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The Seattle waterfront and Port of Seattle properties, with a container ship and West Seattle in the background. (GeekWire Photo / Taylor Soper)

Buoyed by longtime logistics giants such as Amazon and the rapid rise of trucking startup Convoy, the Seattle region has emerged as a major epicenter for supply chain software innovation.

There are at least 15 startups in the Seattle area (listed below) that develop logistics software to help companies move and manage physical goods.

The supply chain talent pool in Seattle has a unique blend of “technical skill and customer focus required to win in today’s economy,” said Jason Murray, a former Amazon vice president and co-founder of Seattle-based shipping logistics startup Shipium.

That talent can be traced back to global corporations in Seattle such as Starbucks, Costco, Expeditors, and Amazon.

The city has an abundance of “supply chain awareness,” said Dan Lewis, co-founder and former CEO of Convoy, a one-time darling of Seattle’s startup scene that raised investment from the likes of Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates. The digital trucking marketplace was valued at more than $3 billion before shutting down in 2023 and selling its assets to Flexport, which re-launched the platform this year and has a Seattle-area satellite office.

The supply chain crisis during the pandemic, along with advances in mobile, AI, and other software-related technologies, has driven interest and funding to logistics startups, Lewis said.

Lewis and his co-founder Grant Goodale cut their teeth at Amazon before launching Convoy in 2015.

Other Amazon leaders have taken the startup leap into logistics in Seattle, including Dave Clark, the former Amazon Worldwide Consumer CEO who just raised $100 million for Auger, a supply chain tech startup.

An Amazon electric van in Seattle. (GeekWire Photo / Kurt Schlosser)

Clark, who was recently based in Dallas, returned to the Seattle area to launch Auger.

“I think some of the best talent in the world for this particular problem space lives in Seattle,” he told GeekWire in October.

Bryan Lacaillade is another former Amazonian now leading a Seattle-area logistics startup, launching Freightmate earlier this year.

“Seattle’s logistics tech ecosystem is truly world-class and was the primary reason we chose to launch Freightmate here,” said Lacaillade, who previously worked at Flexport.

Mo Afshar, CEO of Pipe17, a Seattle e-commerce operations startup, said the physical proximity to Amazon gives his company an advantage.

“Amazon has defined a lot of what logistics means in the modern world, so being in the same city really makes a difference,” he said.

Seattle has built a reputation around the country as a hub for logistics tech talent. Cargado, a new trucking load board startup out of Chicago that raised $6.8 million this year, hopes to open a permanent engineering office in Seattle.

“There’s top-notch talent and a lot of great people coming from Amazon and Microsoft,” said Cargado CEO and co-founder Matt Silver. “It’s really valuable to keep investing there.”

Rylan Hawkins, co-founder and CTO at Cargado, is based in Seattle. He’s one of several former Convoy leaders who have gone on to lead or join logistics startups, many in the Emerald City.

Hawkins said more software engineers are being drawn to logistics startups, which raised $4.5 billion in the first half of 2024, according to PitchBook.

“We see tech talent enjoying the idea that their work affects real atoms, not just pixels on the screen,” Hawkins said. “Folks want to have an impact in the world, to real people’s lives and the economy.”

Several logistics startups in Seattle are ranked on the GeekWire 200, our list of top privately held tech startups in the Pacific Northwest.

We’ve listed supply chain and logistics startups in Seattle below. Email us at tips@geekwire.com to let us know if we’re missing any companies.

Auger

Founded: 2024

CEO: Dave Clark

The pitch: AI-powered system for supply chains that unifies data, targets inefficiencies, and provides real-time insights and automation.

GeekWire 200 ranking: No. 194

Related coverage: Former Amazon exec Dave Clark is back in Seattle with a startup of his own — and $100M in funding

Cargado (co-working office)

Founded: 2023

CEO: Matt Silver

The pitch: Invite-only trucking load board for brokers and carriers moving shipments across borders, including to and from Mexico.

EasyMetrics

Founded: 2012

CEO: Dean Dorcas

The pitch: Helps companies improve operational efficiency at fulfillment and distribution warehouses.

FlavorCloud

Founded: 2018

CEO: Rathna Sharad 

The pitch: Software that helps e-commerce companies ship products around the globe.

GeekWire 200 ranking: No. 127

Related coverage: Profitable and growing, international shipping startup FlavorCloud raises $6.3M

Flexe

Founded: 2013

CEO: Karl Siebrecht

The pitch: Provides online retailers with on-demand warehousing space and offers services for other shipping needs.

GeekWire 200 ranking: No. 73

Related coverage: Warehousing and logistics startup Flexe cuts 38% of workforce in latest layoffs

Flexport (engineering office)

Founded: 2013

CEO: Ryan Petersen

The pitch: End-to-end logistics services including ocean, air, truck and rail freight, drayage and cartage, warehousing, customs and compliance, financing and insurance, and more.

Related coverage: Flexport relaunches Convoy trucking marketplace after acquiring tech from Seattle startup

Freightmate

Founded: 2024

CEO: Bryan Lacaillade

The pitch: A next-generation management system to help freight forwarding companies with their tasks and documents.

Related coverage: Another logistics startup emerges in Seattle as former Amazon, Flexport execs reveal Freightmate

GoodShip

Founded: 2022

CEO: Ryan Soskin

The pitch: Software designed for finance and analytics needs related to shipping goods across the country.

Related coverage: GoodShip, a freight network logistics startup led by Convoy vets, raises $8M

Grydd

Founded: 2018

CEO: Daniel Acosta

The pitch: Supply chain software for shippers, carriers, and logistics operators.

Logixboard

Founded: 2022

CEO: Julian Alvarez

The pitch: Helping shippers manage fragmented documents and data.

GeekWire 200 ranking: No. 192

Related coverage: Logixboard lands $32M as supply chain chaos drives demand for freight forwarding software

Manifold Freight

Founded: 2024

CEO: Oliver Jones

The pitch: Aggregate spot freight opportunities for carriers.

Related coverage: YC grad Manifold Freight raises $1.9M for trucking logistics software

OpenTug

Founded: 2019

CEO: Jason Aristides

The pitch: A marine logistics platform that helps companies optimize freight efficiency on inland and coastal waterways by streamlining booking, quoting and tracking.

Related coverage: Maritime marketplace and software platform OpenTug raises $3.1M

Outgo

Founded: 2021

CEO: Marcus Womack

The pitch: Banking services for freight carriers.

Related coverage: Freight fintech startup Outgo raises $15M to help trucking carriers access cash quickly

Pandion

Founded: 2020

CEO: Scott Ruffin

The pitch: Helping online retailers deliver orders to customers.

GeekWire 200 ranking: No. 75

Related coverage: Pandion, an e-commerce delivery startup led by Amazon Air founder, lands $41.5M

Pipe17

Founded: 2019

CEO: Mo Afshar

The pitch: A platform that helps online retailers tie together e-commerce software systems related to inventory, order flow, fulfillment, and more. 

Related coverage: E-commerce logistics startup Pipe17 raises $8M amid pandemic-driven online shopping surge

Sendle (U.S headquarters)

Founded: 2014

CEO: James Chin Moody

The pitch: Helps small e-commerce businesses with shipping.

Related coverage: Australian shipping company Sendle opens U.S. headquarters in Seattle to help small businesses

Shipium

Founded: 2019

CEO: Jason Murray

The pitch: Helps e-commerce companies improve their supply chain capabilities by reducing cost and speeding up deliveries.

GeekWire 200 ranking: No. 148

Related coverage: Solving the ‘Prime problem’: Shipium lands $27M to help online retailers compete with Amazon

Trapezoid Technologies

Founded: 2023

CEO: Jonathan Cook

The pitch: Captures images and videos of trucks and trailers, with help from artificial intelligence.

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