London-based artificial intelligence startup Edgify has raised $9 million in Series A+ funding as it looks to expand its edge AI platform beyond retail and into a wider range of industries.
The round was backed by Rank Ventures and Mangrove Capital Partners and takes Edgify’s total funding to $25 million.
The company has built technology that allows artificial intelligence models to run directly on existing hardware such as cameras, self-checkout systems, weighing scales and point-of-sale terminals.
Instead of sending large amounts of data to a central cloud system, Edgify enables connected devices to process information locally and share machine learning models with each other.
The approach is designed to reduce cloud infrastructure costs, improve response times and keep sensitive customer and operational data within individual locations.
AI at the Edge
Edgify currently focuses heavily on the retail sector, where its technology is being used to identify issues including scan avoidance, product switching and theft at self-checkouts.
The company says its platform is already deployed with grocery retailers across the United States and Europe.
Unlike some retail AI systems that require businesses to install dedicated servers or entirely new hardware, Edgify is designed to work with equipment already operating inside stores.
That hardware-agnostic approach allows retailers to connect devices from different manufacturers into a broader AI system.
Edgify already works with hardware providers including Zebra Technologies and Bizerba.
The company believes the same model could be applied well beyond supermarkets.
CEO and co-founder Nadav Israel said the company’s underlying philosophy is that artificial intelligence should operate where data is originally created rather than relying entirely on remote cloud infrastructure.
Edgify is already exploring applications in quick-service restaurants, apparel and distribution centres, with longer-term opportunities in areas including logistics, transportation, manufacturing and warehousing.
From Loss Prevention to Wider AI Infrastructure
Retail loss prevention has provided Edgify with an initial commercial use case because stores already contain large numbers of connected devices and face a clear financial incentive to reduce theft and operational losses.
But the company increasingly sees its opportunity as broader than loss prevention.
Its aim is to provide an intelligence layer capable of connecting different pieces of physical equipment and managing AI models across entire locations.
That could become increasingly relevant as businesses deploy more AI systems outside traditional data centres.
Edge AI refers to artificial intelligence models that operate close to the source of the data they process, rather than sending information elsewhere for analysis.
The approach can be particularly useful where businesses require fast decisions, have limited connectivity or need tighter control over sensitive information.
For retailers, that might mean analysing activity at a checkout in real time without continuously transmitting video or transaction information to the cloud.
For industrial businesses, similar technology could eventually be used across warehouses, machinery, transport infrastructure or distribution networks.
Investors Back Expansion Beyond Grocery
Rank Ventures and Mangrove Capital Partners backed the latest funding round, with Mangrove having previously invested in Edgify.
Rajan Dosanjh, managing partner at Rank Ventures, said the firm’s investment reflected its belief that Edgify could develop from a retail AI platform into a broader infrastructure business.
The new capital will be used to accelerate deployments and expand the platform’s ability to manage the full lifecycle of AI models operating across physical locations.
Edgify is also targeting new industries where businesses face many of the same challenges found in retail, including ageing hardware, high cloud costs and the need to process information quickly.
The funding comes as companies increasingly look for practical ways to deploy artificial intelligence outside purely software-based environments.
Much of the attention around AI has focused on large language models and cloud computing, but edge AI represents another potentially significant market as intelligence becomes embedded directly into physical equipment.
For Edgify, retail is effectively serving as the proving ground. The company’s next challenge will be demonstrating that the same infrastructure can work just as effectively across industries far beyond the supermarket checkout.
