Flexport, Inc.
Company History
Flexport History: Founding, Growth & Key Milestones
Founded 2013 in San Francisco, California
When was Flexport founded?
Flexport was founded in 2013 in San Francisco, California by Ryan Petersen and David Habben, making it 13 years old.
- Founded
- 2013
- Founding place
- San Francisco, California
- Founders
- Ryan Petersen and David Habben
- Headquarters today
- San Francisco, California
- Milestones documented
- 10 (2013–2026)
- Current CEO
- Ryan Petersen
- Acquisitions
- 4
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 2013 | Flexport Founded |
| 2014 | Y Combinator |
| 2017 | Series C Funding |
| 2019 | $1 Billion SoftBank-Led Round |
| 2022 | $8 Billion Valuation |
| 2022 | Dave Clark Named CEO |
| 2023 | Shopify Logistics, Convoy and Founder Return |
| 2024 | Revenue Rebounds to $2.1 Billion |
| 2025 | Convoy Platform Sold to DAT |
| 2026 | Tariff Refunds and TIME100 |
- Where was Flexport founded?
- Flexport was founded in San Francisco, California in 2013.
- Who founded Flexport?
- Flexport was founded by Ryan Petersen and David Habben.
- When did Flexport start?
- Flexport was founded in 2013.
- How old is Flexport?
- Flexport is 13 years old as of 2026.
Founding Story
Before Flexport, Ryan Petersen co-founded ImportGenius, a data business built on U.S. customs manifest records, and had imported goods from China himself. The manual, email-and-fax nature of freight forwarding convinced him the industry needed an operating system. He founded Flexport in 2013, went through Y Combinator's Winter 2014 batch, and obtained the licenses to act as a forwarder and customs broker rather than only selling software.
Founders
Ryan Petersen
Ryan Petersen founded Flexport in 2013 after running import businesses and co-founding ImportGenius, which compiled U.S. customs manifest data. Frustrated by fax-and-email freight forwarding, he took Flexport through Y Combinator in 2014 and built it into a licensed forwarder and customs broker backed by Founders Fund, Andreessen Horowitz, SoftBank and Shopify. He handed the CEO role to Dave Clark in 2022, returned in September 2023, and has since led the company's cost reset, the 2025 Convoy Platform sale and its 2026 push into tariff-refund and customs services. Ryan Petersen was born in 1981.
David Habben
David Habben co-founded Flexport in 2013 alongside Ryan Petersen. While Petersen handled the massive regulatory and business complexities of global shipping, Habben served as the technical architect. He built the initial, highly disruptive software dashboard that allowed companies to actually track their ocean freight in real-time—a feature that the massive, archaic freight forwarding industry completely lacked at the time. (Exact birth year remains publicly undisclosed).
Key Milestones
Flexport Founded
Ryan Petersen founded Flexport in San Francisco to digitize freight forwarding and customs brokerage.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgY Combinator
Flexport went through Y Combinator's Winter 2014 batch and became a licensed forwarder and customs broker.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgSeries C Funding
Flexport raised $110 million in a round led by DST Global in 2017.
Source: en.wikipedia.org$1 Billion SoftBank-Led Round
A $1 billion round led by SoftBank Vision Fund valued Flexport at about $3.2 billion.
Source: en.wikipedia.org$8 Billion Valuation
Flexport raised $935 million in a Series E led by Andreessen Horowitz and MSD Partners, valuing it at $8 billion; Dave Clark became CEO that September.
Source: flexport.comDave Clark Named CEO
Flexport named the former Amazon executive Dave Clark as chief executive in June 2022.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgShopify Logistics, Convoy and Founder Return
Flexport took over Shopify Logistics (including Deliverr), bought the Convoy technology platform, and Ryan Petersen returned as CEO in September and cut about 20% of staff.
Source: flexport.comRevenue Rebounds to $2.1 Billion
Revenue rose more than 30% to about $2.1 billion, though the company missed its profitability target.
Source: wwd.comConvoy Platform Sold to DAT
Flexport sold the Convoy Platform to DAT Freight & Analytics for a reported ~$250 million, a one-time gain that made 2025 profitable on paper.
Source: dat.comTariff Refunds and TIME100
After the Supreme Court struck down IEEPA tariffs in February 2026, Flexport pushed its refund calculator and trade advisory services and was named to the TIME100 Most Influential Companies list.
Source: flexport.comMajor Acquisitions
Shopify Logistics (including Deliverr)
2023Added U.S. warehousing and e-commerce fulfillment so Flexport could move goods from overseas factories to consumers' doors; Shopify received roughly a 13% equity stake in Flexport.
Convoy Platform (technology and IP)
2023Bought the technology of shut-down digital freight broker Convoy for a reported ~$16 million and relaunched it in April 2024 as a neutral freight-matching platform for brokers and carriers.
Shopify Logistics / Deliverr
2023Expand reach into e-commerce fulfillment, last-mile delivery.
Convoy (Technology Assets)
2023Digital freight network platform for the trucking industry.
Keep researching Flexport
Flexport Company History FAQ
When was Flexport founded and what was its original operating model?
Flexport was founded in March 2013 by Ryan Petersen in San Francisco. It began as an online customs brokerage portal before securing Federal Maritime Commission licenses in 2014 to become a full-service digital freight forwarder.
When did Flexport participate in the Y Combinator accelerator program?
Flexport went through the Y Combinator startup accelerator in the Winter 2014 batch, rapidly gaining attention as one of YC's breakout enterprise technology successes.
When did Flexport achieve unicorn status with a $1 billion valuation?
In 2019, following a large $1.0 billion funding round led by the SoftBank Vision Fund, Flexport achieved a $3.2 billion valuation, cementing its status as the world's most valuable logistics technology startup.
When did Flexport reach an $8 billion valuation in its Series E funding round?
In February 2022, Flexport raised $935 million in a Series E funding round led by Andreessen Horowitz and MSD Partners, valuing the company at $8.0 billion.
When did Flexport acquire Shopify Logistics?
In May 2023, Flexport completed the acquisition of Shopify Logistics, integrating fulfillment and warehousing assets to provide end-to-end supply chain logistics from overseas factories directly to consumers' doors.
What leadership transition occurred at Flexport in September 2023?
In September 2023, Dave Clark resigned as CEO, and founder Ryan Petersen returned as Chief Executive Officer, initiating operational restructurings to drive profitability, product excellence, and customer trust.
How did Flexport start?
Flexport was founded in 2013 by Ryan Petersen. Having previously run an import-export business with his brother, Petersen was deeply frustrated by the archaic state of global shipping. Realizing that multi-million dollar ocean freight shipments were still being coordinated via messy spreadsheets and literal fax machines, he built a digital platform to centralize it all.
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