Our goal is to be the first investor in top CEE startups. Get in touch if you are at day one of building a global tech company.  With more than 110 investments, AIP Seed is the largest fund in Poland and among the largest in CEE.

AIP Seed

CofounderZone stands for ecosystem, where two coexisting worlds are finding common ground to cooperate. The blue ocean is represented by innovative enterprises, utilising groundbreaking technologies and non-linear business models, but lacking resources to scale. The red ocean is the opposite world, dominated by corporations, strugling to maintain their position, despite being equiped with abundence of knowledge and assets.  This type of collaboration is not easy. That is why CofounderZone, puts strong emphasis on people – cofounders of startups and founders of established businesses, turned angel investors, to help the exchange of experience, human and investment capital.  #cfdrz

CofounderZone

Satus Starter is a venture capital fund established in cooperation with PFR Ventures. Total fund size equals USD 12 million of which 20% comes from private investors and 80% is a European Union contribution through PFR Ventures (European Funds – Smart Growth). Our aim is to invest in innovative companies at their earliest stage of development (seed, start) and thanks to our competences, experience and contacts, provide the start-ups with “smart money” in order to significantly increase their chances for commercial success.

SATUS Starter

An impact VC fund from Foodtech.ac, CEE’s top foodtech accelerator, investing in sustainable pre-seed and seed-stage startups.

AC/VC Impact Fund

Foodsi

Here at Foodsi we love food so much that we cannot let it go to waste! Our mission is not only to grow as a business, but - however bold that sounds - to change the world. We want to educate customers about food waste and save as many products as possible. Together we create the first Polish app that supports businesses in fighting food waste. With our help, producers can generate additional income while introducing a ‘less waste’ business model and clients get great products at discount prices. Win-win! We work not only with recognized companies, but also with local businesses. Artisan bakeries, flower shops, farmers markets - they all join us in a mission to save the surplus of their produce.  Since we started in 2019, we have grown into a considerable competitor on the Polish market. By now we have saved more than 800 000 boxes of food and other products (cosmetics, flowers, pet food etc.), we collaborate with almost 3000 partners across the country, and we are engaged in social campaigns considering food waste.

Based in Poland, Foodsi is a mobile platform, available on Google Play and App Store, aimed at reducing food waste by connecting customers to restaurants and other food companies to buy and sell surplus food. The app can be downloaded for free and customers can choose from a range of different food partners and place orders for “surprise packs” (a package of a variety of mixed surplus food) to be collected on the same or the next. Food bought via the app is sold at up to a 70% discounted price and also claims to offer up to 29,000 PLN (~USD 5,800) per year in added value for partnered companies from the sale of surplus food.

Tech solutions for achieving global anti-wastage targets

Food Waste

Poland’s Foodsi Expands Efforts to Reduce Food Waste

Based in Poland, Foodsi is a mobile platform, available on Google Play and App Store, aimed at reducing food waste by connecting customers to restaurants and other food companies to buy and sell surplus food. The app can be downloaded for free and customers can choose from a range of different food partners and place orders for “surprise packs” (a package of a variety of mixed surplus food) to be collected on the same or the next. Food bought via the app is sold at up to a 70% discounted price and also claims to offer up to 29,000 PLN (~USD 5,800) per year in added value for partnered companies from the sale of surplus food.As of October 2024, Foodsi had over 1.5 million users and had over 5,000 partner companies (up to 1.6x growth since 2022) The company also claims to have saved over 2 million&nbsp;850,000&nbsp;packages of food from going to waste.Key customers and partnerships&nbsp;Foodsi had over 5,000 partner companies, including leading Polish brands such as Salad Story, Pasibus, Oskroba Bakeries, Aromat, and Batida on its platform.&nbsp;In January 2024, Foodsi collaborated with Carrefour Polska to combat food waste by offering Foodsi’s grocery packages, cleaning products, and cosmetics for purchase in the Carrefour network.

Apeel Sciences is a California-based food technology company that produces edible coatings made of plant materials that extend the lifetime of fruits by 2x–3x to prevent food wastage in regions where refrigeration is scarce.&nbsp;The coatings are intended for use on fruits and vegetables, with a primary focus on avocados, apples, mangos, cucumbers, and citrus fruits.&nbsp;According to the company, US retailers that used Apeel experienced a 50% reduction in waste alongside a 5%–10% growth in sales on average. As of&nbsp;April 2024, Apeel Sciences reported to have saved&nbsp;over&nbsp;60 million pieces of produce from going to waste at retail stores by partnering with small family-owned farmers, local organic growers, grocery stores, and large food brands.&nbsp;As of October&nbsp;2024, the company was offering its solution to a network of 30 suppliers and 40 retailers across eight countries, including the US, UK, Spain, Netherlands, and Kenya. The company focuses on expanding its market presence across North America and the EU.In May 2020, Apeel announced plans to expand to Sub-Saharan Africa, Central, and South America—all regions where food wastage was increasing.&nbsp;Following this, Apeel expanded to Sub-Saharan Africa in 2022 and began its expansion to South America in 2024.In May 2021, Apeel Sciences acquired&nbsp;the&nbsp;startup Impact Vision for an undisclosed amount. Impact Vision’s technology allows suppliers to see inside their fresh produce and ultimately reduce post-harvest loss and optimize distribution while continuing to extend shelf life.&nbsp;Key customers and partnerships&nbsp;Apeel has partnered with various distributors for the distribution of its avocados, including The Kroger Company in September 2018 for Cincinnati, Calavo Growers in January 2021, and Nature’s Pride for Europe in March 2021.&nbsp;The company also collaborated with Topline Farms in February 2023 for the development of the Apeel-Protected Mini Cucumber and licensed its coating technology to Limoneira in May 2023 for use on lemons.&nbsp;

Apeel Sciences

Shelf Engine provides demand forecasting tools,&nbsp;which leverage AI and machine learning, for perishable food items to reduce inefficiencies in the ordering system and minimize overall costs. According to Shelf Engine, more than 30% of highly perishable foods in grocery stores such as meat and vegetables expire before the sell-by date. Shelf Engine’s scan-based trade (SBT) technology guarantees sales and pays for any items that remain unsold. Via the SBT, Shelf Engine manages orders, pays vendors, and only charges the retailer for what sells while still paying suppliers for their full order and increasing its accuracy over time. Shelf generates revenue by charging a markup on the product from the vendor to the retailer.As of October 2024, Shelf Engine operated in more than 3,000 grocery stores and claimed to increase profit margins by more than 50% by reducing food waste by as much as 32%.&nbsp;Shelf Engine also reported that it prevented 5.2 million lbs of food wastage, decreased 8,200 tons of CO2, and saved 500 million gallons of water.Key customers and partnershipsIn January 2024, Shelf Engine partnered with Dollar General to implement fully automated AI-powered ordering for produce, aiming to enhance inventory management and reduce food waste across Dollar General's stores. This collaboration would leverage Shelf Engine's technology to optimize ordering processes and improve the freshness of perishable items.Shelf Engine also worked with supermarket and grocery chains Whole Foods, Target, Kroger, Walmart, Ralphs, Harmons, and Bi‑Rite to manage orders and reduce food waste.

Shelf Engine

Afresh began as a research project in 2017 to develop AI-powered software that optimizes the entire food supply chain. Specifically, the company offers an in-store solution for grocery stores that applies artificial intelligence to manage the freshness of food. According to the company, the implementation of its technology has led to a 25%–45% reduction of in-store food waste and increased gross margin of fresh produce sales by 4 percentage points. The company generates revenue under a SaaS model. In&nbsp;<a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/16835">March 2023,</a> the company expanded into fresh departments, including meat, seafood, deli, and food service.As of&nbsp;October 2024, the company’s technology was deployed across 3,000 stores in 40 states in the US and it reported that it was able to triple its customer base in 2021.&nbsp;Afresh also reported that it prevented 44 million lbs of food wastage as of 2024 while reducing 24 million kg of CO2 emissions and saving 886 million gallons of water.Key customers and partnershipsSome of Afresh's key customers include Fresh Thyme Market, WinCo Foods, and Heinen’s. In 2019, the company also reported that it had established partnerships with three US grocery chains, each with more than 100 stores in operation.&nbsp;&nbsp;The company also collaborated with Bashas’ Supermarkets Inc. (a chain of grocery stores based in North America with over 100 stores) in September 2021 and New Season Market (a chain of 19 privately owned grocery stores) in October 2021 to pilot the “Afresh AI-driven software solution” at selected stores.In December 2022, Afresh partnered with SpartanNash to pilot the AI-powered Afresh platform at 10 of SpartanNash’s Family Fare grocery stores.&nbsp;&nbsp;In&nbsp;<a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/15786">January 2023</a>, Afresh and Albertsons Companies announced the completion of an enterprise rollout of the Afresh predictive ordering and inventory management platform.&nbsp;Afresh also partnered with Albertsons Companies again in October 2024 for the launch of Afresh DC Forecasts, where Albertsons was its first customer.

AFresh

UK-based Winnow Solutions identifies and measures waste in commercial kitchens. The company records the reason for the waste, calculates the value of the wasted food, and keeps track of this data in the cloud. The company’s self-titled product shares technology with autonomous vehicles, using cameras to record and learn about food being wasted and calculate the financial and environmental cost of this discarded food. Winnow Vision also provides a Waste Monitor solution to help kitchen staff track how and what food is wasted to adjust their spending on food ingredients and eliminate overproduction.As of October 2024, Winnow Solutions reported that it had annually saved over 50 million meals, reduced 87,000 tons of CO2, and saved USD 70 million for customers.Key customers and partnershipsWinnow’s customers include the catering company&nbsp;<a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/5386">ISS</a> and hotels such as Accor, Fairmont, The Westin, Four Seasons, and Hilton Tokyo Bay.&nbsp;In September 2023, Winnow Solutions partnered with Ne’ma, the UAE’s National Food Loss and Waste Initiative, to support Ne’ma with data, benchmarking, and best practices for the hotels, restaurants, and catering (HoReCa) sector.&nbsp; Following this, Winnow was selected as a preferred food waste management vendor by Dayblink GPO in November 2023.

Winnow Solutions

Hazel Technologies is a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)-funded technology company that develops packaging that releases vapors that slow the aging process and prevent fungus or decay. Its solution is claimed to double the shelf life of produce. Hazel operates a B2B business that targets large enterprises. The company has reported treating&nbsp;5 billion lbs of produce as of October 2024, saving about 4 billion lbs from going bad. The company has a target to save one billion&nbsp;lbs of produce from going to waste by the end of 2021. Hazel operates in&nbsp;13 countries&nbsp;across the US, South America, and Europe, as of October 2024.&nbsp;Hazel works with around 250 food service and produce companies including the likes of Sysco, Mission Produce, Zespri, Calavo, and Oppy.&nbsp;As of October 2024, the company offers Hazel Endure, its antimicrobial packaging for berries, grapes, and other fruit, which uses an anti-fungal pad to extend the shelf life and quality of fruits and other produce.Key customers and partnershipsHazel Technologies has formed several partnerships to reduce food waste and extend the shelf life of various produce. These included collaborations with Mission Produce for avocados in July 2020, Migiva Group for grape trials in March 2021, Specialty Crop Company for figs and Symms Fruit for apples in May 2021, Oppy and Brar Farms for California-grown table grapes in July 2022, and Kliewer Farms for kiwifruit in November 2022.

Hazel Technologies

Startups that prevent food wastage by prolonging the lifetime of food or better managing food production through the supply chain. Companies that develop products such as sanitizers, containers, and machines that allow food to stay fresh longer are included here. Startups that develop algorithms to determine food preservation strategies are also included.

These startups ensure work to reroute surplus food to different sets of end-users including charity organizations and consumers seeking discounted items. This segment mainly consists of on-demand online platforms that connect producers, retailers, and restaurants with consumers via mobile app.

Startups that recycle food waste for industrial uses such as soil enrichment.

Startups that recycle food waste into edible food and beverages.

Solutions that keep food waste out of landfills

Recycling and upcycling food waste to keep them out of landfills

IoT-enabled waste prevention techniques for purposes such as longer shelf-life and inventory management

Waste prevention analysis platforms use AI/ML

<div>
 Foodsi, a food surplus marketplace based in Poland, has secured an additional EUR 1.2 million (~USD 1.3 million) in a seed funding extension round. This funding was raised from investors like Satus Starter, AC/VC Impact Fund, and AIP Seed. Consequently, the total value of the seed round has increased to over EUR 2.5 million (~USD 2.7 million).
 The funds raised will be channeled towards facilitating the company's growth, broadening its product and sales teams, enhancing operational efficiency, and preparing for an upcoming Series A funding round.
 Currently, Foodsi operates its platform across many major cities in Poland. It has strategic partnerships with over 6,000 venues, including large chains like Carrefour, Wedel, and Etno Cafe. The company's app boasts close to 2 million users who have collectively saved nearly 5 million food packages since its launch. These savings translate into tens of millions of euros.
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Foodsi

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