Conlio, a Berlin-based freight-tech startup, has raised €6.4 million (approximately $6.9 million) in funding to expand its artificial intelligence-powered platform across Europe. The round was led by Piton Capital and included participation from Haufe Group Ventures, WaVe-X (WALTER GROUP), F-LOG Ventures, System.One, Puzzle Ventures, Booom Ventures, and Yellow.
Founded in 2023, Conlio addresses a persistent challenge in the road freight industry: the complexity of converting sprawling shipment documentation into verified financial data. The company’s platform leverages artificial intelligence to automate what has traditionally been a labour-intensive process, transforming the way freight forwarders manage their financial workflows.
Addressing Automation Gaps in Freight
The European freight sector, while undergoing significant digital transformation, still relies heavily on manual processes for document handling and financial management. Traditional software solutions have struggled to handle the industry’s numerous edge cases and context-dependent decisions that characterise freight logistics.
“Freight is one of the world’s largest industries, and digitalisation has transformed large parts of it,” said Dr. Claudio Consul, co-founder of Conlio. “But the industry is full of edge cases and decisions that depend on context, which has made true end‑to‑end automation difficult with traditional software. AI changes that.”
This assessment reflects the broader challenge facing European logistics companies as they seek to improve operational efficiency and profit margins amid rising operational costs and competitive pressures.
Scaling Operations Across Europe
The fresh capital will be deployed to accelerate Conlio’s expansion across European markets and to enhance the automation capabilities of its financial systems platform. By targeting road freight forwarders—a crucial segment of the logistics industry—the company positions itself to address the needs of businesses handling thousands of shipments monthly.
The funding round indicates growing investor confidence in freight-tech solutions that tackle specific operational pain points. The diverse investor syndicate, ranging from traditional venture capital firms to specialized logistics investors, suggests broad market recognition of the opportunity.
Broader European Startup Landscape
Conlio’s funding round reflects a maturing trend in the European freight and logistics technology sector. As transportation and supply chain companies face pressure to digitize operations and reduce manual processes, startups offering AI-driven solutions have attracted substantial investor interest. The emphasis on automation, data verification, and financial workflow optimization aligns with industry-wide efforts to enhance productivity and reduce costs.
The startup’s emergence from Berlin, Europe’s growing hub for logistics technology innovation, underscores the city’s role in developing solutions for traditional industries. With a focus on practical problem-solving rather than speculative technology deployment, Conlio exemplifies the pragmatic approach many European freight-tech founders are taking to build sustainable businesses in this complex sector.