Sensei, a European pioneer in autonomous retail technology, has raised €15 million in a Series A funding round. The company will use the capital to radically scale its business, with plans to open 1,000 fully autonomous stores by 2026, EU-Startups reported.
The investment round was supported by Metro AG and Techstars Ventures, led by BlueCrow Capital, with participation from Lince Capital, Explorer Investments, and Kamay Ventures (the investment arm of Coca-Cola and Arcor Group).
The investment will facilitate the company’s expansion across Europe, particularly in central and northern regions, and support a 30% increase in its workforce. In addition, Sensei plans to unveil the world’s largest autonomous store next year.
Sensei’s technology is set to revolutionize the shopping experience by eliminating checkout lines, optimizing operations, and providing retailers with unprecedented insights into their businesses.
Sensei uses AI-powered sensors and real-time algorithms to automatically update customers’ baskets as they shop, and the system generates a ready-to-pay item list at checkout.
António de Mello Campello, Partner at BlueCrow Capital, said: ‘Artificial intelligence, as we have seen in recent months with the success of ChatGPT, in general terms, and in the various sectors, is transforming several industries, and at BlueCrow we believe that retail is one of the biggest opportunities and is about to be disrupted.
‘Sensei has proven to be one of the best in the sector, has had a long history and great development in the various sectors associated with this transformation, with real potential to lead autonomous retail around the world. We are very pleased to have had the opportunity to lead this round and to be part of this project, confident in its success in the very medium term. The revolution is already coming to our cities!’
Gabriela Ruggeri, Managing Partner at Kamay Ventures, added: ‘We believe in the team led by Vasco Portugal to consolidate Sensei’s growth and presence in the autonomous retail sector, as well as to expand the technological solution developed by the company in Latin America, strengthening its influence in the sector.’
Sensei, a Lisbon-based computer vision startup, provides autonomous store technology that delivers seamless, checkout-free shopping. The company addresses key retail challenges such as reducing cashier costs and preventing stock shortages, and offers retailers real-time insights into store operations.