What Lori Systems does

Lori Systems is a digital logistics platform that matches cargo owners with vetted transporters to move full truckload freight across Africa, founded in 2017 and headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya. The company operates regional offices in Lagos, Nigeria and Kampala, Uganda, and manages cargo transportation across 12 to 13 African countries. Its managed network comprises 20,000+ trucks owned by SME transporters, each typically operating 5 to 10 vehicles, and the platform has cumulatively moved $10 billion worth of cargo since founding. Lori's customers are split between two primary segments: enterprise and mid-market industrial shippers needing full truckload freight movement, and SME transporters seeking consistent load availability, working capital, and fleet financing.

Lori's product stack consists of the core Lori Platform (cargo-transporter matching engine, real-time shipment tracking, digital wallet and payment processing), a public Rate Card Tool (ratecard.lorisystems.com) for instant pricing estimates, a Transporter Financial Services module offering fuel insurance, asset financing, and working capital to transporters, and a Climate Action Dashboard tracking environmental metrics such as backhaul rate (currently 29%) and CO2 savings (9,000 tons). Underlying technical components include backhaul optimization logic that converts empty return trips into paid loads, documentation verification on delivery, and integration between operational offices and the platform for trust-and-safety enforcement. An electric vehicle pilot for heavy-duty trucking, studied jointly with McKinsey in 2023, is in development.

Lori generates revenue primarily through transaction commissions on each completed cargo movement, with dynamic, usage-based per-shipment pricing that varies by cargo type, origin, destination, and truck type. Distribution combines self-serve digital onboarding through the website with direct enterprise sales engagement for large industrial cargo accounts. The company has raised approximately $42 million in disclosed venture funding across rounds led by Hillhouse Capital Group, Crystal Stream Capital, MPGI, and Google's Africa Investment Fund; Lori was named a 2020 WEF Technology Pioneer and the 2022 Fastest Growing Company in Africa.

Name

Lori Systems

Legal name

Lori Systems Ltd

Website

https://lorisystems.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Lori Systems is a digital logistics platform that matches industrial cargo owners with vetted SME transporters to move full truckload freight across 12-13 African countries, headquartered in Nairobi with regional offices in Nigeria and Uganda and a managed network of 20,000+ trucks.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Freight & Logistics Services

NAICS

Freight Transportation Arrangement (488510)

SIC

Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Freight Brokerage / Freight Marketplace Platforms (TLADAMAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Carrier Sales & Capacity Sourcing Platforms (TLAEAJAD), Intermodal & Multimodal Capacity Marketplaces (Rail/Ocean/Air) (TLAEAJAI), Cargo Visibility, Track & Trace & Port Analytics (ETA/ETD, Dwell, Predictive) (TLAHAOAH)

Keywords

• Digital freight platform
• Logistics marketplace
• Trucking technology
• Cargo matching platform
• Transport management software

Headquarters

HQ city

Nairobi

HQ country

Kenya

HQ region

Africa

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Transaction Commission / Take Rate: Lori earns a commission on cargo movements facilitated through its platform. Shippers fund their wallet, submit orders, and Lori coordinates the shipment, releasing payment to transporters upon delivery verification. This is a marketplace/transaction-fee model where revenue is earned per completed cargo movement.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Lori Systems operates a digital logistics platform that connects enterprise cargo owners with a curated network of more than 20,000 verified truck transporters across 12-13 African countries. The platform provides end-to-end freight coordination, including cargo matching, route optimization, real-time tracking, electronic proof of delivery, and embedded financial services for transporters. Lori also offers specialized tools such as a rate card discovery tool and a climate action emissions dashboard, primarily serving leading industrial shippers and SME transporters operating across the African continent.

Product overview

Lori Systems operates as a single unified e-logistics platform that seamlessly coordinates haulage across Africa. The core Lori Platform connects cargo owners (shippers) with vetted transporters, offering features for instant rate estimation, order submission, matching, transport tracking, and payment processing. Supporting the platform are add-on modules including Transporter Financial Services (fuel insurance, asset financing, working capital) and a Climate Action Dashboard for tracking environmental impact metrics like CO2 savings and distance travelled. The platform manages a network of 20,000+ trucks across 12 African countries from offices in Nigeria, Uganda, and Kenya.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Lori Platform The Lori Platform is the company's flagship digital logistics marketplace connecting enterprise cargo owners with a curated network of 20,000+ verified truck transporters across 12-13 African countries. The platform provides end-to-end full-truckload freight coordination, including AI-driven cargo matching, route optimization, real-time GPS tracking, electronic proof of delivery, and shipper supply chain integrations. It is used by leading African industrial shippers and SME transporters to move cargo reliably across the continent.
• Transporter Financial Services Transporter Financial Services is a suite of embedded financial products offered through the Lori Platform to SME truck owners and fleet operators. It includes access to working capital, fuel advances, and other financial services tied to transporter performance on the platform, addressing the chronic underfunding of African trucking SMEs. The service is designed for individual fleet owners and small-to-medium transporters operating within the Lori network.
• Rate Card Tool The Rate Card Tool is a rate discovery and pricing solution within the Lori platform ecosystem that provides shippers and transporters with access to transparent, market-reflective freight rates across African trade corridors. It enables enterprise shippers to benchmark and plan freight budgets, and helps transporters identify competitive pricing for their routes.
• Climate Action Dashboard The Climate Action Dashboard is a sustainability and emissions tracking solution available on the Lori platform, designed for enterprise shippers who need to measure, monitor, and report the carbon footprint of their freight movements. It enables shippers to track emissions across their logistics activity and supports sustainability reporting and decarbonization goals.

Quantifiable outcome

• $10B worth of cargo moved across Africa
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• McKinsey & CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Lori partnered with McKinsey in 2023 on an EV study for its upcoming electric vehicle pilot launch. The study assessed the feasibility of zero-emission logistics and revealed potential OpEx savings of up to 45% on heavy-duty electric trucks compared to diesel. This partnership supports Lori's climate action strategy and EV fleet transition planning.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Loadsmart: Digital freight broker combining AI-powered pricing and matching with carrier capacity for full truckload and intermodal. Operates a similar asset-light marketplace model; comparable as a technology-forward freight intermediary.
• Flexport: Global digital freight forwarder offering ocean, air, and trucking booking with technology-led supply chain visibility. Comparable as a category-defining digital freight platform, though operating globally rather than Africa-focused.
• Kuehne+Nagel: Global freight forwarder with strong African presence across road, air, and ocean freight. Comparable in serving enterprise industrial customers moving full truckloads across emerging markets; broader portfolio and global scale.
• DHL Supply Chain Africa: Global logistics incumbent with significant African operations across multiple verticals. Overlaps with Lori in industrial freight and intra-African trade corridors; differs as an asset-heavy, full-stack provider.
• Uber Freight: Digital freight marketplace spun out of Uber, connecting shippers with carriers in North America and Europe. Comparable digital brokerage model and technology platform; could expand into African markets as the category matures.
• Imperial Logistics: Africa-focused logistics provider owned by DP World, operating freight management across multiple African countries. Already a Lori investor (per funding rounds), making it both a peer and a strategic partner; comparable as a multi-country African freight operator.

Direct peers

• MAX (formerly MAX.ng): Nigerian mobility and logistics platform providing financing and fleet management to drivers, plus on-demand delivery services. Comparable in addressing SME driver cash-flow constraints with embedded fintech, though more mobility-led.
• Sendy: Kenyan on-demand delivery and logistics platform connecting businesses with vetted truck and motorbike owners. Similar model of vetted-transporter marketplace with digital wallet and tracking — directly comparable in East African core market.
• Kobo360 (now KoboGo): Lagos-based digital freight marketplace connecting truck owners and cargo owners across Africa. Operates in similar geographies (Nigeria, Kenya, others) with similar asset-light marketplace and embedded fintech offerings for transporters — the closest direct comparable to Lori.

Emerging players

• Watu Simu / Watu Africa: African asset financing and mobility platform with a focus on two-wheeler and three-wheeler financing. Adjacent rather than directly competitive — relevant as a comparable embedded-fintech-for-mobility model in African markets.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/lorisystems
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCKMtehvx9oaBH1lR66px1Gg
• Facebookfacebook.com/LoriSystems
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lori-systems
• Instagraminstagram.com/lorisystems

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds8 records

Investors21 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lori Systems