ANTWERP, Belgium – December 9, 2025 – Dockflow, the AI-powered logistics platform, has raised €1.4 million led by welovefounders with participation from 1105, imec.istart, and maritime industry veterans. The funding accelerates Dockflow’s evolution from real-time shipping container tracking to predictive AI, turning five years of maritime data into operational foresight for an industry moving trillions in annual trade.
Since 2020, Dockflow has quietly built what competitors can’t replicate: a maritime-specific dataset spanning billions of data points from 100+ integrations. While operating bootstrapped, this year the platform tracked $29 billion in cargo value across 2,000+ connected companies-freight forwarders, terminals, warehouses, and exporters.
The Maritime Visibility Challenge
Maritime logistics coordinates global trade, yet critical data remains siloed. When vessels approach ports, terminals, shipping agents, port authorities, and vessel operators each maintain separate systems. This fragmentation costs billions in operational inefficiency: missed delivery windows, preventable delays, manual tracking consuming 15+ hours weekly per team.
Most “enterprise supply chain platforms” treat maritime visibility as a checkbox feature. Built for road freight, they lack the data depth, predictive capabilities, and domain expertise that maritime operations demand. This explains why enterprise customers sought out Dockflow despite having existing visibility and collaboration software solutions-validation that maritime-first specialization beats generalist tools.
From Real-Time to Predictive
Dockflow’s AI-powered platform already answers “where is my cargo?” in real-time. The funding unlocks what five years of accumulated data makes possible:
Current capability: Real-time visibility across terminals, ports, and vessels
- Optimized logistics planning weeks in advance, with shared visibility across supply chain partners
- Even more and better integrations with shipping lines and terminals
- Status and timing predictions based on historical patterns for vessel berthing, container unloading, …
- Sustainability: CO2 emissions, predictions and optimization based on actual routes sailed
- Enterprise-grade compliance and cybersecurity
- In-depth analysis of partners’ performance, benchmarking
- More, easier ways to use Dockflow through your favorite tools such as ChatGPT, Claude and Whatsapp (launch starting January 2026)
Ultimate vision: autonomous AI freight forwarding agents that execute autonomous operations – booking, automated cargo rerouting, self-optimizing scheduling, intelligent slot allocations. The next step towards the Physical Internet.
“Today, logistics teams are fire-fighters reacting to delays. Tomorrow, AI handles routine coordination while humans focus on strategy,” said Pauline Van Ostaeyen, Cofounder of Dockflow. “We have the dataset that makes that transition possible.”
“Logistics is rather binary: you deliver or you don’t,” said Michiel Valee, Cofounder of Dockflow. “With this support, we have the capabilities to deliver on technology’s promises to the sector.”
Capital-Efficient Growth, Enterprise Momentum
Dockflow’s bootstrap approach forced discipline: every feature validated by genuine customer demand in a traditional industry. Despite targeting SME freight forwarders, enterprise customers already using large logistics software platforms adopted Dockflow alongside them – validating that ‘complete’ supply chain platforms have a maritime blind spot only specialists can fill.
“Pauline and Michiel are exceptionally efficient entrepreneurs who distinguish themselves from AI noise by consistently delivering real value,” said Olivier Tabery, Founding Partner at welovefounders. “They’ve built significant traction with minimal capital-exactly the foundation required for sustainable scaling.”
“From day one, we saw Dockflow as more than a logistics platform—it’s a catalyst for a smarter, more connected maritime world,” said Sven De Cleyn, Program Director at imec.istart. “Their ability to turn fragmented data into predictive intelligence is redefining global trade, and we’re proud to have believed in that vision early on.”
“Almost everyone in AI today talks about data moats, but very few actually have them,” said Tom Vroemans, Founder of 1105. “Dockflow spent five years building one of the richest maritime datasets in the world-quietly, with customers, in the real market. That’s the kind of foundation that turns AI from theatre into impact.”
The company will use the funding to deepen its predictive AI capabilities, expand its enterprise sales motion, and scale its engineering team to support growing demand from logistics operations managing high-value cargo flows.
About Dockflow
Launched in 2021 by Michiel Valee and Pauline Van Ostaeyen, Dockflow is the AI-powered logistics enablement platform purpose-built for maritime supply chains. Processing thousands of shipments monthly through 100+ data source integrations, Dockflow serves freight forwarders, importers, exporters, and terminals across 12 counties. The platform transforms fragmented maritime data into operational intelligence, saving teams 15+ hours weekly while enabling predictive decision-making previously impossible in the industry.
The Dockflow team is hiring a Lead Developer – check the position here.
