Cambridge Capital History

Informed Point of View on Trends and Opportunities
in the Supply Chain

Cambridge Capital’s history is what makes us different.
We have been a founder-friendly firm from day one, given our roots as supply chain business-builders.

Our History

1999
Supply Chain Heritage
Benjamin Gordon founded one of the first SaaS logistics companies, 3PLex. Ben drew on 5 generations of family transportation experience, dating back to Morgenstern Express in 1903 and AMI in 1948. With 3PLex, he raised venture capital from major firms like Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and Conway. 3Plex has since been acquired by Maersk.
2002
Supply Chain Advisory Services
As part of his experience with 3PLex, Ben saw a need for a supply sector-focused merchant bank comprised of both traditional senior investment professionals as well as relevant operators, with a track record of success and who have built top companies in the sector. As such, he founded BGSA, an investment bank that specializes in providing strategy-led M&A advisory services for leading CEOs in the supply chain sector.
2010
Debut in Supply Chain Investment
After nearly a decade of successful supply chain M&A transactions, Ben expanded the firm to provide capital for top supply chain firms, to build the type of investment firm that he wishes he had when he was a founder. He founded Cambridge with his own capital. From the very beginning, Cambridge has sought to be a founder-friendly investor that makes a small number of high-conviction investments and provides practical, hands-on assistance in all key areas important to help supply chain leaders to scale up.
2018
Institutional Investment Strategy in Supply Chain
Ben recruited Matt Smalley, bringing to the firm a wealth of knowledge in institutional growth equity and buyout investments from his time at Insight Partners and Macquarie Capital.
Today
A Different Breed of Investment Partner
Since 2018, Cambridge has invested approximately $200M in a broad range of high-growth, tech-enabled or asset-light platform companies. Cambridge’s supply chain sector focus, unmatched network, access to Fortune 500 customers, seasoned operators and successful investors make Cambridge an unmatched investment partner for growth.

History of billion dollar fortunes in the supply chain sector

19th Century

The Railroad
• In 1869, Leland Stanford drove the Golden Spike into the ground in Utah, creating the first coast-to-coast railroad

• Railroad fortunes were built by the Vanderbilts, Carnegies, and Flaglers

• The railroads formed the infrastructure for major economic development and the rise of transportation-based corporations such as Standard Oil
20th Century

The Box
• In 1956, Malcolm McLean refitted an oil tanker to carry 58 shipping containers from Newark to Houston

• Containerization helped fuel the fortunes of shipping and trucking empires like Maersk and JB Hunt

• This supply chain innovation formed the basis for global trade, enabling new winners such as Wal-Mart
21st Century

The Digital Supply Chain
• “The Amazon Effect” sparks a new ecosystem in automation, e-commerce fulfillment, and the digital supply chain

• Supply chains are evolving from analog to digital, as companies seek to automate as much as possible and meet consumer demand for faster delivery

• New billion-dollar winners emerge, including Uber, GENCO, Descartes, and XPO

The supply chain sector has consistently been a breeding ground for billion-dollar successes, and the future promises even greater opportunities… If you are a great entrepreneur, an investor, or an industry veteran, please reach out.

Informed Point of View on Trends and Opportunitiesin the Supply Chain

Our History

1999

2002

2010

2018

Today

History of billion dollar fortunes in the supply chain sector

19th Century

20th Century

21st Century

Informed Point of View on Trends and Opportunities
in the Supply Chain