FoodLabs is a venture studio and investor for startups with solutions to feed ten billion people by 2050 in a sustainable and healthy way. Founded in 2016, the Berlin-based investor is one of Europe's leading venture firms for food & ag. It has supported over 20 mission-driven teams to launch their ideas and put great concepts into practice. The portfolio covers the entire value chain - from agtech, alternative protein sources, water supply, food security, vertical farming, to food waste and carbon reduction.

FoodLabs

Nomitri

We bring deep learning visual perception AI (artificial intelligence) to smart phones and other edge devices. We help retailers to create a data-driven and personalized shopping experience.

<div>Berlin-based Nomitri develops visual deep-learning AI for mobile and edge devices to enable mobile-based self-checkout and also function as a smart cart solution. The company&rsquo;s embedded AI deep-learning algorithms run on shoppers&rsquo; smartphones and can be set up in three days. When a shopper enters a store, their smartphone is attached to a simple smartphone mount on an existing shopping cart. The solution does not require cameras, sensors, cloud access or additional servers. Instead, Nomitri&rsquo;s visual intelligence solutions embedded in the smartphone tracks purchases and automates checkout in an asset-light and low-cost way. Video data does not leave the customer&rsquo;s device, which also protects privacy.</div>

Providing a seamless consumer experience is one hope for bringing back brick and mortar retail, automated stores are being built to do just that.

Automated Stores

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 Berlin-based Nomitri develops visual deep-learning AI for mobile and edge devices to enable mobile-based self-checkout and also function as a smart cart solution. The company&rsquo;s embedded AI deep-learning algorithms run on shoppers&rsquo; smartphones and can be set up in three days. When a shopper enters a store, their smartphone is attached to a simple smartphone mount on an existing shopping cart. The solution does not require cameras, sensors, cloud access or additional servers. Instead, Nomitri&rsquo;s visual intelligence solutions embedded in the smartphone tracks purchases and automates checkout in an asset-light and low-cost way. Video data does not leave the customer&rsquo;s device, which also protects privacy. 
 
 
 Through its solution, the company enables retailers to communicate with shoppers in real-time about discounts, coupons, and product information while providing a contactless, autonomous and personalized shopping experience. Retailers can also gain insights into customers&rsquo; individual shopping behavior. Since Nomitri&rsquo;s 2021 launch with German supermarket chain Edeka L&uuml;ning, the company&rsquo;s solution has received an approval rating of 97% among shoppers.
 
 
 In March 2022, the company raised USD 2.76 million in a seed funding round led by European food technology, nutrition and health investor, FoodLabs, accompanied by tech retail angel investors.
 
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 Grabango is an emerging, checkout-free retail technology provider whose solutions are based on computer vision and machine learning, run both locally and on the cloud. Grabango is designed for stores with more than 100,000 sq ft of floor space with high adaptability to existing environments. The company claims its solution can recognize objects at an accuracy rate of 99.9% and has filed over 30 patents for its technology. The Grabango system consists of overhead rails running machine learning algorithms and is located above the shopping area. The system keeps track of the customer in the shop, while also tallying their purchases as they move. At the time of checkout, a customer has two options: pay normally via a cashier, but without any need to unpack items from their cart, or walk out of the store with payment taking place in the Grabango app.
 
 
 Key customers and partnerships
 
 
 The company launched a &ldquo;no-line&rdquo; payment experience at a Giant Eagle supermarket in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in September 2020. Grabango plans to deploy its technology into four more Giant Eagle GetGo stores in the Greater Pittsburgh area in 2021. Furthermore, the company intends to capture the top 30 grocers and top 10 convenience store chains in the US in the near future. Grabango launched its first multi-store rollout in partnership with Circle K in November 2021. The checkout-free tech will be available in six Arizona Circle K stores in the greater Tucson area. In December 2021, Grabango partnered with bp to offer check out free service to customers. Retrofit solutions are to be set by mid-2022 in 10 locations across the US, seven ampm stations in Northern California, and three Amoco locations in Western Pennsylvania, making this the company&rsquo;s largest multi-store rollout yet. In February 2022, Grabango partnered with convenience store chain MAPCO to launch two stores in Tennessee by fall 2022. 
 In 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/26268">
 February 2024
 </a>
 , Grabango partnered with the grocery chain Aldi to install an automated checkout system at a Chicago store.
 
 
 Funding and financials
 
 
 Grabango raised USD 39 million in a Series B funding round in June 2021, led by Commerce Ventures. The funds will be used to help with the company&rsquo;s expansion plans for current and new customers in 2021. 
 
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Grabango

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 Zippin offers next-generation checkout-free technology. To shop in the store, customers must download an app and enter their billing information, upon which a unique QR code is generated, which they can use to enter the store. Zippin uses auto-checkout technology so that anyone who picks up an item from a shelf is responsible for it unless it is placed back. Zippin also uses overhead cameras and sensors on its shelves, along with AI technology to track customers&rsquo; movements and noting what goes inside each virtual basket, enabled by computer vision algorithms. The customer is charged as soon as they leave the store. Zippin claims its competitive advantage is its use of a combination of cameras and weight sensors that makes a more accurate sensor fusion algorithm, as opposed to a purely camera-based solution. The company also has human store operators as the third level of backup for higher robustness; they are called in if the AI system fails to recognize a product. Zippin does not use biometrics of any sort to identify consumers, only overhead cameras to map out customer movements.
 
 
 Zippin has piloted its technology in high volume locations and entered into multiple partnerships with supermarkets, convenience stores, and hotels.&nbsp;
 
 
 - The company first opened a demo store in San Francisco in 2019. In the same year,&nbsp; Zippin&rsquo;s technology was also deployed at the Ame Go convenience store chain in Brazil, and the Moscow-based Azbuka Vkusa supermarket.
 
 
 - In early 2020, Zippin and Fujitsu teamed up to undergo a pilot program with the Lawson convenience store chain in Japan, where user authentication was done utilizing a palm reader. Thereafter in December 2020, Zippin announced Fujitsu as its exclusive distributor in Japan from March 2021 onwards. With the new partnership, Fujitsu may offer Zippin technology complemented with its own multi-biometric authentication. In February 2021, launched a new cashierless checkout store, &ldquo;Green Leaves Plus,&rdquo; in the Yokohama Techno Tower Hotel in Japan in partnership with Fujitsu and the Koyo Group (which operates a portfolio of hotels, convenience stores, and restaurants in hospitals). The company claims this is the world&rsquo;s first checkout-free hotel store.&nbsp;
 
 
 - The Zippin convenience store was housed in two sports venues (Golden 1 Center arena in Sacramento since September 2019 and Mile High Stadium in Denver since November 2020), in addition to several convenience stores in the US,
 
 
 - Partnered with American Express (June 2021) to introduce an automated store at the Barclays Center (in Brooklyn, New York) for the Brooklyn Nets&rsquo; first-round NBA playoff series against the Celtics. The store offers beverages, snacks, and merchandise exclusively to American Express cardholders.&nbsp;
 
 
 - Partnered with Pacers Sports &amp; Entertainment (October 2021) to deploy its tech at the indoor arena Gainbridge Fieldhouse (Indiana, US) which hosts the games of NBA team Indiana Pacers and WNBA team Indiana Fever as well as college basketball, indoor concerts, and ice hockey.&nbsp;
 
 
 - Partnered with JFKIAT, the operator of Terminal 4 at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), and SSP America, an airport foodservice operator, (December 2021) to deploy its tech at its first airport location: JFK in New York City. The company expects to deploy its tech to 100 stores at airports and train stations by the end of 2022.
 
 
 -Partnered with Aramark in March 2022 to launch the second Zippin-powered store in Houston&rsquo;s NRG Stadium.
 
 
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 Partnered with Dallas-based restaurant and entertainment business, Dave &amp; Buster&rsquo;s Entertainment Inc in July 2022 to launch a checkout-free store at a Dave &amp; Busters located in Hollywood, ​​Florida.
 
 
 Zippin launched an equity crowdfunding campaign on the OurCrowd platform in May 2021, aiming to raise up to USD 8.4 million. In September 2021, Zippin raised USD 30 million in a Series B funding round, with participation from OurCrowd, Maven Ventures, Evolv Ventures, and SAP, among others. The funds will be used to help with the company&rsquo;s expansion plan and accelerate innovation specifically with regards to deployment and maintenance. The company hopes to retrofit stores in one day with zero or minimal downtime.&nbsp;
 
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Zippin

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 A vision technology company, AWM (Adroit Worldwide Media) Smart Shelf offers an array of comprehensive retail solutions. The company&rsquo;s main cashierless checkout solution is called AWM Frictionless, a collaborative solution offered in partnership with Microsoft Azure, and uses several of AWM&rsquo;s product offerings to create an enhanced shopping experience. 
 
 
 As shoppers arrive, they launch their mobile app to check in, where the AWM Frictionless platform notes their presence. As shoppers move, cameras track them, and their identity is further validated by facial-matching software. Product selection is then tracked through AWM&rsquo;s Automated Inventory Intelligence solution, which uses a series of super-wide-angle low-light HD cameras and AWM&rsquo;s LED Fascia technology (a type of automated shelving technology). Machine learning tracks shopper purchases and makes shopping list recommendations during subsequent visits. Once shopping is done, shoppers simply exit the store and are automatically charged in their online accounts.
 
 
 The company is noteworthy for leveraging partnerships to venture beyond the retail sector. In January 2020, AWM partnered with OptiCrib to offer friction-free inventory management in the industrial and commercial supply space. In November 2019, AWM announced an integration partnership with Macondo Vision to provide its computer vision and machine learning algorithms to track activity anonymously and provide workforce insights for companies in the warehousing and hospitality space.
 
 
 In May 2020, data capture firm Datalogic made an undisclosed investment in AWM as part of a strategic move to keep tabs on retail tech trends, with a special focus on frictionless shopping and automated inventory management. Before that in October 2019, the company raised USD 11 million in a Series A funding round led by Impact Venture Capital as well as existing investors Mark IV Capital and the Contrarian Group. The funding was expected to help the company strengthen its technology offering and expand its global footprint.
 
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AWM Smart Shelf

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 AiFi offers a self checkout solution powered by computer vision and AI. Its solution enables a customer to enter a store using a mobile app, pick up the items required and simply exit the store to complete the purchase. The solution also generates statistics and insights on customer behavior. The company claims that its technology can track up to 500 customers while also tracking tens of thousands of items in a store. It also claims a 99% accuracy rate and can be used within a space of up to 10,000 square feet, without using facial recognition technology or storing biometric data.&nbsp;
 
 
 AiFi&rsquo;s flagship platform, &ldquo;Orchestrated Autonomous Store Infrastructure &amp; Services (OASIS)&rdquo; is designed for stores ranging from 200 square feet to 10,000 square feet and allows users to select between a fully autonomous shopping experience or a hybrid model. The stores will have a turnstile, a kiosk or door locks at the entrance, which the customer can interact with to gain access to the store.&nbsp; It also can be integrated with existing payments, inventory management, and electronic shelf labeling systems. The stores operate on a subscription-based model, and the company guarantees 12 months to achieve a return on investment (ROI).
 
 
 AiFi leverages the OASIS platform to offer retail clients the option of deploying an AiFi NanoStore, a custom-designed, fully-automated, container-sized, unmanned, checkout-free store format that can be operated 24/7. The NanoStores come in sizes of 160, 300 and 370 square feet specifications. Company claims that its technology can save around USD 20 per hour of operation.&nbsp;
 
 
 Key customers and partnerships
 
 
 In January 2022, AiFi launched its largest store&mdash;a 6,000 square foot Aldi location in London. As of March 2022, the company has 40 stores in operation globally. AiFi&rsquo;s key partnerships include Carrefour (November 2018) in the UAE, Zabka (February 2019) in Poland, AiGo (December 2020) in China, Loop Neighborhood (January 2020), Choice Market (April 2021), and Verizon (May 2021) in the US, Wundermart (February 2021) in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany, PostNL (May 2021) in the Netherlands, Morrisons (July 2021) and Aldi (January 2022) in the UK, Compass Group (December 2021) in Ireland, and Kende Gastro (January 2022) in Hungary.&nbsp;
 
 
 AiFi also has a partnership with Microsoft (January 2023) to launch a cloud-based analytics service for cashier-less stores. In 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/9389">
 March 2022
 </a>
 AiFi partnered with Sodexo, the French campus food service operator, to bring autonomous grocery stores to campuses across the US. In 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/21219">
 August 2023
 </a>
 , AiFi partnered with University of San Diego to retrofit a mini convenience store with checkout-free technology.
 
 
 Funding and financials
 
 
 By 2022, AiFi reportedly had revenue growth&nbsp;of 5-6 times year-over-year and had increased its headcount from 40 employees in 2020 to 115 employees. In March 2022, AiFi raised USD 65 million in a Series B funding round led by Canada-based investment management firm Khaira Capital, with participation from retail partners ALDI South Group, Zabka Group, REWE, Verizon Ventures, and Qualcomm Ventures. The round brought the company to a total of USD 97 million in funding. AiFi had planned to leverage the new funding to scale partnerships, strengthen its deployment team for faster store roll-outs and also invest in product development and feature enhancement.
 
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AiFi

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 Ontario-based Eflyn offers interactive digital displays, self-ordering, self-checkout solutions, and custom design kiosks with operations in Canada and the US. 
 
 The self-ordering and self-checkout kiosks (including Eflyn Outdoor Self Order Kiosks and Eflyn Shopify Kiosk with Shopify point-of-sale (POS) integration) have built-in support for EMV, Chip and Pin, NFC contactless cards, Google Pay, and Apple Pay. These kiosks allow customers to select goods for purchase, browsing through the complete list of products offered by retailers. Customers can also use these to request delivery or pick-up at a later date if an item is out of stock. Elfyn’s Grab ‘n’ Go features enable customers to quickly scan and pay for items on-the-go. 
  Eflyn’s Grab ‘n’ Go features enable customers to scan and pay for items on the go. 
 
 
 In November 2020, Eflyn Shopify Kiosks were made available to all the company’s customers following a trial period with select retailers. From 2021 to 22, the company provided self-ordering kiosk solutions to over 20 customers across industries including retail, education, and foodservice. Among Eflyn’s customers of note are Toys R Us, Ryerson University, World Vision International, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and Lowes.
 
 
 
 
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Eflyn

Solutions in the industry are often powered by AI, and ML

Solutions in the industry are often powered by IoT, cloud computing, AI, and ML

Companies in “automated checkout” often use IoT

Includes self-checkout kiosks (typically cameras and weight sensors) and mobile app-based scanning solutions (commonly leveraging barcodes and QR codes) that enable users to carry out the checkout process themselves

Companies providing shopping carts enhanced with cameras, sensors, and AI to enable automatic checkout

Nomitri

Automated Stores

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