C4T

Who owns C4T?

C4T is a Belgian SaaS company, currently owned by Hi Inov - Dentressangle since 2021.

About C4T

C4T, trading as Customs4trade, is a Belgian software company based in Mechelen that builds cloud customs and trade compliance technology for enterprises. Its flagship platform, CAS (Customs Accounting System), centralises and automates customs declarations, special procedures, excise, master data and origin management, and integrates with clients' ERP and warehouse systems across European jurisdictions. The company positions CAS as a way to cut customs administration and duty costs, and counts customers such as Honda, Agristo and Flora Food Group. By its own disclosures it processes more than 100,000 customs declarations a month, and it is ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 certified. It operates from its Mechelen headquarters with an additional office in Wigan, United Kingdom.

Ownership journey

Customs4trade was founded in 2004 by Pieter Haesaert and Ilse Vermeersch to automate the complex mechanics of customs and trade compliance. After early seed backing from B2B specialists, the company attracted Hi Inov, the venture arm of Dentressangle, which led a growth financing round of around EUR 3 million and took a board seat through Managing Partner Wolfgang Krause. Hi Inov deepened its commitment through its second fund, Hi Inov Fund II, participating from 2021 as C4T closed a larger growth round to fund international expansion, bringing total financing to roughly EUR 22 million. Hi Inov remains an active shareholder in the business, and no exit or secondary transaction involving the fund has been recorded.

Under PE ownership

The capital raised across these rounds was earmarked for product development, integration with customs systems worldwide, and the extension of sales from European regions into the United States, alongside significant hiring. Since the Hi Inov backing, C4T has broadened CAS into a modular suite spanning declarations, excise, AI driven product classification and advanced analytics, and has grown its declaration volumes past 100,000 filings a month. In 2023 the company raised a further EUR 4 million to accelerate the digitisation of European customs declarations. Third party data put its revenue at roughly USD 17 million by 2024 on a team of around 55 people, as C4T continued to position itself as a standard setter in enterprise customs software.