How AI Startup Ida Is Revolutionizing Grocery Inventory to Cut Food Waste
The $2.9M Seed-Funded Solution Tackling Supermarket Inefficiencies
French startup Ida is transforming how grocery stores manage perishable inventory using artificial intelligence. The company recently secured $2.9 million (€2.7 million) in seed funding from prominent investors including Frst, Daphni, Motier Ventures, and Kima Ventures to combat food waste through smarter ordering systems.
The Problem: Outdated Methods Costing Stores Millions
Currently, supermarkets rely on:
- Manual order sheets with complex columns
- Employee intuition and guesswork
- Error-prone historical trend analysis
“Employees literally walk through aisles with pen and paper, making judgment calls like ordering four crates of eggplants because the weather looks nice,” explains co-founder and CEO Mateo Beacco. While experience helps, high turnover and daily fluctuations make consistent accuracy nearly impossible.
Ida’s AI-Powered Solution
1. Smart Inventory Tracking
Ida replaces guesswork with:
- Tablet-connected sales forecasting algorithms
- Probabilistic inventory modeling that accounts for real-world scenarios (like cashiers miscoding organic produce)
- Dynamic adjustments by staff when needed
2. Advanced Demand Forecasting
The system analyzes:
- 100+ parameters including weather and local competition
- Minimum 3 years of historical sales data
- Seasonality and pricing trends
3. Optimized Order Recommendations
Ida calculates:
- Ideal order quantities in standard increments (like 2kg crates)
- Safety stock levels to prevent shortages
- Multi-supplier order forms (both central warehouses and local producers)
Why Perishables Are the Perfect Starting Point
Unlike boxed goods with barcode tracking, fresh produce presents unique challenges:
- Rapid spoilage rates vary dramatically (potatoes vs. cherries)
- No standardized tracking systems exist
- Margin for error directly impacts profitability
“While SAP handles cereal boxes through rolling averages, nobody has solved this for fresh produce,” notes Beacco.
Current Adoption and Future Potential
The platform already achieves:
- 70-75% recommendation accuracy (minimal manual overrides)
- Successful produce department implementation
- Plans to expand to meat, poultry, and fish
As compe*****s like U.S.-based Guac enter the space, the grocery industry stands at an inflection point. AI inventory management offers:
- Significant waste reduction (environmental benefit)
- Improved profit margins
- Scalable solutions for chains of all sizes
Image Credits: Ida
With food waste costing the global economy $1 trillion annually according to UN estimates, solutions like Ida demonstrate how targeted AI applications can drive both business and ecological value simultaneously.
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