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

Freight forwarding still runs on email chains, spreadsheets, and manual data entry — work that slows down global trade and drains operational teams. Munich-based 5U AI is betting that AI agents can take over that grind without requiring a platform migration.

On July 28, 2026, 5U AI announced it had raised $3.2 million in an oversubscribed pre-seed round led by London-based Emerge Capital, with participation from Inari and a group of angel investors that includes former senior leaders from DHL, GEODIS, DSV, Maersk, and Ceva Logistics .

The Founding Team

5U AI was founded in 2025 by Yagiz Abik and Fehmi Şener, both graduates of the Technical University of Munich . The two founders previously met working in football analytics and later ran a venture studio together before launching 5U AI .

What the AI Workers Do

5U AI builds an AI-powered digital workforce platform for freight forwarding teams . Instead of another dashboard or ERP module, the company deploys what it calls AI Workers — software agents that operate inside a freight forwarder’s existing systems, reading emails, updating databases, and executing back-office processes .

The platform automates tasks across air, sea, and road freight, including:

• Quoting and rate management
• Booking coordination
• Shipment tracking
• Invoice reconciliation
• Data entry and routine administration

According to the company, these are the workflows that still rely heavily on manual email and spreadsheet processes in most freight forwarding operations .

The Decision Layer: Why It Matters

A key differentiator in 5U AI's platform is its Decision Layer. This feature records the reasoning behind every operational decision the AI makes, building a persistent knowledge base that freight teams can audit, review, and learn from .

The idea is to capture institutional context — the "why" behind a rate, a booking choice, or a routing decision — that is normally lost when experienced team members leave or retire . The Decision Layer also enables continuous improvement of the AI's accuracy over time .

Current Traction and Customers

5U AI is already being used by European freight forwarders and carriers. The company has disclosed one named customer:

• TCI International Logistics — using the platform for both air and ocean freight operations

Other unnamed European freight forwarders and carriers across air, sea, and road modes are also on the platform, according to the company .

How the Funds Will Be Used

5U AI plans to deploy the $3.2 million across three areas:

1. Product development — accelerating the AI Workers platform and the Decision Layer capabilities
2. European go-to-market expansion — scaling sales and deployment across the continent
3. Team growth — hiring across product, engineering, operations, commercial, and customer-facing roles

The round marks 5U AI's first public financing since its founding, and the involvement of angel investors with decades of logistics experience signals that industry insiders see a clear pain point worth solving .