Altana has acquired Cervo AI to expand its agentic artificial intelligence platform for customs brokerage. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Cervo has developed an AI customs entry writer that converts transactional information into submission-ready customs filings. The acquisition enables Altana to combine product classification and trade compliance analysis with the preparation of formal customs entries.
Customs brokers help companies move goods across international borders by completing legally required filings. Their responsibilities can include classifying products, identifying their country of origin, calculating duties, evaluating trade agreement eligibility and obtaining permits from agencies such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The process frequently requires brokers to gather information from emails, electronic data interchange feeds, invoices and PDF documents. Altana said much of this work remains manual despite the customs brokerage market representing approximately $45 billion globally.
Altana’s platform determines the nature and provenance of goods and assigns the compliance attributes required for cross-border trade. The addition of Cervo extends that workflow through the preparation of customs entries and partner government agency filings.
Partner government agency filings provide information required by regulators other than customs authorities. Depending on the shipment, those agencies may oversee food, medical products, agriculture, consumer safety or other regulated goods.
Altana said the combined platform will allow logistics providers to manage product master data, make compliance determinations and prepare customs submissions through one AI-based system. Customers can also continuously screen and audit transactions for potential compliance issues.
The company claims the integrated platform can allow brokers to process five times as many entries. Actual productivity gains will depend on factors such as shipment complexity, data quality, system integration and regulatory requirements.
The acquisition expands Altana’s presence among major cross-border logistics companies. Its customer base now includes eight of the world’s 10 largest logistics providers.
Altana operates a network connecting importers, suppliers, logistics companies and governments through a shared system of record for products and supply chains. The platform currently manages approximately 140 million buyer-supplier connections.
Government agencies, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection, use Altana technology for tariff enforcement and border management. Logistics providers use the platform to analyze shipments and manage customs compliance.
Cervo’s founding team will join Altana to expand the combined platform. The companies plan to develop an autonomous customs system that learns from transactions and adapts as trade requirements and shipment patterns change.
KEY QUOTES:
“Altana is on a mission to fix globalization by re-architecting global trade, building an AI network for trusted trade that connects importers, suppliers, logistics providers, and governments.”
“With the acquisition of Cervo, our logistics customers can now run and scale their brokerages on a single end-to-end agentic system, from the moment goods are classified to the moment the entry clears. That’s what trusted trade at scale looks like.”
Evan Smith, Co-Founder and CEO of Altana
“We built Cervo to take the most painful, manual work off customs brokers’ desks. Joining Altana gives us the opportunity to bring that vision to the world’s largest logistics providers.”
Thomas Jiang, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Cervo AI
“Altana shares our belief that AI will redefine how global trade operates, and together we’re creating the industry’s first truly end-to-end AI agentic platform.”
Troy Shen, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Cervo AI
“By combining Cervo’s agentic AI with Altana’s trusted trade network, we’re building an autonomous platform that learns, adapts, and scales with every shipment.”
Jason Kurohara, Co-Founder and CTO of Cervo AI
