Altana Acquires AI Platform to Tackle Customs Complexity
Trade tech company says Cervo AI can speed up customs brokerage tasks as tariff and trade policies shift
Trade technology provider Altana is acquiring Cervo AI, an artificial-intelligence platform that automates writing customs entries.
Altana’s acquisition of Cervo could be worth more than $100 million in cash and equity if certain performance milestones are reached.
U.S. Customs has handled more than 63 million entry summaries this fiscal year, up 27% from all of last year.
Changing tariffs and trade policies are setting off a race to build technology that can help companies navigate the complexity.
Trade technology provider Altana said Tuesday it is acquiring Cervo AI, an artificial-intelligence platform that automates the process of writing customs entries.
Altana uses AI to map supply chains and build a digital trade network where importers, suppliers, logistics providers and customs agencies can track risks and trade-compliance requirements. Its customers include logistics companies such as A.P. Moller-Maersk, government agencies such as U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and importers including Boston Scientific and L.L.Bean.
Altana said the deal for New York-based Cervo includes a combination of cash and equity and could be worth more than $100 million if certain performance milestones are reached. The company declined to disclose those milestones.
The deal comes as U.S. retailers and manufacturers navigate an increasingly complex trade environment.
The Trump administration has imposed higher tariffs over the past 18 months and ramped up efforts to crack down on evasion of tariffs and other trade regulations. Those changes and the end of the de minimis provision, which allowed for duty-free entry of goods valued at or below $800, have increased the number of imports requiring additional documentation and processing.
U.S. Customs has so far handled more than 63 million entry summaries for the current fiscal year that ends in September. That volume is already 27% higher than all of last year and up 65% from fiscal year 2024.
More changes are on the horizon. Temporary U.S. tariffs implemented in February are due to expire Friday. The U.S. recently declined to extend its trade pact with Mexico and Canada, setting up a decadelong review that could bring new tariffs or trade regulations.
Altana CEO Evan Smith speaks at a conference in 2025. Brendan Mcdermid/Reuters
Altana Chief Executive Evan Smith said the volatility is leading companies to look for ways to handle imports more efficiently.
“You have this explosion in complexity, and yet trade must move,” said Smith, who is also the company’s co-founder.
Smith said the acquisition of Cervo will create an end-to-end platform that can handle customs brokerage tasks from item classification through clearance.
Cindy Allen, chief executive of Trade Force Multiplier, an international trade and customs consulting firm, said importers and customs brokers are implementing more technology to help manage changing trade policy.
“The number of trade remedies and trade-related actions that have been implemented over the last 18 months has just quadrupled everyone’s work, and so companies are really struggling to keep up,” Allen said.
Logistics companies such as United Parcel Service, FedEx, DHL Group and Flexport have rolled out more AI in their customs brokerage operations to speed up the import entry process.
Cervo, founded in 2024, created a platform that uses agentic AI to draft customs entries by extracting information off documents about imported goods, automating what was a time-consuming, manual task.
Altana, which was founded in 2019, most recently raised $200 million in a Series C round in 2024 that valued the company at $1 billion. Cervo raised $5 million in seed funding last year.
The purchase of Cervo is Altana’s first acquisition. Smith said he is looking for more potential acquisitions that could add to Altana’s trade enforcement, facilitation and compliance offerings.