Utrecht-based Orbisk, a scale-up that aims to reduce food waste, announced on Tuesday that it has secured over €8M in an oversubscribed Series A VC investment.
The round was led by new partner Regeneration.VC and co-led by existing partner PeakBridge.
Other investors are new partner Kost Capital, as well as early investors DOEN Participaties and Brabant Development Agency (BOM) and EIT Food’s AgriFoodInvest.
The company will use the funds to further develop AI technology, accelerate operational innovation, enhance customer integrations, and strengthen the global team.
“The Series A investment fuels Orbisk’s ambitious growth plans,” says CEO and co-founder Olaf van der Veen. “This financial boost allows us to accelerate the impact we strive for, as food waste regrettably transcends borders. By enhancing our presence in the USA, and eventually expanding into Asia, we can greatly increase the amount of food saved.”
What does Orbisk solve?
Minimising food waste is crucial in combating climate change, as one-third of the world’s food production is discarded.
Reducing food waste can lower CO2 emissions, optimise water and land use, and significantly boost profit margins for food service businesses—sometimes doubling them.
Efficient kitchen processes allow for better purchasing and staffing, further reducing costs.
Orbisk: Creating a sustainable food system through AI
Founded by Olaf van der Veen, Richard Beks, and Bart van Arnhem, Orbisk’s mission is to create a more sustainable food system.
With its AI food waste monitor, ‘the Orbi’, they enable food-service operators such as hotels, catering services, cruise ships, and restaurants to reduce their food waste through process optimisation.
The Orbi supports the optimisation of professional kitchen processes and the improvement of food efficiency by registering food waste and identifying the operational causes of waste.
The collected data is presented in a dashboard, which offers actionable advice for process optimisations.
The company has further strengthened its position in the USA market through a partnership with Carnival Cruise Line, the world’s largest cruise operator.
Following a successful pilot, the innovative Orbi systems will be deployed on select Carnival ships in 2025.
Additionally, Orbisk has partnered with Accor to reduce food waste by 60% by 2030 in their hotels, surpassing the United Nations’ goals.
Currently, Orbisk operates in over 40 countries worldwide, assisting chefs on five different continents in optimising their kitchen processes.
The investor
Regeneration.VC is a global venture capital firm investing in Consumer ClimateTech innovation. The VC targets early-stage companies demonstrating asymmetric return potential by insetting environmentally aligned solutions within consumer value chains.
“Nobody likes waste and food waste is no exception,” says Martijn Lopes Cardozo, Partner at Regeneration.VC. “With 20% of global food waste in hospitality, this is a large environmental and economic opportunity and as a result, Orbisk is growing rapidly powered by their best-in-class solution. Our global team is excited about scaling this important technology in the USA and introducing Orbisk to corporate customers in our network.”
Based out of Luxembourg, PeakBridge is a global VC that invests in visionary pioneers, from early stage to Series A-B, with scalable, protectable climate and health-focused technologies.
“Since inception, the Orbisk team has demonstrated a relentless focus on solving the global challenge of food waste,” says Thomas van den Boezem, Partner at PeakBridge.
“Their unique AI-enabled approach aligns well with PeakBridge’s mission to support bold innovations addressing real industry needs. We are confident that this investment will help Orbisk deliver sustainability and efficiency to customers across around the world,” adds van den Boezem.
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