4shipping
4shipping is a Dutch SaaS company that builds a modular freight-matching platform for Dutch inland shipping brokers, combining real-time vessel visibility, a shared cargo network, and chartering workflow software on a subscription basis.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersRotterdam, Netherlands
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What 4shipping does
4shipping is a Dutch software company founded in 2017 by Jan Snoeij, a shipbuilder's son, to digitize freight matching for the Dutch inland waterway (binnenvaart) sector. The company is headquartered in Zwijndrecht, Netherlands, and operates as a privately held, founder-led scale-up serving inland shipping freight brokers (bevrachtingskantoren) as its primary customer segment, with building materials suppliers identified as a secondary segment. Its core problem is the historically fragmented matching of cargo and ships via phone calls, email lists, and port-bar relationships, which the company replaces with software that increases vessel occupancy and reduces empty sailing. The product is a modular platform with three interconnected offerings: Capaciteitsradar, which provides real-time visibility into available vessels by automatically importing ship lists from email inboxes and continuously tracking 921 unique ships; Vrachtradar, a freight-sharing network that lets brokers publish and discover cargo with per-item selective visibility; and Bevrachtingssoftware, currently under development as a chartering workflow add-on covering quote-to-invoice operations. Underlying technology is a PHP/Laravel backend with a Vue.js single-page application front end, MySQL persistence, JSON:API architecture, and Docker-based CI/CD.
The business model is B2B subscription SaaS targeted at Dutch inland shipping brokerages (bevrachtingskantoren). Pricing is structured as a fixed monthly fee per office plus a per-active-user amount, available on monthly cancellation with a first-month money-back guarantee, with annual billing at a discount. Quotes are provided within 24 hours following a 30-minute demo. Go-to-market combines a product-led growth motion (no-IT-project, same-day activation) with an inside-sales, demo-driven conversion motion targeting mid-market broker offices in the Netherlands, supported by an "Insider Updates" email newsletter, Instagram presence, and a careers page that functions as content marketing. The company employs roughly five developers, is hiring a Customer Success Specialist and a medior/senior full-stack developer, has no disclosed institutional funding or external investors, and reports no public revenue or ARR figures. Value to customers is purported to come from network effects across brokers, sector-native product design, and modular integration with existing planning and administration systems rather than rip-and-replace deployment.
4shipping firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- 4shipping
- Legal name
- 4shipping
- Website
- https://4shipping.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- 4shipping is a Dutch SaaS company that builds a modular freight-matching platform for Dutch inland shipping brokers, combining real-time vessel visibility, a shared cargo network, and chartering workflow software on a subscription basis.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
4shipping industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Inland Shipping Logistics Software
- NAICS
- Freight Transportation Arrangement (488510), Support Activities for Transportation (488)
- SIC
- Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Digital Freight Brokerage / Freight Marketplace Platforms (TLADAMAO)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Dedicated Lanes & Mini-Bid / RFP Marketplace Platforms (TLAEAJAG)
Keywords
Where 4shipping is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Rotterdam
- HQ country
- Netherlands
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
4shipping business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Vrachtradar Subscription: Fixed monthly price per office plus an amount per active user. Monthly cancellation or annual with discount. Quote provided within 24 hours after demo.
- Capaciteitsradar Subscription: Subscription-based pricing model with monthly or annual billing cadence. Specific pricing provided after demo consultation.
- Bevrachtingssoftware (Chartering Software): Full chartering software from quote to invoice, likely subscription-based as part of the modular platform.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Vrachtradar: Fixed office fee + per user |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
4shipping product offering
Product offeringCore offering
4shipping builds a modular SaaS platform that gives Dutch inland waterway freight brokers real-time visibility of available ships and open cargo, lets them share freight with trusted peers, and runs the full chartering workflow from quote to invoice in one system. The platform replaces fragmented email lists, Excel files, and phone-based brokerage with a shared network where more brokers, ships, and cargo increase the value for every participant.
Product overview
4shipping is a modular platform for the inland shipping (binnenvaart) sector composed of three interconnected products. Capaciteitsradar provides real-time visibility into available vessels by automatically importing and consolidating ship lists from email, eliminating manual searching. Vrachtradar is a freight-matching module that allows shippers to share cargo opportunities with trusted peer shippers and find the right vessel on the right route and terms, without revealing customer relationships or margins. Bevrachtingssoftware is a chartering management add-on that covers the full operational workflow from quotation to invoice in a single system. All products are designed as standalone modules, allowing customers to start with one product and add others without replacing existing planning or administrative tools.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Capaciteitsradar: Real-time overview of available ships for inland shipping brokers
- Vrachtradar
- Bevrachtingssoftware
Products and services
- Capaciteitsradar Capaciteitsradar (Capacity Radar) gives Dutch inland shipping freight brokers a real-time overview of all available ships. It automatically imports ship lists from broker email inboxes and consolidates them into a single view, surfacing intelligent matches between supply and demand and notifying brokers when specific vessels become available. It targets inland shipping freight brokerage offices that today rely on fragmented email and Excel to find capacity.
- Vrachtradar Vrachtradar (Freight Radar) is a freight-matching platform for inland shipping brokers. Brokers share open cargo with trusted peers, see controlled visibility per freight item, and find the right vessel on the right route and terms without exposing customer relationships or margins. It is built for Dutch inland shipping freight brokers (bevrachtingskantoren) who want to close more deals and reduce empty sailing.
- Bevrachtingssoftware Bevrachtingssoftware is 4shipping's chartering management software covering the full operational workflow from quotation to invoice in one system, replacing Excel and disconnected administrative tasks. It is positioned as an add-on / module that brokers can add to the 4shipping suite; the source notes the product is still under development.
- 4shipping App The 4shipping App is the main application platform that gives users access to all 4shipping products and features (Capaciteitsradar, Vrachtradar, and Bevrachtingssoftware) from a single web application. It is the customer-facing entry point for subscribing inland shipping freight brokers.
Quantifiable outcome
- 921 unique ships available in real-time in Capaciteitsradar
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use 4shipping
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
4shipping technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
4shipping partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators1 record
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights5 records
4shipping competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
4shipping social profiles
Digital presence4shipping financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
4shipping leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
4shipping funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
4shipping M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about 4shipping
What does 4shipping do?
4shipping builds a modular SaaS platform that gives Dutch inland waterway freight brokers real-time visibility of available ships and open cargo, lets them share freight with trusted peers, and runs the full chartering workflow from quote to invoice in one system. The platform replaces fragmented email lists, Excel files, and phone-based brokerage with a shared network where more brokers, ships, and cargo increase the value for every participant.
Is 4shipping a public or private company?
4shipping is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was 4shipping founded?
4shipping was founded in 2017. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is 4shipping based?
4shipping is headquartered in Rotterdam, Netherlands, in the Europe region.
How does 4shipping make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Vrachtradar Subscription is the primary driver. The others are capaciteitsradar Subscription and bevrachtingssoftware (Chartering Software).
Does 4shipping have an API?
No public API is recorded for 4shipping.
What industry is 4shipping in?
4shipping's product category is Inland Shipping Logistics Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is TLADAMAO, Digital Freight Brokerage / Freight Marketplace Platforms, with a secondary code of TLAEAJAG, Dedicated Lanes & Mini-Bid / RFP Marketplace Platforms. Its NAICS code is 488510 and its SIC code is 4731.