5U AI lands $3.2M pre-seed for AI freight workforce platform

Munich-based AI startup 5U AI has secured $3.2 million in pre-seed funding to further develop its digital workforce platform for freight forwarding teams. The investment round was spearheaded by London-based venture capital firm Emerge Capital. Launched in 2025 by former Technical University of Munich students Yagiz Abik and Fehmi Şener, 5U AI specializes in AI-powered digital workers designed to automate operational tasks across various freight modes, including air, sea, and road logistics.

The 5U AI platform seamlessly integrates with existing freight systems, managing critical tasks such as quoting, bookings, shipment tracking, invoice reconciliation, data entry, and standard administrative duties. Notably, the platform's Decision Layer provides transparency by logging the reasoning behind each operational decision, offering freight teams insights into how work is performed. Additionally, the system constructs a knowledge base that can enhance future processes.

Tailored specifically for logistics workflows, including the intricate exceptions and manual decisions that challenge generic AI tools, the platform has already been adopted by freight forwarders and carriers throughout Europe, supporting both air and ocean freight operations. Backed by seasoned logistics industry professionals, 5U AI boasts a team of experts who recognize the challenges freight forwarding faces, where many decisions remain confined to inboxes, spreadsheets, and human memory.

CEO Yagiz Abik explained, "We are not constructing an ordinary chatbot that merely answers queries and fades away; instead, we are constructing AI Workers that comprehend freight operations, execute the tasks, and capture the rationale behind every decision. This enables teams to scale not only their capacity but also their knowledge."

With the recent funding, 5U AI plans to intensify product development, broaden its market presence across Europe, and expand its workforce in product management, engineering, operations, commercial, and customer-facing domains.