Freightos, a software company that began as a SaaS provider, has evolved into a thriving global freight marketplace and a pioneering sales automation platform in the logistics industry. With its remarkable technological advancements, it has become a leader in transforming the international shipping landscape. Known for its innovative approach, Freightos has earned recognition as one of the most forward-thinking companies in the industry.

 Freightos was founded by Zvi Schreiber, an Israeli-British entrepreneur with an impressive background. Born into a business family in London, Zvi's father, David Schreiber, was an experienced businessman and investor. At the age of seven, Zvi and his family moved to Israel, and he later returned to England at 15. Despite his academic pursuits, including a Bachelor's degree in Mathematics from the University of Cambridge, a Master's degree in Theoretical Physics (Quantum Field) from Imperial College London, and a Ph.D. in Computer Science, Zvi's true passion lay in entrepreneurship. He went on to establish four successful companies: lsraTec Limited, Ghost Inc, Tradeum Inc, and Unicorn Inc. Notably, Tradeum Inc was acquired by VerticalNet for $500 million, and Unicorn Inc was acquired by IBM.

Zvi's journey in the business world led him to become the CEO of Lightech, an Israeli clean lighting technology company, in 2010. As an importer and shipper, he faced delays and inefficiencies in obtaining freight quotations from Chinese logistics providers. Recognizing the outdated practices in the international freight forwarding industry, Zvi saw an opportunity to revolutionize the process using the internet.

In 2011, Zvi sold Lightech to GE and used the funds to start Freightos in Jerusalem, Israel. With his software engineering background, Zvi easily developed a standardized software product. In October 2012, Freightos' beta SaaS product was launched, and by March 2013, it became commercially available under the name AcceleRate. This innovative platform aimed to streamline shipping processes and provide transparent freight rates.

Freightos' flagship SaaS product revolutionized the industry by automating rate calculations and management for carriers and freight forwarders. The introduction of online sales automation attracted the interest of major players in the field, including Nippon Express, Hellman Worldwide Logistics, and Sysco Foods. With a successful first year of sales, Freightos achieved break-even and demonstrated its promising potential.

However, the global cargo transportation market is vast, as highlighted by a World Trade Organization report stating that global merchandise exports in 2013 amounted to approximately $18.3 trillion. Zvi, being a software engineer, recognized the enormous opportunities within this market and accelerated fundraising and expansion efforts accordingly.

In August 2014, Freightos made headlines with the acquisition of WebCargo, a leading air cargo rate management provider. This strategic acquisition paved the way for Freightos to access a wealth of valuable resources. With over 100,000 international shipping records covering air, rail, express, and more, and an impressive database of 200 million pricing, rate, and route data points, Freightos established itself as the home of the world's largest rate database. This groundbreaking development transformed the shipping industry, simplifying the process to the point where it became as effortless as booking a flight ticket.

Freightos revolutionized the industry with its unique offerings that included instant quotes, seamless booking, and real-time tracking and order management. These groundbreaking features quickly captured the attention of more than 1,000 logistics providers, who recognized the game-changing advantages they brought. Renowned industry leaders, including DSV, FedEx, DB Schenker, and multinational supply chain giants like 3M and BMT, eagerly embraced Freightos' SAAS software to optimize their freight service pricing automation. This widespread adoption solidified Freightos' position as a trusted partner in the logistics industry and propelled its continued growth and success.

 In July 2016, Freightos secured an impressive $25 million in Series B funding, led by GE Ventures, the investment arm of GE. This marked another milestone for the company, considering GE's previous acquisition of Zvi's earlier venture, Lightech. Zvi believed that GE's global reach and connections in the aviation and shipping sectors would bring valuable opportunities for Freightos. True to Zvi's expectations, Freightos forged strategic partnerships with renowned industry players. German airline Lufthansa joined forces with Freightos in July 2018, aiming to enhance its digitalization efforts. Later, in December 2018, leading shipping company CMA-CGM became the first shipping company to collaborate with Freightos. The momentum continued in September 2020 when Russian air bridge cargo carrier AirBridgeCargo and Freightos partnered to launch a global online booking platform. Qatar Airways achieved a significant digital leap with the assistance of Freightos in January 2021, followed by a collaboration between Turkish Cargo and Freightos to develop a digital air cargo platform in April of the same year.

These remarkable collaborations and achievements were only the beginning. By securing a total of $46.6 million in Series B funding by 2017, Freightos experienced exponential market growth, positioning itself as the world's leading international freight price comparison marketplace, surpassing Zvi's initial expectations. However, Zvi recognized that there was still immense untapped potential in the trillion-dollar international freight industry. The majority of companies operated offline, with secretive pricing practices rooted in a conservative mindset. Zvi, driven by the ethos of the internet, focused on empowering small and medium-sized international freight forwarders by providing API interfaces and digital upgrades. Additionally, valuable cargo knowledge guides and user-friendly freight search tools were developed to benefit shippers, importers, freight forwarders, carriers, and consumers alike.

On April 29, 2018, Zvi joined forces with the Baltic Exchange to launch the Freightos Baltic Indices (FBX). FBX reflects the spot rates for standard containers on 1.2 to 1.8 million price points collected weekly from 12 major trade lanes. This open, transparent, real-time, and authoritative container freight index was highly recognized by the industry upon its launch and has been widely used globally as a benchmark for the container shipping sector, alongside the Shanghai Containerized Freight Index (SCFI).

The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 caused unprecedented turmoil in the international freight industry. Digital technology played a crucial role in managing logistics during this crisis. Despite port closures, flight suspensions, and capacity shortages, Freightos maintained smooth operations and achieved exceptional delivery rates. Remarkably, its revenue increased by 80%, reaching $32.4 million by year-end.

 On June 4, 2020, Freightos collaborated with Alibaba to launch a global freight forwarding platform, https://ship.alibaba.com/. This strategic partnership aimed to seamlessly connect international logistics with cross-border procurement, creating a closed-loop system.

On 26,1, 2023, Freightos Group has just made an exhilarating debut on NASDAQ, under the ticker symbol CRGO. This marks a major milestone in their mission to revolutionize global trade efficiency. With their cutting-edge freight booking and payment platform, they are set to reshape the logistics industry and usher in a new era of interconnected commerce.

Let's go back to July 2011, just months before founding Freightos, Zvi embarked on a unique venture by publishing a captivating novel called "Fizz: Nothing as it seems." This thought-provoking story follows a young girl named Fizz, hailing from a future ecological community, as she embarks on a journey through time. Along the way, she engages in enlightening conversations with renowned physicists such as Aristotle, Galileo, Newton, and Einstein, delving into the mysteries of the physical world.

 As the narrative unfolds, Fizz faces a pivotal decision between the comfort of life within her ecological community and the unknown possibilities beyond its boundaries. This tale not only captures the essence of human curiosity but also reflects Zvi's own choices in academia and business. Balancing his passion for knowledge and technology, Zvi continues to write code, embracing the timeless phrase, "Hello World."

 Freightos, the embodiment of Zvi's vision at the intersection of technology and humanities, is a testament to the idea that things are not always as they seem.

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