David Nothacker

Overview
David Nothacker is a German entrepreneur and the co-founder and chief executive of Sennder, the Berlin-based digital road-freight forwarding company. Sennder connects industrial shippers with a large network of road carriers across Europe and has grown into one of the continent's largest full-truck-load logistics platforms. Nothacker is a prominent figure in the German startup ecosystem and in European logistics technology, associated with the digitisation of road freight and with one of the country's most visible logistics unicorns.
Why this entity matters
Nothacker matters because Sennder became a reference point for how technology is reshaping the fragmented European road-freight market. Under his leadership the company scaled from an early-stage startup into a billion-dollar business, combining venture capital, cross-border consolidation and a technology platform aimed at improving efficiency for both shippers and carriers. His trajectory illustrates how a Berlin-founded company built a pan-European logistics network in a traditionally offline industry.
Career, company, or institutional background
Nothacker co-founded Sennder in 2015 together with Julius Koehler and Nicolaus Schefenacker, developing the initial concept while studying and turning it into an operating digital freight forwarder. He has led the company as chief executive throughout its growth, overseeing its expansion across European markets, its consolidation of competitors, and its fundraising from international venture investors, with the company raising more than 350 million US dollars.
Role in the startup, technology, investment, or innovation ecosystem
Under Nothacker, Sennder grew through both organic expansion and acquisitions, including a merger with the French digital freight company Everoad. In January 2021 the company reached unicorn status with a valuation above one billion US dollars. In 2025 Sennder completed the acquisition of the European Surface Transportation operations of the US logistics group C.H. Robinson, a deal that brought combined revenue of about 1.4 billion euros, a workforce of roughly 1,600 people across more than 20 locations, and thousands of additional shippers and carriers, positioning the combined business among the top five full-truck-load players in Europe.
Selected relationships and affiliations
Nothacker co-founded Sennder with Julius Koehler and Nicolaus Schefenacker. Through the company's expansion he is connected to the teams of Everoad and to the European Surface Transportation business acquired from C.H. Robinson, as well as to Sennder's international venture investors.
Startuprad.io relevance
As the co-founder and chief executive of a DACH logistics-technology unicorn, Nothacker is relevant to Startuprad.io's ongoing coverage of German and European founders, scale-ups and the power structures of the DACH startup ecosystem.
Public source context
Publicly available profiles for Nothacker include his https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-nothacker/ and his https://www.crunchbase.com/person/david-nothacker , alongside company information published by Sennder.

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