The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development was established in 1991 when communism was crumbling in central and eastern Europe and ex-soviet countries needed support to nurture a new private sector in a democratic environment. Today the EBRD uses the tools of investment to help build market economies and democracies in countries from central Europe to central Asia.  The EBRD is the largest single investor in the region and mobilises significant foreign direct investment beyond its own financing. It is owned by 61 countries and two intergovernmental institutions. But despite its public sector shareholders, it invests mainly in private enterprises, usually together with commercial partners.  It provides project financing for banks, industries and businesses, both new ventures and investments in existing companies. It also works with publicly owned companies, to support privatisation, restructuring state-owned firms and improvement of municipal services. The Bank uses its close relationship with governments in the region to promote policies that will bolster the business environment.  The mandate of the EBRD stipulates that it must only work in countries that are committed to democratic principles. Respect for the environment is part of the strong corporate governance attached to all EBRD investments.

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development

Zabka Polska

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

<div>
 
 AiFi offers a grab-and-go 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 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
 
 
 As of February 2023, AiFi&rsquo;s technology was deployed at over 100 stores globally. In January 2022, AiFi launched its largest store, a 6,000 sq ft Aldi location in London. AiFi&rsquo;s key partnerships include 1) Carrefour (November 2018) in the UAE, Zabka (February 2019), Wundermart (February 2021), PostNL (May 2021), Morrisons (July 2021), Aldi (January 2022), Compass Group (December 2021), Kende Gastro (January 2022) in Europe, Loop Neighborhood (January 2020), Choice Market (April 2021), Verizon (May 2021) in the US, and AiGo (December 2020) in China.
 
 
 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.&nbsp;
 
 
 Funding and financials
 
 
 By 2022, AiFi reportedly had revenue growth of 5&ndash;6x YoY. In March 2022, AiFi raised USD 65 million in a Series B funding round led by Canada-based investment management firm Khaira CapitalAiFi. It planned to leverage the new funding to scale partnerships, strengthen its deployment team for faster store rollouts, and invest in product development and feature enhancement.
 
</div>

AiFi provides the most flexible AI platform that enables retailers to affordably deploy and scale autonomous shopping solutions across their businesses. Leveraging computer vision, AiFi adapts to existing store formats without the need for shelf sensors, and provides advanced tracking algorithms that can scale up to 10,000 square feet to support various shopper journeys such as an app, credit card, gated, or hybrid entry. AiFi works with top retailers worldwide such as ALDI South Group, Carrefour, Compass Group, Morrisons, Żabka Group, REWE, and Verizon. AiFi has the highest number of computer vision powered autonomous stores across the globe. The company has raised a total of $80 million from investors including Verizon Ventures, Qualcomm Ventures, HP Tech Ventures, Mithril Capital, Cervin Ventures, TransLink Capital, Plum Alley, Duke Angel Network, Reaction, GS Future, Drive Catalyst, and Evolution. For more information, please visit aifi.com.

In an age where food has to be certified to be called healthy, it is not easy to eat well. In the pursuit of price, respect for animals, the environment and the health of the customer has been lost. That is why we have decided to fight for a return to normality by providing you with meat as it should be - without additives, antibiotics, hormones or GMOs. We also believe that our health and that of the planet means an emphasis on quality at the expense of quantity. Therefore, however hard it may be to believe, we believe in the attitude - eat less meat, but better.

Zabka Polska sp. z o.o. owns, operates, and franchises a network of convenience and deli-type stores in Poland. The company offers products, such as cold cuts, dairy products, sweets, beers, and salty snacks; and convenience foods, a range of chilled ready-to-eat meals, fresh sandwiches, and easy-to-prepare meals.

Zabka Polska

Company Brief

Funding

Investors

Portfolio

About EDGE

Contact Us

Resources

Area of Focus

Technology Research Made Effortless