FloWaste

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. FloWaste system’s 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.

As of March 2021, FloWaste stated that it had seven pilot programs and would be completing three by the end of April 2021. As of November 2021, FloWaste reported that it had three live paid pilot customers who had signed agreements to launch the system at over 100 locations within nine months. A key customer of FloWaste is 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.

FloWaste raised USD 1.1 million in a seed funding round in November 2021 led by Underdog Labs. The new funds were expected to be funneled toward scaling and improving the FloWaste technology and capabilities, with plans to build a new hardware system using off-the-shelf cameras to detect and reduce food waste. 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.