In the heart of Charleston, South Carolina, a quiet revolution in global trade is underway. Gnosis Freight, a software company founded just a few miles from the port, is building the digital infrastructure that powers the world’s most complex supply chains.
Global freight runs on shipping containers – but despite their central role in an $8 trillion industry, managing those containers has long been a manual, error-prone process. Most importers and logistics service providers still rely on spreadsheets, siloed systems, and inboxes to coordinate cargo. Gnosis Freight’s solution is a proprietary platform that changes all of that.
The company created the world’s first Container Lifecycle Management®(CLM) platform, designed to manage containers from the moment a purchase order is issued until the empty box is returned. It tracks location, milestones, and financial risk across ocean, rail, and truck. From predictive ETAs to invoice auditing, the platform brings clarity and control to container operations that were previously reactive and fragmented.
The results speak for themselves. Customers have reduced detention and demurrage fees by up to 85%, eliminated over payments, improved budgeting accuracy, and dramatically streamlined internal workflows.
Gnosis serves a wide range of Beneficial Cargo Owners (BCOs), including Rooms to Go, Five Below, and Sailun Tires, as well as logistics service providers that coordinate freight at scale. Whether it’s a retailer receiving hundreds of inbound shipments per week or a trucking company managing port drayage, Gnosis replaces disjointed processes with a single, integrated system.
That mission – and the traction it’s generated – recently earned the attention of Vista Equity Partners, which invested in Gnosis through its Endeavor Fund in late 2024.
The platform continues to expand, with recent additions like drayage management, a FinOps Suite for invoice auditing and landed cost analysis, and the newly launched Container Payment Portal, which simplifies and streamlines payment workflows between stakeholders. Each innovation reflects Gnosis’ product philosophy: solve real problems through deep collaboration with the people on the ground doing the work.
This collaborative spirit extends beyond product development. In February of this year, Gnosis took its message on the road – literally. The leadership team launched an RV-based activation to film a short-form documentary exploring the human side of the supply chain. The project, titled Between the Ships, features stops across the country to meet with logistics professionals, customers, and partners, culminating at the Transpacific Maritime (TPM) Conference in Long Beach, California.
Despite its international reach, Gnosis remains deeply tied to its Charleston roots. The city’s port access, talent base, and startup ecosystem have helped shape the company’s growth – and now, its platform helps shape how the global supply chain moves. As logistics challenges become more complex and high-stakes decisions become more time-sensitive, Gnosis Freight continues to build for what’s next: a smarter, more resilient supply chain, powered by technology and inspired by the people who use it.
“We’re working alongside our customers to chip away at the most complex problems in global trade.”
Austin McCombs, CEO and Co-Founder
