Emir Sahmanovic
| Emir Sahmanovic | |
| Occupation | Entrepreneur, software executive |
|---|---|
| Known for | Co-founder and CEO of Forge Technologies |
Emir Sahmanovic is an American entrepreneur and engineer who is the co-founder and chief executive officer of Forge Technologies (doing business as Forge), a company that helps businesses recover refunds on tariffs and duties through automated duty drawback filing. Forge participated in Y Combinator's Winter 2024 batch.[1]
Career
Before founding Forge, Sahmanovic worked as an engineer in the aerospace industry. He served as a propulsion engineer at Blue Origin, where he led engineering efforts related to the BE-4 Spin Start Assembly and specialized in turbomachinery. He subsequently worked as a propulsion engineer at Stoke Space Technologies, focusing on reusable rocket technology.[1]
Sahmanovic co-founded Forge with his brother, Haris Sahmanovic, who serves as the company's chief technology officer. Haris previously worked as a backend engineer at Facebook and Vanguard. The company is based in New York.[2]
Forge's core service centers on duty drawback, a process through which companies can recover tariffs and duties previously paid on imported goods that are later exported or scrapped. According to the company, billions of dollars in eligible refunds go unclaimed each year because the filing process is complex and time-consuming. Forge takes ownership of the entire process, from organizing import and export data to filing claims with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, allowing businesses to recover up to 99% of import taxes on qualifying goods with minimal effort on their part. The company operates in the business-to-business space and applies automation and artificial intelligence to streamline its operations.[1]
In June 2024, Forge was reported by TechCrunch to have raised $2 million in funding. At that time, the company was described as working to modernize hardware procurement, a focus that later shifted to duty drawback and tariff recovery services.[2]
Forge officially launched its duty drawback product in February 2026 through Y Combinator's launch platform, positioning itself as a service for businesses of all sizes seeking to reduce the cost burden of international trade.[2]
References