Altana

Altana is a New York-based enterprise software company that develops an artificial intelligence platform to map and analyze global supply chains for risk management, trade compliance, and procurement optimization. Operating on a business-to-business subscription model, the company aggregates vast amounts of trade data to manage over 140 million buyer-supplier connections across complex international networks. The software platform serves government agencies and Fortune 500 logistics providers, securing major enterprise contracts with prominent organizations such as UPS, Maersk, and US Customs and Border Protection. Backed by lead investors including GV and the US Innovative Technology Fund, the 228-employee company reached a $1 billion valuation after raising a $200 million Series C round, bringing its total venture funding raised to over $320 million. Altana was originally founded in 2018 by Evan Smith, Peter Swartz, and Raphael Tehranian.

High-Level Overview

Altana Technologies is an AI-powered platform that serves as the world's first Value Chain Management System, uniting businesses, supply chain partners, and governments around a trusted source of product information to build efficient, resilient, and secure global supply chains.[2][3][5] It solves critical problems in global trade, such as supply chain vulnerabilities, compliance risks, tariff evasion, and illicit flows, by integrating billions of data points on products, shipments, companies, and networks for real-time insights, risk mitigation, and collaborative workflows.[2][4][5] Serving enterprises, logistics providers, governments, and financial institutions, Altana has raised $383.6M in funding (including a $200M Series C in 2024), achieved metrics like 1M+ complex product duties calculated, 8x faster customs filing, and $300M in average duty savings for customers, signaling strong growth momentum.[2][4][5]

Origin Story

Founded in 2018 and headquartered in Brooklyn, New York, Altana emerged amid the COVID-19 disruptions that exposed global supply chain fragilities, prompting a need for AI-driven visibility and resilience.[1][4][5][6] Key founders and leadership details are not specified in available sources, but the company quickly gained traction with investments from prominent backers like GV (Google Ventures), Thomas Tull’s US Innovative Technology Fund, Generation Investment Management, Salesforce Ventures, Activate Capital, and OMERS Ventures.[4][5] Pivotal moments include launching its AI platform to map multi-relational supply chain data and securing $200M in Series C funding to scale public-private sector adoption.[5]

Core Differentiators

• AI-Powered Network for Trusted Trade: Unites public-private collaborators with a single source of truth from billions of data points, enabling proactive compliance, risk remediation, and vulnerability identification across extended supplier and distribution networks.[2][3][5]
• Specialized Use Cases: Automates trade processes to temper volatility (e.g., tariff evasion detection), strengthen resilience (e.g., risk transfer via insurance), protect communities (e.g., stopping harmful substances), and optimize coverage for carriers and brokers.[2]
• Proven Impact and Efficiency: Delivers 8x faster customs filing, $300M average duty savings, and 1M+ duties calculated, outperforming traditional tools through machine learning for real-time analytics and workflows.[2]
• Collaborative Ecosystem: Focuses on developer-friendly insights and public-private partnerships, distinguishing it from siloed compliance or visibility platforms by fostering network-wide action.[3]

Role in the Broader Tech Landscape

Altana rides the wave of AI-driven supply chain transformation, accelerated by post-COVID disruptions, geopolitical tensions, and rising demands for resilience, sustainability, and security in global trade.[2][6] Its timing aligns with market forces like escalating trade compliance needs, tariff complexities, and forced labor due diligence, where fragmented data hinders efficiency—Altana's network approach provides unprecedented visibility from raw materials to end sales.[3][5] By empowering regulators with precise enforcement and businesses with profitability tools, it influences the ecosystem toward trusted commerce, reducing illicit trade risks and enabling economic growth amid volatility.[2]

Quick Take & Future Outlook

Altana is poised to dominate value chain management as AI scales to handle escalating global trade volumes and regulatory pressures. Trends like proactive compliance automation, public-private data sharing, and climate/resilience mandates will propel its expansion, potentially integrating deeper with enterprise ERPs and government systems. Its influence may evolve into a de facto standard for secure trade, amplifying impact as supply chains digitize—building on its mission to fix a broken global system and power resilient economies.[2][5]