cargo’s endorsement illustrates how a TMS can be used to support multimodal services and drive operational transparency for freight and logistics operators.
The bigger picture
Qargo’s raise sits at the intersection of several broader trends: increased venture interest in logistics software, the application of generative and agentic AI to operational workflows, and investor focus on technologies that can deliver measurable cost and CO2 savings. For European road transport — a sector under regulatory pressure to decarbonise while managing cyber risk — tools that automate manual processes and improve utilisation of assets can materially affect margins.
The deal also shows continued appetite from established European investors for later-stage rounds in companies tackling core infrastructure sectors rather than consumer-facing software.
Qargo’s expansion from two to six European markets in 18 months and its Ghent-London footprint reflect the cross-border nature of logistics demand and the opportunity for platforms that can operate across national markets while managing data security and integration challenges.
This funding round is another example of how AI and cloud software are moving from pilot projects into production across UK and European logistics, with potential implications for operators, regulators and investors focused on efficiency and emissions in freight transport.
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