Steph Curry’s VC firm just backed an AI startup that wants to fix food supply chains Food supply chains are notoriously messy. Orders arrive through different channels, staff spend hours manually entering them into clunky enterprise software systems, and compliance often depends on spreadsheets. For decades, software vendors have tried, with mixed success, to modernize the workflows behind the global movement of perishable goods. Now, a Y Combinator startup called Burnt […] https://lnkd.in/eVHdExnd

Brandon Lennox of Lemon Perfect, Neha Soi of BERO, and Vivian Keena of Luxent share how timing, technology, and the right partners can define a brand’s growth curve. They open up about scaling challenges, system decisions, and the pivotal role an ERP like NetSuite played in transforming their operations. From manual chaos to structured efficiency, their stories reveal what happens when growth outpaces infrastructure, and how investing early in the right systems can prevent the hidden cost of waiting. This episode is a paid collaboration with Luxent. 🚀💡 https://lnkd.in/gzVpFbyU #CPGgrowth #StartupScaling #BusinessOperations #ERPsystems #BeverageIndustry https://lnkd.in/gzVpFbyU

Burnt has raised $3.8 million in seed funding to accelerate automation within the food supply chain, leveraging AI to streamline operational workflows for companies like La Tua Pasta. The round was led by Penny Jar Capital, with participation from Scribble Ventures, Formation VC, and notable industry leaders, highlighting the expertise of Burnt's co-founders including Joseph "JJ" Jacob. https://lnkd.in/ejgZT396 #FoodTech

BURNT Raises $3.8M Seed to Automate Food Supply Chain Key Points 👇 ❶ Burnt is raising $3.8 million in a seed funding round to automate food supply chain operations. ❷ Penny Jar Capital is leading the new funding round. ❸ Other investors include Scribble Ventures, Formation, and angel investors including Dan Scheinman and food industry leaders. "The food supply chain runs on relationships, hustle, and a thousand moving parts—but behind every order is a team buried in emails, messages, voicemails, and spreadsheets, manually trying to keep everything on track. I've experienced this first-hand, from working the shrimp factory floor to managing global procurement, and when I couldn't find a solution, I began building one. With Burnt, we are creating supply chain superintelligence to eliminate the repetitive, invisible work and give time back to the people keeping the food industry moving." - Joseph Jacob, Co-founder and CEO, Burnt. #ArtificialIntelligence #AIStartups #SupplyChainTech #FoodTech #SeedFunding https://lnkd.in/efaHPmkg

📣 Pesto raises £800k seed round led by Fuel Ventures 🚀 to power its ERP solution for food and beverage manufacturers  𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 ⤵️ ⚙️ ERP 📈 Seed 💰 £800k 🤝 Fuel Ventures 🚀; Prequel Ventures; Antler; Ventures Together and more 🧑 Kate Hofman; Sanjay Sood-Smith; Amish Ralhan 🌎 London, United Kingdom 🔗 𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀

Packaging Myth Busters! 💡 Myth: High-quality packaging always comes with a high price tag. Reality: This couldn't be further from the truth. In fact, smarter, well-designed packaging is one of the most effective long-term cost-saving tools in e-commerce. At Packzeo, we consistently prove that by moving away from "over-packaging" and embracing "right-sizing," companies can achieve major savings by: Reducing shipping costs (lower dimensional weight). Minimizing void fill materials (less waste, lower cost per package). Drastically lowering damage rates (remember, a single return means double shipping cost and an unhappy customer!). My advice for today: Stop treating packaging as a necessary cost, and start viewing it as a profit lever. What's the biggest misconception you've encountered in the packaging or logistics industry? Share your thoughts below! 👇 #PackagingInnovation #EcommerceLogistics #SupplyChain #CostSaving #Packzeo

We are excited to announce the launch of the Health Mavens Food Tech Foundry. It’s an extension of our services, focused entirely on growing food and nutrition startups and scale-ups from pre-revenue to successful exit. The Foundry team works closely with founders and CEOs to help them forge and refine across the following areas: ‣ Strategy – business objectives, market fit, brand platform, investor planning ‣ Infrastructure – right-sized platforms, teams, systems ‣ Implementation – marketing, sales, investor communications ‣ Operations – supply chain, compliance, ERP solutions Joining us as consultants in this new venture are commercial expert extraordinaire, Jayme Caruso, and operations guru, Lindsey Egan. Find out more, here → https://lnkd.in/gNaRPbsH

Keeta's Aggressive Hyper-Growth Strategy Keeta's latest campaign offering 50% off and free delivery is undeniably attractive to consumers, and it's a classic play for rapid customer acquisition in the fiercely competitive food delivery market. However, from a business sustainability perspective, such aggressive strategies often come with a significant "burn rate" and potentially very high Customer Acquisition Costs (CAC). Let's break it down: - 50% Off (up to 50 Dhs): This is a direct hit to gross margins on every qualifying order. While it drives volume, the revenue per transaction is severely reduced. - Free Fast Delivery: Eliminating delivery fees removes a crucial revenue stream that often helps offset operational costs like driver salaries, fuel, and logistics. - No Subscription Fee: While great for attracting users hesitant to commit, it means Keeta foregoes the recurring revenue and loyalty benefits that a subscription model can provide, making each transaction a fresh acquisition effort. The "Burn" Impact: This combination of deep discounts and free services means Keeta is likely subsidising a large portion of each order. While effective for bringing in new users quickly, it requires substantial capital infusion to sustain. This "cash burn" is a common strategy in scale-up phases, but it puts immense pressure on future monetisation and operational efficiency. High CAC Concerns: If customers are primarily driven by these promotions, the true cost to acquire a loyal, long-term customer could be significant. Once the promotions end, will these customers stick around and pay full price and delivery fees? If not, the investment in acquiring them at such a high subsidy might not yield a positive Lifetime Value (LTV), leading to an unsustainable business model in the long run. The challenge for Keeta (and any platform adopting this strategy) will be to convert these cost-sensitive users into profitable, loyal customers after the introductory offers. This requires exceptional service, a strong value proposition beyond price, and a clear path to reducing CAC over time. What are your thoughts on aggressive growth vs. sustainable profitability in the food delivery space? #Keeta #FoodDelivery #BusinessStrategy #CustomerAcquisition #CAC #CashBurn #StartupFinance #UnitEconomics #QuickCommerce #QCOM #EatingPopcorn #Meituan

After the launch of Vesper's Marketplace, I received a lot of questions about why we built it, why now, and where dairy trading is heading. The most common one: “Why build a marketplace when other solutions already existed?” Simple answer: those solutions only showed one company’s view. We created something fundamentally different. A true, anonymous, multi-party marketplace reflecting the broader dairy market. Check out more frequently asked questions below. And feel free to ask your own if they’re not covered. Want the operational side? Read Sebastiaan Laurenceau’s story on the challenges of onboarding 100+ traditional dairy companies and what trading looks like now versus before.