OVRSEA sold to Bolloré

The digital logistics platform has brought in the Bolloré Group as a majority shareholder to accelerate its international expansion

M & A sell side Venture capital 2021, February

Enterprise software

"OVRSEA has chosen to partner with the Bolloré Group to expand more swiftly on the global market. From this year, we will open new offices in Europe, the USA and Asia. OVRSEA remains independent and has retained its philosophy, management and employees.”

Arthur Barillas, CEO of OVRSEA

The Bolloré Group is acquiring a majority stake in OVRSEA, a digital freight forwarder. OVRSEA, which remains independent, will be supported by the French behemoth to speed up its growth and capture the global market.

Founded in 2017, OVRSEA is a digital freight forwarder that uses technology to simplify and streamline international freight for businesses. The start-up has set out to digitalise the sector with a web interface for managing transport, from quoting to invoicing, including real-time tracking. It has proved to be a winning strategy, with sales tripling by 2020 and more than 500 customers since its inception. It is now joining forces with Bolloré Logistics to step up its international expansion.

Bolloré Logistics is a global supply chain player. The company is one of the world's top ten groups in transport organisation and contract logistics. It has a network of 607 offices in 109 countries and logistics hubs at the intersections of international trade. Despite its size, its success has been built on its agility and entrepreneurial approach, as shown by this investment.

This alliance shows the neat fit between Bolloré Logistics and OVRSEA. Together, they will bring greater simplicity, transparency and responsiveness to companies in the management of their international transport, while contributing to the development of French know-how abroad.

This merger will enable OVRSEA to open up to new markets by leveraging the experience of Bolloré Logistics and its global office network, while preserving its philosophy, management and employees.

Those behind the start-up's success remain as committed as ever to writing a new chapter and the company plans to double its headcount by the end of the year. By 2025, OVRSEA aims to generate sales of € 200m.

Meanwhile, Bolloré Logistics can broaden its range of services and offer a 100% digital experience to its customers thanks to the latest technologies.