Including Keychain and WizCommerce: six retail tech funding rounds you need to know about

RTIH rounds up six retail systems ventures who have recently secured significant investments in their businesses, including an AI powered sales and e-commerce platform for wholesale distributors, and a specialist in RFID powered checkout and inventory automation technology.

1. Embargo

UK hospitality tech company Embargo has raised $3.5 million in a funding round that included participation from investors in the UK, the United States, and Europe, including Paul Statham (founder of Condeco), Christo Georgiev (founder of myPOS), the food industry focused fund Hampton Finance (created by the Chantler family, founders of Meadow Foods), Stephen Zinser, Carl Christian Reiner, as well as Oh Polly and its founder Mike Branney.

Founded by Frederick Szydlowski and Tsewang Wangkang, Embargo is a CRM, loyalty and ordering platform that aims to help coffee shops, restaurants and bakeries boost customer retention and digital sales across every revenue channel (in-store, Click & Collect, and delivery).

Embargo is currently used by nearly 3,000 venues, with a footprint in the UK, Poland and Western Europe. It lays claim to processing more than 13 million transactions and digital stamps.

Szydlowski says: “Our mission is to level the playing field for hospitality SMEs keen to grow their revenues and scale - we do that by giving them access to the kind of tools typically reserved for global enterprises.”

“This investment is not just a vote of confidence in our product and growth to date, but also in the scale of the opportunity ahead. With strong foundations, a growing international footprint, and a clear product roadmap, we’re perfectly positioned to become the go-to platform for hospitality businesses worldwide.”

2. WizCommerce

WizCommerce, an AI powered sales and e-commerce platform for wholesale distributors, has bagged $8 million in Series A led by Peak XV Partners.

The company says it is on a mission to erase outdated, patchwork systems behind wholesale, from spreadsheets to slow portals, and rebuild the stack with AI at the centre.

Over 700 sales reps and 300K+ buyers currently use WizCommerce across categories like home décor, lighting, gift, and general merchandise.

“We didn’t raise this round to patch a broken system, we raised it to erase the old way entirely,” says Div Makkar, Co-founder and CEO at WizCommerce. “Wholesale doesn’t need more tools, it needs a smarter operating system. In a few years, AI will be core to how this industry moves: orders will write themselves, content will be auto-generated, and reps will have superpowers. That’s the future we’re building.”

“What stands out is how consistently WizCommerce earns praise from both reps and buyers,” says Rishen Kapoor, VP at Peak XV. “It’s uncommon to see a platform improve internal workflows and customer experience at once. With hundreds of reps and thousands of buyers already using it, WizCommerce is on track to become a core part of the wholesale tech stack.”

“I am really impressed by how forward thinking WizCommerce is when it comes to technology. They’re not just keeping up, they are ahead of the curve,” says Justin Kachan, CEO at Sagebrook Home. “Their AI features have made a huge difference to our reps and customers. It's making our reps more pro-active and increasing conversions.”

3. Zenline AI

Zenline AI has secured $1.6 million in a pre-seed funding round led by Seedcamp, with participation from Yellow, First Momentum, and Arc Investors.

The startup develops artificial intelligence that combines margin data with market trends to deliver automated, product level recommendations - from pricing actions to assortment consolidation. Retail teams use Zenline to support new product launches, rationalisation efforts, and the ongoing optimisation of existing listings.

It will use the cash to accelerate product development, refine its AI model, and expand into additional verticals.

“We build AI agents that think like assortment decision-makers, but operate in seconds. Our mission is to empower European retailers to compete profitably again. Given how critical and shopper centric assortment is, a retailer can win by increasing its top line and building a competitive edge against Amazon and Temu, because customers will easily find what they are looking for, consciously or not.” says Arber Sejdiji, CEO at Zenline AI.

4. Buylo

Czech startup Buylo has secured €640,000 in funding from Purple Ventures as it looks to bring its RFID powered checkout and inventory automation technology to a broader international market.

The cash will be used to support international expansion, product development, and hiring across technical and sales teams. Buylo also plans to launch specialised modules for fashion retail and budget friendly versions of its platform for smaller businesses.

“We want to help retailers streamline operations and make shopping easier and faster for customers. Buylo is not just about cost savings; it’s about making retail data driven, personalised, and transparent for both retailers and customers. I believe RFID is the future of retail and will soon be implemented by all major market players,” says Josef Voda, Co-founder and CEO at Buylo.

“Moreover, Buylo is not only effective for sales floors but also a strong tool for managing back of house operations. Thanks to this, we are expanding our client portfolio both in the Czech Republic, where we are currently implementing our solution for clients like Angry Beards, and abroad, where we’re also growing rapidly.”

5. Keychain

Keychain, whose AI powered platform helps brands and retailers find manufacturing partners, has announced a $30 million Series B funding round led by Wellington Management and existing investor BoxGroup, alongside other major returning backers.

The new capital will support the roll-out of KeychainOS, an AI-based operating system that aims to help manufacturers manage their production cycle with greater speed, visibility, and intelligence.

This brings the company's total funding to $68 million 18 months post-launch. Customers include 7-Eleven, Whole Foods, and General Mills.

"We've grown quickly because the demand is clear. Manufacturers are being asked to do more with less, and the systems they rely on simply aren't built for today's complexity," says Oisin Hanrahan, Co-founder and CEO at Keychain. "Applying AI allows KeychainOS to give manufacturers a smarter, faster way to run their facilities, and it's already delivering real results."

"Keychain is an ambitious new approach to connect buyers with manufacturers," says Tom Hermes, Vice President Sourcing & Product Development, Whole Foods Market. "The tool allows our teams to better identify prospective manufacturers who can meet the requirements of our product roadmap."

6. HappyRobot

HappyRobot, a startup specialising in logistics AI and automation, has raised a $44 million Series B round, led by Base10 Partners with participation from a16z, Array Ventures, Avra, Samsara Ventures, Tokio Marine, WaVe-X, WiL, YC, and others.

This comes just ten months after the company’s $15.6 million Series A, bringing its total funding to date to $62 million.

In an online post, it said: “Just a year and a half ago, we went into production with our very first customer. Today, we’re proud to be powering operations for more than 70 enterprise customers, including DHL, Ryder, Schneider, and Werner.”

“These companies are already seeing what’s possible when AI workers step in to take on complex, high volume tasks: Appointment scheduling reduced from a week to under 30 minutes; Collections delivering returns of more than 100x; Outbound sales producing ROI north of 19x; Carrier sales driving 5x returns.”

“The early results are clear: AI workers aren’t just cutting costs - they’re unlocking new revenue opportunities, increasing visibility, and freeing teams to focus on strategic, relationship driven work.”