Investors Recognize Strong Potential for CPGs to Reduce Waste through Supply Chain Optimization

Crisp, a leading player in the Collaborative Commerce platform space, has successfully closed a $72 million Series B equity round, bringing its total equity raised to $97 million since its inception. This funding round saw participation from new strategic investors, including Wellington Management, Toshiba Corporation, DNX, Cox, and Prologis, who collectively contributed $17 million.

Expansion Plans
The newly acquired funds will be instrumental for Crisp as it aims to expand its presence in Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) and retail channels. The company plans to enhance its platform’s features and functionality, fuel new data partnerships, and grow its workforce through strategic hiring.

Crisp’s Transformative Approach
Crisp is revolutionizing the CPG industry by reducing waste and improving profitability through a collaborative data-sharing approach with brands, retailers, and distributors. By leveraging AI and predictive analytics, Crisp’s open data retail platform enhances transparency and accelerates data-driven decision-making across supply chains. This capability enables effective forecasting, pricing strategies, inventory management, and marketing, ultimately ensuring products are placed where and when they are needed, minimizing waste and boosting revenue.

Impressive Growth
In just one year, Crisp has expanded its customer base from 600 to over 6,000, including more than 80 of the top 100 CPG brands. The company now collaborates with over 40 retailers, significantly increasing its distribution points from 17 million to over 627 million.

Real-World Impact
Crisp’s capabilities are not just theoretical; they have tangible results. For instance, UNFI Insights, powered by Crisp, provides manufacturers with the latest sales, inventory, and deduction data as products flow through distribution to retail. Suppliers using this platform have managed to reduce the volume of food at risk for spoilage by 48% over a year, substantially cutting waste and costs.

Investor Support
Investors recognize the critical role Crisp plays in enhancing supply chain efficiency and sustainability. Molly Breiner from Wellington Management highlighted the company’s pragmatic approach to addressing the pressures of climate change on food supply chains. Will O’Donnell from Prologis Ventures echoed this sentiment, emphasizing Crisp’s commitment to delivering transparency and enabling data-driven decisions.

Crisp's latest funding round underscores a growing market recognition of the need for supply chain solutions that minimize waste and promote collaboration. As climate change impacts intensify, investors are increasingly focused on funding sustainability solutions that yield tangible economic benefits. Crisp is well-positioned to lead the CPG industry in these transformative efforts, striving toward the goal of a zero-waste supply chain.