Groceryshop 2019 The Coresight Research team will be attending and participating in the Groceryshop 2019 conference, which runs September 15-18 in Las Vegas. The conference is expected to bring together over 3,000 attendees and more than 200 speakers. Discussion topics will include the transformation of the retail industry, including convenience stores, supermarkets and e-commerce, and changes in the production and distribution of CPGs across multiple retail verticals. The event also covers the rapid shifts in how consumers discover, shop and buy — from the use of new technologies and business models to the latest shopper trends. Emerging Technology Spotlight Session This is the second year the Coresight Research team will support Groceryshop’s early-stage technology startup event: On September 15, Coresight Research CEO and Founder Deborah Weinswig will emcee the Emerging Technology Spotlight, which features 20 innovative technology companies presenting their solutions to solve major retail problems. Groceryshop selected the participating startups based on their solutions, looking for companies that solve some of the most pressing challenges in grocery, e-commerce, food and CPG. All participating startups offer business-to-business (B2B) solutions. Over 130 companies applied to present at the event: From that group, we selected the 20 using a rigorous vetting process. These are some of the selection criteria:

• Early-stage, defined as pre-series A funding.
• Relevant to the grocery and/or CPG industries.
• B2B solutions (not consumer-facing).
• Scalable (good growth prospects).
• Highly innovative (deep differentiation).
• Important (solving a major industry problem).

The companies span several countries, although most are based in the US:

• US: 14
• Canada: 2
• Israel: 2
• Australia: 1
• Spain: 1

We categorized the 20 companies into four buckets of retail disruption: Data and Insights: Digital technology is creating new metrics and capabilities to glean insights and understand the best way to meet and exceed customer expectations. Improved Shopping Experiences: Shoppers demand intuitive and more seamless grocery experiences, both online and in-store. Grocery retailers face challenges in keeping their assortment up to date and in sync with fast-changing consumer demand. Next-Generation Marketing: With so many different touchpoints and channels to reach consumers, engagement has become more complex than ever. And, there are rapid shifts in how consumers discover, shop and buy. New marketing technologies help grocery retailers and CPG’s engage and acquire customers. Operations and Supply Chain: Over the next few years, new omnichannel grocery offerings will likely go mainstream, giving consumers new experiences as well as more convenient delivery and pickup options. Simultaneously, technologies such as robotics, AI and IOT are changing how grocery items move from producer to store to consumer. Gather AI at a Glance Founded in 2019, Gather AI has developed a software-only inventory monitoring fleet of drones. The software plugin enables enterprises to use standard drones (or off-the-shelf drones) for warehouse inventory tracking. Clients map out the warehouse and the drones circulate the spaces autonomously. The drones can count boxes and packages, scan bar codes and locate unidentified items while continually updating inventory records. The drones also capture thermal imagery to collect temperature data. According to the company, Gather’s robotics-as-a-service solution (RaaS) drones achieve 10 times faster inventory checks compared to manual inventory checks, while also collecting data that enables metrics such as space utilization, SKU mismatches and asset path optimization. [caption id="attachment_96131" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Source: Gather AI[/caption]   What Problem Does Gather AI Solve? Manual inventory is costly and time consuming. The good news is, in the modern warehouse there is no need for it: Automated solutions such as that offered by Gather AI enable companies to use drones to perform this task – even noting if items are in the wrong place or cannot be recognized. Gather AI’s flatform enables drones to monitor inventory without the need for additional infrastructure. Headquarter Pittsburgh. Funding Stage Seed. Management Team Cofounder Sankalp Arora has 10 years’ experience developing unmanned aerial systems and robotics technology. He is a recipient of the Qualcomm Innovation fellowship and Swartz Innovation fellowship. Arora holds a PhD in robotics from Carnegie Mellon University. Cofounder Daniel Maturana has over 12 years’ experience in computer vision, machine learning and robotics. He is a recipient of the Qualcomm Innovation Fellowship and a doctoral candidate at Carnegie Mellon University. Cofounder Geetesh Dubey led the development of India’s first autonomous tank and developed one of the world’s fastest, fully autonomous camera-only drones. He holds a master’s degree in robotics from Carnegie Mellon University. Market Potential According to Global Market Insights, the inventory management software market share is set to surpass $3 billion by 2024. Company Outlook In July 2019, Gather AI received $2.5 million in pre-seed funding.