Ryan Petersen, born in 1980 or 1981, is an American businessman recognized as the founder and CEO of Flexport, a technology-driven freight forwarding and supply chain management company. Flexport utilizes software and analytics to streamline international trade for over 10,000 companies across 70 countries. Since its inception, Flexport has facilitated the movement of over $175 billion in merchandise for companies ranging from emerging brands to Fortune 500s. Before establishing Flexport in 2013, Petersen co-founded ImportGenius in 2007, a company specializing in tracking international shipping data. He holds a BA in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley, and an MBA from Columbia Business School. In addition to his role at Flexport, Petersen has been a venture partner at Founders Fund since 2023.
Petersen gained attention in 2021 for sharing proposals on Twitter to address shipping backlogs at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, which reached California Governor Gavin Newsom. Although some in the logistics industry criticized these solutions as simplistic, Petersen's focus on technology has spurred change within the freight forwarding sector. While he briefly stepped down as CEO in 2022, he returned to the position in September 2023. In early 2025, Petersen cautioned that potential tariffs on Chinese imports could significantly impact American small businesses. Recent posts on Flexport's blog in 2025 discussed topics such as duty-free shipping and the company's acquisition and sale of the Convoy Platform.