Altana buys Cervo AI for $100M as tariffs fuel customs tech demand

Altana's $100M-plus acquisition of Cervo AI marks the biggest bet yet on AI-driven customs automation amid a surge in U.S. import filings.

Trade technology provider Altana is acquiring Cervo AI for more than $100 million in cash and equity, betting that agentic artificial intelligence can help importers navigate a surge in U.S. customs filings driven by Trump-era tariffs.

"The volatility in trade policy has created an explosion in complexity, and yet trade must move," Evan Smith, chief executive and co-founder of Altana, said in an interview.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has processed 63.39 million entry summaries in the fiscal year ending September, up 27% from all of last year and 65% higher than fiscal 2024. The Trump administration's tariffs, imposed over the past 18 months, and the end of the de minimis provision for duty-free entry of goods under $800 have driven the increase. Temporary U.S. tariffs implemented in February are due to expire Friday, while the U.S. recently declined to extend its trade pact with Mexico and Canada.

The deal shows how shifting trade policy is fueling demand for technology that automates customs compliance. Altana, valued at $1 billion after a $200 million Series C round in 2024, plans to integrate Cervo's agentic AI platform to create an end-to-end customs brokerage system spanning classification through clearance.

Cervo, founded in 2024, raised $5 million in seed funding last year. Its platform uses agentic AI to draft customs entries by extracting information from shipping documents, automating a task that has historically required manual data entry. The company's 11 employees will join Altana's workforce of roughly 300.

The purchase is Altana's first acquisition. Smith said he is looking for more potential deals that could add to the company's trade enforcement, facilitation and compliance offerings.

Logistics companies including United Parcel Service, FedEx, DHL Group and Flexport have rolled out more AI in their customs brokerage operations to speed up import processing. Cindy Allen, chief executive of Trade Force Multiplier, an international trade and customs consulting firm, said importers and customs brokers are adopting more technology to keep pace with changing trade policy.

"The number of trade remedies and trade-related actions that have been implemented over the last 18 months has just quadrupled everyone's work, and so companies are really struggling to keep up," Allen said.

Altana's customers include logistics provider A.P. Moller-Maersk, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and importers such as Boston Scientific and L.L.Bean. The New York-based company uses AI to map supply chains and build a digital trade network where importers, suppliers, logistics providers and customs agencies can track risks and compliance requirements.

The deal comes as the broader logistics technology sector faces pressure to modernize. The previous round of U.S. tariff escalation in 2018-2019, which raised average tariffs on Chinese goods to about 19%, led to a 16% decline in bilateral trade over 12 months, according to Census Bureau data. Companies that invested in trade compliance technology during that period reduced customs processing times by an average of 30%, according to industry estimates.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.