Flexport is on a mission to make global trade easier. The company has taken a technology-driven approach to global logistics. Its software is disrupting the freight forwarding industry -- companies that help facilitate international trade.
Flexport aims to usher the freight forwarding industry into the 21st century by replacing old-school methods of doing business (phones, fax machines, and physical paper) with automation. The company believes its innovative approach should make it faster and cheaper for its clients to ship their products around the world.
Flexport has a bold goal to eventually become a very profitable company and a darling of Wall Street, so many investors are eagerly awaiting its initial public offering (IPO). Here's what you need to know about Flexport and how to potentially buy its stock before its IPO.
IPO
Is Flexport publicly traded?
Flexport isn't a publicly traded company as of December 2025. Several leading venture capital funds own the logistics platform. The privately held company also counted e-commerce enabler Shopify (NYSE:SHOP) as one of its largest investors.
When will Flexport IPO?
Flexport doesn't currently have an IPO on the calendar. The company's current focus is on returning to profitability, which it aims to achieve by the end of 2025. Once it reaches sustainable profitability, it will likely pursue an IPO so that the venture capital funds holding its shares can begin exiting their investments.
Is Flexport profitable?
As a private company, Flexport doesn't need to disclose its financial results to the public. So, there wasn't much publicly available information about its profitability as of late 2025.
However, a Wall Street Journal article in early 2025 provided a glimpse into the company's financial situation. At the time, Flexport wasn't profitable. However, founder and CEO Ryan Petersen told the Journal that Flexport expects to be "quite profitable" by the end of the year.
The company's long-term goal is to become a "profitable public company that throws off lots of cash that can be a darling of Wall Street," according to Petersen in a 2023 Wall Street Journal article. It needs to return to profitability, go public, and increase its cash flow to achieve its vision.
Alternatives to Flexport stock
Because Flexport hasn't completed an IPO, investors can't buy shares of the supply chain company in their brokerage account. However, accredited investors (i.e., high-net-worth individuals or those with high incomes) can sometimes buy pre-IPO shares of companies like Flexport on secondary platforms, such as EquityZen or Forge Global (FRGE -0.21%).
Accredited investors who really want to get in ahead of its IPO should check out those platforms to see whether they have shares of Flexport available to buy. Non-accredited investors will need to continue waiting until the company launches its IPO.
In the meantime, people interested in the supply chain trend could consider investing in a publicly traded company focused on capitalizing on the same markets Flexport serves. Here are three options to consider.
1. Shopify
Shopify is a leading global commerce company that provides essential internet infrastructure to its customers. It used to operate a rival logistics platform, Shopify Logistics. However, it sold that business, including Deliverr, to Flexport in early 2023. In exchange, Shopify received a 13% equity stake in Flexport.
It also had an existing equity interest in the global logistics platform. It has continued to add to its investment in Flexport, pouring another $260 million into the company in early 2024. Shopify provides investors a backdoor to gain equity exposure to Flexport. It could eventually distribute its Flexport stock to shareholders after that company completes its IPO.
2. UPS
UPS (UPS +0.05%) is a leading global logistics company. It specializes in ground delivery, with more than 135,000 delivery trucks. UPS also has a meaningful air fleet with almost 300 planes, significantly larger than Flexport's fleet of three planes.
The other big difference between UPS and Flexport is that Flexport makes most of its money on ocean freight shipping. It buys space on container ships in bulk and leases the space to its customers, making money on the spread between the shipping line's prices and what it charges customers.
3. FedEx
FedEx (FDX -0.56%) is very similar to UPS. The main difference is that FedEx specializes in global air express freight. It had more than double the number of aircraft compared to UPS, with almost 700 planes.
It also has a larger international presence, allowing it to charge cheaper rates than rivals seeking to ship internationally. International air cargo is a focus for Flexport, which is working to improve the profitability of its planes.
Investors who want to buy one of these Flexport alternatives can purchase shares in any brokerage account. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to invest in stocks like Flexport.
How to buy stocks similar to Flexport
Investors interested in one of these Flexport alternatives can buy shares in any brokerage account. Here's a step-by-step guide to investing in these software stocks.
- Open your brokerage account: Log in to your brokerage account where you handle your investments.
- Search for the stock: Enter the ticker or company name into the search bar to bring up the stock's trading page.
- Decide how many shares to buy: Consider your investment goals and how much of your portfolio you want to allocate to this stock.
- Select order type: Choose between a market order to buy at the current price or a limit order to specify the maximum price you're willing to pay.
- Submit your order: Confirm the details and submit your buy order.
- Review your purchase: Check your portfolio to ensure your order was filled as expected and adjust your investment strategy accordingly.
Investors would follow a similar process to buy an IPO stock like Flexport when it goes public. Once shares become available, select Flexport's chosen stock ticker to buy shares through your brokerage account.
Should I invest in Flexport?
Since it's not public, most people can't invest in Flexport yet. However, the company plans to go public eventually -- Petersen stated in the 2025 Wall Street Journal article, “At the end of the year, we can actually entertain that.” That gives you some time to research the company before buying shares.
Research is an important step. It could increase your conviction that the company will be a great investment. You could also discover something in your research that changes your mind about investing in the company. With that in mind, here are some reasons why you might want to invest in Flexport when it goes public:
- You like the company's technology-driven approach to the logistics sector.
- You prefer to invest in founder-led companies.
- You believe Flexport will be successful in its aim to become a profitable and cash-flowing company.
- You like its acquisition of Shopify's logistics business, which will increase its scale and growth potential.
On the other hand, here are some reasons you might decide not to invest in Flexport's IPO:
- You don't know what Flexport does or how it makes money.
- You're concerned about its management, given the comments of its former CEO, who publicly called out the company's reporting. The former Amazon (AMZN -0.15%) executive was handpicked by Peterson but stayed with the company for less than a year.
- Given the cyclical nature of the global logistics industry, you're not sure Flexport will reach its ambitious goal of being highly profitable.
- You don't think it can disrupt the global freight forwarding industry.
ETFs with exposure to Flexport
Since Flexport is still a privately held company, investors can't passively invest in its stock through an exchange-traded fund (ETF).
Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF)
The bottom line on Flexport
Flexport is using technology to disrupt the freight forwarding industry. The company believes its approach will enable it to grow into an industry leader and become very profitable, allowing it to create a lot of value for shareholders in the future. This upside potential has investors eagerly anticipating its eventual IPO.
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