Plug and Play is a seed and early-stage investor focused on great teams leading emerging growth companies.  Plug and Play runs 12 industry-specific accelerator programs twice a year, that acts as a platform for major corporations and high quality startups to connect and collaborate.  Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, Plug and Play participates in Seed, Angel and Series A funding where they often co-invest with their strategic partners. Through years of experience and as part of their network, Plug and Play has put together a world-class network of serial entrepreneurs, strategic investors, and industry leaders who actively assist the firm with its successful and growing investment portfolio.  SEED ROUND. Plug and Play participates in seed round investing through a program called Startup Camp. Startup Camp is a 10-week program based in Silicon Valley for top-notch entrepreneurs to work intensively on building out their business model. Select startups will refine their business models and prototypes with help from a combination of structured workshops, speaker series and mentorship sessions, as well as active coaching from their investment team. At the culmination of Startup Camp, founders will have crystalized their business plans and pitched their company to the venture capital community at EXPO Demo Day.''  ANGEL ROUND Plug and Play makes angel round investments throughout the year, sourced from their monthly Plug and Play Angels (PAPA) sessions. They are partnered with local angel investors in Silicon Valley who participate in PAPA to find the most promising startups and best new technologies.  SERIES A. Series A typical Series A round is in the range of $2 million to $10 million, and is intended to provide operating capital for the company for six months to two years. This round capitalizes the company as it develops its products, performs initial marketing and branding, acquires talent, and conducts other early-stage business operations. It is in this stage that Plug and Play will co-invest with over 180 venture capital partners.  Plug and Play has helped grow market leaders such as PayPal, Danger, Google, DropBox, LendingClub, Zoosk, SoundHound, CreditSesame, Skytree, and has over 400 more early-stage startups in its portfolio.

Plug and Play

UNDERDOG LABS IS A BOUTIQUE STARTUP STUDIO LOCATED IN THE SF BAY AREA AND NEW ENGLAND.

Underdog Labs

IrishAngels is an early-stage venture firm focused on funding the most promising startups across the US. We invest in pre-seed and seed stage startups and leverage our active network to add value to the companies we fund. All investors have a link to the University of Notre Dame but we do not exclusively fund founders with Notre Dame connections. We invest in B2B SaaS, consumer, and medical companies.

IrishAngels

Rockstart is an early-stage, hands-on impact investor that empowers purpose-driven founders to drive positive change across three domains: Energy, AgriFood, and Emerging Technologies. We invest early-stage, providing not just capital but also access to markets, expertise, and community by connecting founders with co-investors, mentors, partners, and corporates.   Rockstart has invested in more than 350 startups and its alumni value to date is more than $1.7bn. Rockstart is an international team of 40+ professionals dedicated to empowering purpose-driven founders to become scalable and drive positive change on a global scale. Rockstart has notable exits such as Wercker, Bouw7, iClinic, and in 2021, 3D Hubs and Brincr. The company has offices in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Copenhagen, Denmark and Bogota, Colombia.

Rockstart

Flywheel Fund is a member-managed capital fund based in Bloomington, Indiana. From life sciences and medical devices with an emphasis on software and technology, we invest in early stage and high-potential startups.

Flywheel Fund

Elevate Ventures nurtures and develops emerging and existing high-potential businesses into high-performing, Indiana-based companies.  They accomplish this by providing rigorous business analysis and robust advisory serivces that connect companies with the resources they need to succeed long-term. As a not-for-profit organization, they are able to offer unbiased, in-depth perspective and recommendations.   Emerging, high-potential businesses Elevate Ventures seeks out business endeavors that identify a need in the marketplace and are well-positioned to successfully transition from research to product development to market.   High-performing, Indiana-based Companies These companies grow local economies and employment throughout Indiana, in addition to attracting and retaining top-level talent for the Hoosier state.   Rigorous business analysis Comprehensive due diligence is critical to determining the long-term financial viability of these companies.   Robust advisory services Elevate Ventures provides more than just capital, they partner with entrepreneurs, investors and other local and state organizations to ensure the best return on investment.   Resources to succeed long-term In addition to financial resources, Elevate addressees other market barriers, which may include management, business development, talent identification and retention, and specific technology development challenges. They don't just write a check and walk away - they help sustain business success and growth over time.   Unbiased, in-depth perspective and recommendations With a seasoned staff and a host of proven outside partners, they provide objectivity and insights that are among the best in their profession.

Elevate Ventures

RSLP Ventures

Culvex Investments is a venture capital firm.

Culvex Investments

Serra Ventures is a venture capital firm investing in technology companies throughout the U.S. and in select international locations. Sectors we focus on include information technology, devices/instrumentation and agricultural technologies.

Serra Ventures

SOSV is a global, deep tech venture capital firm that operates the HAX and IndieBio startup development programs focused on human and planetary health. SOSV invests $500,000 in startups at their inception as they onboard either HAX or IndieBio for a 4-6 month period designed to accelerate the raise of their next institutional round. SOSV joins the later rounds of HAX and IndieBio graduates.  HAX, based in a 35,000 sq ft facility in Newark, NJ, is equipped with machine tools, 3D printers, chemical, electrical and mechanical engineering labs, as well as on-staff engineering and design experts. SOSV's IndieBio has locations in NYC and San Francisco, both of which offer extensive services and facilities to founders including on-site BSL-2 labs, well equipped lab benches and hoods, and advanced lab equipment, such as chromatography equipment.

SOSV

FloVision Solutions

FloVision Solutions is a food analytic platform that optimizes supplier comparative analysis, meal performance, and food wastage. The platform also develops machine learning algorithms to detect food waste and offers recommendations to the user on how to reduce their ''food footprint'' and save money.

FloVision Solutions, formerly&nbsp;FloWaste, is an Indiana-based company offering a food waste analytics platform using machine learning and cameras to identify food system inefficiencies in the hospitality and food sector.&nbsp;FloVision Solutions’ cameras are installed at workstations, production lines, and trash cans to automatically identify and quantify the amount of food waste and use the collected data to recommend solutions to prevent such waste. The company’s target market includes both the industrial and commercial sectors. The company claims that its technology is capable of generating USD 50,000 value for an average fast-food restaurant per year.&nbsp;

Tech solutions for achieving global anti-wastage targets

Food Waste

FloVision Solutions, formerly&nbsp;FloWaste, is an Indiana-based company offering a food waste analytics platform using machine learning and cameras to identify food system inefficiencies in the hospitality and food sector.&nbsp;FloVision Solutions’ cameras are installed at workstations, production lines, and trash cans to automatically identify and quantify the amount of food waste and use the collected data to recommend solutions to prevent such waste. The company’s target market includes both the industrial and commercial sectors. The company claims that its technology is capable of generating USD 50,000 value for an average fast-food restaurant per year.&nbsp;As of March 2021,&nbsp;FloVision Solutions stated that it had seven pilot programs and completed three by the end of April 2021. As of November 2021,&nbsp;FloVision Solutions reported that it had three live paid pilot customers who had signed agreements to launch the system at over 100 locations within nine months.&nbsp;In March 2024, the company launched “FloVision Nano” and “FloVision Pro.” The Nano AI sensor was designed to measure yield and quality at production and the pro sensor was designed to control production yield and quality. FloVision Solutions had early customers in the US and Europe in the beef and poultry sectors and had plans to fully deploy its technology in 2024.&nbsp;Key customers and partnershipsA key customer of&nbsp;FloVision Solutions was McDonald’s in Chicago. FloWaste reported plans to launch additional pilots to scale up to offer the service to more than 38,000 restaurants under McDonald’s. Further, FloWaste reported its long-term plans to expand the use of its technology platform via partnerships, with an increased focus on deploying its solution at quick-service restaurants.&nbsp;

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

FloVision Solutions

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