Lori Systems
Building digital highways for African freight: Lori matches shippers with trusted trucks, adds live tracking, and reduces empty return trips.
A shipper in Nairobi needs a full truck to Kampala. The goods are ready, but finding a reliable truck at a clear price can be slow. Brokers call brokers, prices move, and the cargo waits.
At the same time, many truck owners drive back empty or stay idle because they do not see demand early enough. So freight is expensive for shippers and inefficient for transporters.
Lori Systems fixes this by putting freight online. It matches cargo owners with vetted trucks, gives real-time tracking, and uses data to plan routes. The result is fewer empty miles and more predictable delivery.
Lori’s idea is simple: freight becomes cheaper when trust and visibility go digital.
Key Numbers
Figures are from Lori’s official statements and recent funding reports.
Company Information
Lori Systems is a logistics technology company that digitizes long-haul trucking in Africa. It works mainly with large shippers in FMCG, agriculture, manufacturing, and construction. Lori does not own trucks. It organizes trusted transport capacity and adds visibility and data.
Industry view
Leadership
| Role | Name | Background |
|---|---|---|
| Co-founder & CEO | Jean-Claude Homawoo | Leads Lori’s strategy and operations across Africa |
| Co-founder & Chairman | Josh Sandler | Started Lori after working in finance and supply chains |
| Co-founder & CTO | Ernest (Gichini) Ngaruiya | Built the core product and data systems |
How the Model Works
Lori connects two sides: cargo owners who need transport, and truck owners who need cargo. The platform adds vetting, live tracking, and route planning.
What Lori Provides
Growth and Results
Lori scaled by building trust with enterprise shippers and growing a wide truck network. It expanded from Kenya into West and Central Africa, while keeping three operating hubs.
- Scale: 20,000+ trucks connected to the platform.
- Coverage: Cargo coordination across 12 countries.
- Throughput: About $10B worth of goods moved.
Where They Work
Lori’s physical offices are in Kenya, Nigeria, and Uganda. These hubs manage cross-border freight lanes across 12 countries.
| Region | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Kenya | Core hub | Main operations and product base |
| Uganda | Core hub | Strong cross-border lanes with Kenya |
| Nigeria | Core hub | West Africa enterprise freight |
| Other countries | Active lanes | Rwanda, Tanzania, South Sudan, DRC, Ghana and more |
Reach: freight coordinated across 12 African countries from three operating hubs.
Funding History
Lori raised large venture rounds earlier, then faced cash-flow pressure like other digital freight startups. In 2025 it announced a bridge round to support a shift toward profitability.
Notable Investors
Competitive Landscape
Lori competes with other digital freight platforms and with offline brokerage.
| Organization | Model | Region | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lori Systems | Digital freight marketplace | East + West Africa | Large truck network + cross-border lanes |
| Kobo360 | Freight matching + services | West Africa | Heavy focus on Nigeria corridors |
| Sendy | Delivery + SME freight | East Africa | More last-mile and smaller loads |
| Traditional brokers | Offline middlemen | All markets | Lori replaces calls with data |
Key Lessons for Founders
What can builders learn from Lori’s journey?
- Digitize trust early. Vetting and tracking are essential in fragmented markets.
- Working capital is strategic. Late shipper payments can break an asset-light model.
- Scale on strong lanes. Repeat corridors matter more than rapid geography.
- Data creates leverage. It improves pricing, utilization, and credit access.
- Partnerships reduce risk. Banks and fleet partners help stabilize operations.
• 20,000+ trucks, 12 countries, and $10B cargo moved: Lori official statements and profiles.
• Founders and leadership: company profiles and press interviews.
• 2025 bridge round and total funding: recent funding reports.
lorisystems.com