The $8 billion freight forwarder has succeeded by bringing tech to an archaic industry. It has designs on a bigger prize: owning the data layer for global trade.

Flexport has brought technology to the party. Many incumbents have been slow to adopt technology, preferring phone calls and fax to contemporary tools. Flexport upended the space by building a large engineering team and creating a modern platform that offers visibility and control over the freight forwarding process.

The company has bigger ambitions. Flexport doesn’t just want to be the most cutting-edge freight forwarder. It wants to build a global trade platform that offers accurate, real-time data for the entire industry. It is a goal no less audacious than constructing a digital twin for the world’s supply chain....

The $8 billion freight forwarder has succeeded by bringing tech to an archaic industry. It has designs on a bigger prize: owning the data layer for global trade.

Flexport has brought technology to the party. Many incumbents have been slow to adopt technology, preferring phone calls and fax to contemporary tools. Flexport upended the space by building a large engineering team and creating a modern platform that offers visibility and control over the freight forwarding process.

The company has bigger ambitions. Flexport doesn’t just want to be the most cutting-edge freight forwarder. It wants to build a global trade platform that offers accurate, real-time data for the entire industry. It is a goal no less audacious than constructing a digital twin for the world’s supply chain.

There’s tension between Flexport’s two models. Supporters argue that Flexport has a leg up when it comes to building its global trade platform. Who better than a company with technical expertise and operational experience? The tricky part is that the freight forwarding division has different incentives than the platform team. Flexport will need to work hard to keep them siloed. ..