Italy’s Tuidi secures €3 million to optimise grocery retail through AI-driven store management

Putignano-based Tuidi, a FoodTech startup specialising in the development of proprietary machine learning platforms for large-scale retail, has announced the closing of a €3 million Seed round.

The funding round was backed by two institutional investors. Vertis SGR contributed through its funds Vertis Venture 6 Digital Sud (partially financed by the European Union’s Next Generation EU) and Vertis Venture 7 Digital Puglia. Azimut also joined the round via its funds Azimut ELTIF – Venture Capital ALIcrowd III and IV, along with Azimut Digital Equity Italy, all managed by Azimut Libera Impresa SGR. Additionally, QBerg, a key player in market research and price intelligence, participated in the round and will act as a strategic partner in Tuidi’s development plan.

“Food is one of Italy’s most iconic and globally recognised industries,” Founders Giulio Martinacci and Vincenzo Morelli explain, “And our goal is to make it a model of technological innovation as well – a country where FoodTech is not just a future promise, but a real driver of competitiveness, sustainability, and quality for both consumers and retailers.”

Tuidi’s Seed round places it among Europe’s emerging RetailTech and AI innovators focused on improving in-store efficiency.

While Switzerland’s Zenline AI secured €1.3 million in 2025 to refine AI-driven assortment decisions, and Germany’s 7Learnings raised €10 million to scale its retail AI platform internationally, Italy’s Tuidi brings a distinctive operational focus on grocery store management.

Similarly, Lithuania’s GREÏ obtained €650k to develop AI monitoring for industrial and retail sites, highlighting a wider European trend toward automation and data-driven optimisation in retail environments.

“At the core of Tuidi’s offering is Delphi, the platform that acts as a ‘store controller’,” explains Giulio Martinacci, Co-founder of Tuidi. “It’s a system that provides daily recommendations on how to manage procurement, sell-out pricing, assortment, and staff scheduling.”

Founded in 2021, Tuidi tackles the challenge of automating store management and making it economically efficient.

Italy’s grocery retail industry is a cornerstone of the national economy: according to data provided by the company, in 2024, the sector generated over €135 billion, accounting for nearly 6% of the country’s GDP.

It is, however, an industry still hampered by inefficiencies stemming from suboptimal data management.

With this funding, the startup aims to strengthen its position as a technological brand in the market, further enhancing its products through AI agents and generative AI.

Adding to this, Vincenzo Morelli, Co-founder of Tuidi, highlights: “The heart of our solution lies in our proprietary machine learning models, which process millions of data points and combine internal and external variables to anticipate consumer purchasing behaviors and optimise store operations.”

Current useers have reported sales increases of up to +2% and order cost reductions of up to -10% . With over 620 million products managed through Delphi, the company has helped reduce waste, improve sales performance, and boost operational efficiency for retailers such as Conad Centro Nord, Maiora, Retail Pro, Ama Crai Est, and Gruppo Romano.

According to Giacomo Giurazza, Partner at Vertis SGR, the value of innovation is already visible in consumers’ everyday experience: “As a consumer, I see problems in supermarkets every day – from empty shelves to prices that don’t meet expectations. Tuidi shows that cutting-edge technology can tackle these real issues. That’s why we want to support them on their growth journey, helping bring Italy’s grocery industry to higher standards of efficiency and innovation.”

Finally, Fabrizio Pavone, Founder and CEO of QBerg, emphasises the strategic value of the partnership: “QBerg’s investment in Tuidi is not just financial – it’s a commitment to supporting a tech company capable of reshaping the dynamics of the retail sector. The sophistication of their technology convinced us to embark on a shared journey, aimed at supporting their expansion and strengthening their growth during a crucial phase for the industry’s evolution.”

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