Starship Technologies shifts focus to groceries and hot food: the retail technology week in numbers

Do you like numbers? Do you like retail tech news? Then this is the article for you. Including Mendo, Amazon, Snapchat, VenHub Global, Veho, Bambuser, Best Buy, Zalando, Shoptalk Europe 2026, ShopAgentic, Wing, Walmart, Popeyes, Veloq, Tesco, and Snappy Shopper.

€12 million...Mendo, a French startup focused on generative and agentic AI adoption, has announced a €12 million Series A. This follows a €3.5 million seed round in October 2024 and was led by Ventech and Educapital, joined by Tomcat and OVNI. 

“With agentics, AI changes status: it is no longer a tool that saves you a few hours a week, it becomes the layer that orchestrates and governs all of a company’s operations. It is this shift that makes Mendo’s positioning even more strategic today. No company will pull off this transition without bringing its people along and changing the way it is organised. They are the ones who work with it day to day, who spot the right use cases, who keep the agents running on the ground. That is exactly what we see among clients such as Groupe Rocher, PwC and Edenred. Our role is to make that adoption possible at scale, without leaving anyone behind,” says Quentin Amaudry, CEO and Co-founder at Mendo.

“The real problem with AI in the enterprise isn’t budget. It’s adoption. Tools left idle, teams using them only at the margins, and management that doesn’t know where to start in fully embedding AI into their processes. Mendo solves exactly that: from mapping the uses that already exist, through upskilling teams, to deploying in-house AI agents. With five offices in Europe (Paris, Berlin, Munich, Helsinki and Stockholm) and investments in players such as Speexx, 365 Talents and amber, Ventech has long backed companies that bring together AI and training. Mendo really is the missing piece at European scale. That is exactly the kind of company Ventech sets out to invest in,” says Audrey Soussan, General Partner at Ventech.

€30 million...Veloq, an AI native grocery fulfillment platform that was spun out from Rohlik Group, has announced €30 million in additional scale-up financing from the European Investment Bank (EIB). This will be used for commercial expansion across Europe and the United States.

In a LinkedIn post, the company said: "Grocery automation has a proof problem. Most of the field is hardware vendors and robotics companies extending up the stack, selling automation without ever having owned a P&L on a basket. The handful of platforms built by operators are 5× more expensive and were architected for a different era."

It added: "Rohlik Group took a different bet a decade ago by building Veloq around a running grocery business, shipping orders, owning the unit economics, and letting the platform learn from every basket that leaves the door. The numbers show it worked. 2.1 million orders a month across five markets. NPS consistently above 90. 97% on-time delivery. ~30% YoY growth to $2 billion in revenue. Veloq is the operating platform designed to run same-day e-grocery profitably across any market and any brand, across Europe and the US."

EIB Vice President Marek Mora said: "With this investment, we are supporting Rohlik in the next stage of its journey, turning proven, AI driven fulfillment solutions into Veloq."

Tomáš Čupr, CEO at Rohlik Group: "Customers want fresh, full basket groceries delivered on their schedule. The EIB's continued backing helps put it into the hands of other grocers through Veloq."

Three in four fans are likely to reach for their phone during scheduled breaks in play at this summer’s FIFA World Cup, according to research released by Snapchat. The findings reveal a major shift in how younger audiences experience live sport, with the “second screen” increasingly becoming central to fandom rather than simply a distraction from the match.

The research, conducted by OnePoll among 1,000 UK Gen Z ahead of the tournament, suggests modern fandom is increasingly built around participation, chat and shared reaction as much as passive viewing. Rather than watching matches in isolation, fans are simultaneously messaging friends, reacting in group chats and capturing emotional moments in real-time - creating new opportunities for brands.

The tournament’s scheduled 22nd-minute water breaks are expected to become a major new behavioural moment during live games, creating synchronised windows where millions of viewers are likely to turn to their phones at the same time. During natural breaks in play, 46% check their phones and 20% do so even while play is ongoing, while fans also check their phones almost ten times on average during games, but increasingly part of the match experience itself.

€1.9 million...ShopAgentic has announced the close of a €1.9 million pre-seed round, led by May Ventures and Greenfield Capital.

“Discovery is moving into millions of personal assistants. Transactions are moving between agents. The entire front door of e-commerce is being rebuilt, and ShopAgentic is the system on the other side of it,” says Alexander Ringsdorff, CEO and Co-founder at ShopAgentic.

ShopAgentic is a native agentic commerce system: a coordinated squad of specialised AI agents, each owning one commerce function end-to-end. From catalogue management and dynamic pricing to customer service and fulfillment orchestration, every agent has a defined job, a clear scope of ownership, and the autonomy to execute, while the merchant keeps full control over strategy and outcomes.

ShopAgentic works alongside existing infrastructure or as a standalone solution, with a low entry threshold. The company says that matters most for the roughly half of global e-commerce running on proprietary, custom built systems - merchants who can’t simply migrate to a standard platform but can no longer afford to sit out agentic commerce.

The pre-seed capital will be used to accelerate product development, deepen integrations across the commerce ecosystem, and grow the team ahead of a broader market launch.

52%...Veho, a last mile delivery platform built for e-commerce, has expanded across Oakland, San Francisco, Sacramento, and San Jose, bringing its network to 78 markets and 52% of the US population. It says that, for the first time, one in two Americans can now receive a package through its service.

Over the last year, Veho has added 28 markets, a 56% increase in its national footprint. Recent additions include Minneapolis, MN; Norfolk, VA; Memphis, TN; Birmingham, AL; Fort Myers, FL; Kansas City, MO.

"Great delivery shouldn't depend on your zip code," says Albert Silva, Senior Vice President of Commercial Logistics and Expansion at Veho, which works with such companies as Macy's, Sephora, Lululemon, Stitch Fix, and HelloFresh. "Crossing half the US population means millions more shoppers get the same standard, no matter where they live."

600...ICE has announced a partnership with Tesco, launching a roll-out of autonomous cleaning robots across 600 Express stores. The pair are laying claim to the first deployment of this scale in the UK convenience sector.

The machines are designed as "co-bots" to work alongside Tesco colleagues. By taking over routine floor cleaning, they free up time for the store teams to focus on serving customers. The technology promises a highly consistent, premium clean every single day, backed by data tracking and reporting.

Mark Bresnihan, CEO at ICE, says: "As long standing pioneers in cleaning technologies, ICE is delighted to partner with Tesco on this project. We are providing not just our industry-leading autonomous machines, but also the comprehensive training and service support required to make this a success. Together, we are showing how data driven automation can work hand-in-hand with retail teams to improve cleaning standards."

£1 billion...Amazon has opened a new fulfilment centre in Northampton and announced plans for a second major site in nearby Kettering, taking its investment in a single county to more than £1 billion and creating over 4,000 jobs.  

The developments come one year after it committed to stump up £40 billion in the UK from 2025 to 2027 - the largest investment in the company's history outside the US - with more than £15 billion thus far delivered. Amazon’s Northampton fulfilment centre is pitched as one of the most advanced logistics operations in the country, with thousands of robots working alongside employees on three floors. The Kettering site will be the UK’s largest cross-dock facility, sorting and routing customer items across the country.  

Amazon has also expanded its London headquarters in Shoreditch with the opening of a third building, bringing around 6,000 employees together on a single campus. 

The 900,000-square-foot Kettering site will process around 20 million items each week, creating more than 2,000 permanent jobs and hundreds of seasonal roles. Recruitment is under way for engineers, HR and IT professionals, finance specialists, and operations teams. The announcement comes as customer deliveries begin at Amazon's new £500 million fulfilment centre in Northampton, where a further 2,000 jobs will be created. 

John Boumphrey, Amazon UK Country Manager, says: “A year ago we said we planned to invest £40 billion in the UK. Today you can see what that means - from 4,000 jobs in Northamptonshire and 2,000 in Hull, to drone deliveries from Darlington, a new tech HQ in Swansea. We said we'd deliver and we have. And we're only a year in.”  

1...VenHub Global, a US-based specialist in autonomous smart store technology, has announced its expansion into the Florida market through a new commercial deployment with a local operator. The initial roll-out will target the Tampa Bay region, representing VenHub’s first technology presence in the state.

“Florida represents one of the most compelling markets in the country for autonomous retail, driven by its scale, rapid population growth, and persistent labour challenges,” says Shahan Ohanessian, CEO at VenHub Global. “Our expansion into the state reflects accelerating demand for a smarter, more resilient retail model. We’re excited to bring a solution that delivers both operational efficiency and a fundamentally better experience for today’s consumer.”

VenHub expects to deploy its initial Florida locations in 2026, with a multi-unit roll-out planned across the Tampa Bay region for multiple stores in Q4/early 2027. Site selection is currently underway, focused on high foot traffic environments underserved by traditional staffed retail formats.

€1.8 million...Merchantee, an agentic marketplace intelligence company for e-commerce sellers, has announced a €1.8 million round led by Reflex Capital, with support from Czech Founders VC and Lighthouse Ventures. 

The combined pre-seed round and extension will fund product development, new marketplace integrations, and a European growth plan extending from Poland to the Netherlands. Merchantee is used by sellers and the digital sales teams of brands like Philips, Lindt, SodaStream, and Vilgain.

Jakub Vraspír, Founder and CEO at Merchantee, says: “Most sellers are stuck in the same place. Their marketplace channel works at some level, but scaling it means thousands of decisions a day across pricing, campaigns, and promotions that no team can manage manually. Larger companies with more resources win, every time. Merchantee’s agentic intelligence levels the playing field, working as a marketplace expert across thousands of products at once. Merchantee’s team are the first to build natively for European marketplaces, executing the full loop and giving sellers the kind of opportunity that used to be available only to the largest players.”

Ondřej Fryc, Managing Partner at Reflex Capital, says: “Jakub spent years inside the European marketplace world. He helped launch Mall.cz, the first marketplace in Czechia and Slovakia, now owned by the Allegro Group. Few founders in this category have such extensive operational depth, and even fewer have turned it into infrastructure that brands like Philips, Lindt, and SodaStream now rely on every day.”

7...Wing and Walmart have confirmed seven new metro areas that will join what is pitched as the USA’s largest drone delivery network: Memphis, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Diego, San Francisco Bay Area and Salt Lake City. This will bring their total service footprint to nearly 20 US markets across the country.

"Our work with Walmart has shown that drone delivery isn’t just a novelty, it’s a service many customers count on multiple times per week," says Heather Rivera, Wing’s Chief Business Officer. "We’re already working with many communities in the seven new markets, as we accelerate our progress to bring ultra-fast delivery to 40 million residents throughout the US."

Wing’s drones fly at speeds up to 60 mph and use a tether to lower packages directly to a customer’s yard or driveway in as fast as 30 minutes. 

“Customers expect their orders on their terms, delivered with speed and ease,” says Greg Cathey, Senior Vice President of eCommerce Fulfillment Transformation, Walmart U.S. “Expanding into new markets with Wing allows us to provide an innovative delivery option for customers, utilising our vast store network to make everyday shopping and fulfilling last-minute needs just a little bit easier.”

The latest phase builds upon previous announcements in Orlando, Tampa, Charlotte, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Los Angeles and Miami.

200...Pudu Robotics, in collaboration with its authorised regional distributor Robobee, has announced a partnership with Denner, a Swiss discount supermarket chain and a subsidiary of Migros Group. This will see the deployment of 200 PUDU CC1 4-in-1 cleaning robots across Denner's store network. 

The initiative forms part of Denner's broader modernisation programme, recently highlighted by CEO Torsten Friedrich, aimed at improving operational efficiency and enhancing the in-store customer experience. 

"We are honoured that Denner selected PUDU CC1 to help address a critical operational challenge," says Felix Zhang, Founder and CEO at Pudu Robotics. "This deployment stems from a clear need: to maintain impeccable hygiene standards amid expanding fresh produce offerings, while alleviating the daily cleaning burden on store teams. The success of the initial pilot proved that robotics can be a reliable, safe, and integral part of the daily retail environment."

He adds: "Seeing the project scale from four pilot stores to a deployment of this size is a strong validation of both the technology and the operational value it delivers. It reflects a shared commitment to practical innovation and measurable day-to-day efficiency."

$200 million and $1 billion...Standard Bots has announced a $200 million Series C funding round at a $1 billion valuation, led by RoboStrategy Advisors and existing backers including General Catalyst. The company, whose customers include Amazon, says that it is now America’s largest manufacturer of AI native industrial robots. 

Other customers include Sunoco, Lockheed Martin, NASA, and the US Army, along with various manufacturers across the US. 

In a LinkedIn post, Standard Bots said: “We’re proud to say that we’re on track to deploy 10% of all US industrial robots by next year. We are expanding our Glen Cove, New York facility to 70,000 square feet to scale our vertically integrated production process. We currently design almost all our own parts, including our own actuators, and we assemble every final product in-house. By 2027, we’ll manufacture everything - from metal in to robots out - right here in America.”

It added: “We believe AI native robots are the essential power tool of the 21st century - the tool that will grow American manufacturing and help every American worker to be a force at work. You just show your robot how it’s done, and it learns through demonstration. No coding, no consultants, just unbox and deploy faster than anything else on the market.”

“Right now it’s possible for the United States to revitalise our manufacturing base if we become the worldwide leader in this transformative technology. We must build American robots, and put them to work in American factories. It’s a national imperative, and it’s our central mission. This fundraise gets us one step closer to the goal. The future of American manufacturing is bright! Join Standard Bots, and show your robot how it’s done - we’re just getting started.”

56% and 74%...A new report from Bambuser, which launched at the start of Shoptalk Europe in Barcelona, reveals the online shopping habits of UK consumers. Its survey of 1,000 people uncovered that 56% of Brits expect AI and technology to replace the social experience of physical shopping, with 74% of Gen Z also agreeing with the prediction.

Deals and price comparison were cited as the number one reason for why consumers currently use AI tools like ChatGPT for shopping. 

“We are entering a new era of agentic commerce. Over the past 20 years, e-commerce has been built on a simple assumption that humans browse websites, discover products, and make purchasing decisions. That assumption is starting to change. Now, instead of searching for hours on websites or waiting for ads on social media, consumers are using AI to find bargains and inspiration. It’s faster, more convenient, and tailored,” says Maryam Gharemani, CEO at Bambuser.

1...Snappy Shopper has officially launched in Jersey with Alliance Retail through an Iceland Foods store, marking its first expansion into the Channel Islands. 

It says that early results show average order values reaching £72, significantly above typical UK convenience benchmarks. The partnership is powered by EdgePoS integration, enabling real-time pricing, stock availability and promotions. 

Greg Deacon, VP, Snappy Shopper, says: “Launching in Jersey is an exciting milestone for Snappy Shopper as we continue to expand our reach and bring best-in-class convenience e-commerce to new communities. Partnering with Alliance Retail and Iceland has allowed us to hit the ground running, and achieving a £72 average order value so early is a strong indicator of both customer demand and the strength of the model in this market. With super fast delivery and strong slot availability, alongside our integration with EdgePoS, we’re delivering a seamless and highly reliable experience for customers.”

Ross Falla, Finance Director, Alliance Retail, comments: “We’re delighted to launch this new service for customers in Jersey, providing a reliable and convenient way for people to access groceries and everyday essentials without needing to visit a store in person. This partnership is an important part of our continued expansion plans, both digitally and through future retail growth across the islands. We see significant potential to broaden the range available to customers over time and continue improving accessibility and convenience for the communities we serve.”

10...Touker Suleyman, the owner of fashion brand Ghost and Hawes & Curtis, is stepping down after a decade on BBC TV show Dragons' Den. 

He told Sky News that Dragons' Den had given him "a platform not only to deploy capital, but to share hard won wisdom built over decades in business".

Suleyman, 72, is moving on to focus on other business interests. Dragons' Den will use a roster of guest judges on its next series, including the former footballer and Sky Sports co-commentator Gary Neville and Candy Kittens founder Jamie Laing.

Suleyman said: "It is time for new, young blood to take their seat in the Den. I will now have more time to mentor young entrepreneurs directly. If I can help the next generation avoid the pitfalls I faced, seize the opportunities I almost missed, and build businesses they are truly proud of, then that will be the most rewarding chapter of my career yet."

1...Popeyes Louisiana Chicken has opened its first ever restaurant in the Republic of Ireland. This is located at the Blanchardstown Shopping Centre in Dublin. 

In a LinkedIn post, Mike Tinnion, Creative Director at Popeyes, said: “The queues didn’t let up once during opening day (video taken yesterday before the chaos). Brilliant to see so many people trying our famous Louisiana chicken for the very first time.”

He added: “Super proud of the screen: a brand new digital display that doubles up as the entrance, blending animation and real photography. Its only job is to create atmosphere and bring our brand to life in a fun, engaging way. You’ll never see a sales message on it. That’s the whole point. And it’s the first of its kind across our 120-strong portfolio in the UK and Ireland. Massive thanks to all the usual culprits, with a special shout out to MediaNerd and Rèmi Cabarrou for bringing the content to life. Onto the next one!”

1,200...Autonomous delivery specialist Starship Technologies is shifting its focus to retail grocery chains and hot food delivery in cities across Europe and the United States as it winds down its US university campus operations. Over 1,200 robots from its US campus fleet will now be redeployed accordingly.

"We're seeing a lot of traction for delivery robots across numerous industries including industrial, universities, and corporate, but it's time for us to focus on the vertical we feel will have the most value, both for our clients and for Starship," says Ahti Heinla, CEO and Co-founder at Starship Technologies.

"We built something remarkable on US campuses, and we're proud of that work. When we started in 2018, operating in closed, controlled environments was the right foundation: it gave us the operational depth and real-world delivery data that no lab could provide. Now we can operate reliably at scale in open urban environments, which is exactly what grocery delivery demands."

"The unit economics are clear: our robots deliver groceries at a cost $3-4 lower per delivery than traditional courier fulfilment. That gap is the difference between last mile delivery being a margin problem and a competitive advantage. The opportunity in grocery is generational, and we owe it to our teams and our partners to focus where the impact is greatest."

50...Best Buy is bringing Meta Lab @ Best Buy to more than 50 of its stores this summer. These 900-square-foot spaces give customers a hands-on way to explore Meta’s full product lineup of AI glasses and VR headsets through interactive demos and displays, smart mirrors, personalised fittings etc.

“Our customers are passionate about experiencing what’s next and they turn to Best Buy to bring it to life,” says Patrick McGinnis, Chief Merchandising Officer at Best Buy. “Meta Lab @ Best Buy is an experience customers can’t find at any other retailer and sets a new standard for how our customers will explore, play with and discover the latest cutting-edge tech.”

"Best Buy is an incredible partner,” says Christa Wittenberg, Vice President of Global Retail Sales at Meta. “Together we're reimagining how consumers shop the next generation of personal technology. These are immersive, hands-on spaces built for real discovery - where people can experience firsthand just how stylish, fun, and personal AI glasses and VR really are. We want customers to walk in curious and leave genuinely excited about what's possible."

30...Amazon has announced the expansion of Amazon Now, its rapid delivery service offering thousands of groceries and household essentials in about 30 minutes or less. Later this year, it will roll-out to more London locations, as well as Manchester and Birmingham for the first time, as Amazon plans to double its UK micro fulfilment network from ten sites.

“Amazon Now brings a new level of speed and convenience to customers, delivering thousands of groceries and household essentials in less than 30 minutes," says John Boumphrey, UK Country Manager of Amazon. “It’s the latest example of our commitment to faster delivery, building on the millions of items we already deliver the same or next day to customers across the UK.”

To get orders to customers in minutes, Amazon Now uses a network of micro fulfilment centres that are positioned near residential and inner-city areas, with sites in Southwark, Bethnal Green, Battersea, Lewisham, Hampstead, Nottinghill, Harringey, Walthamstow and Wembley. Prime members get discounted Amazon Now delivery fees starting at £1.99 per order (vs. £3.99 for non-Prime members). A £2 fee applies to all orders under £25, regardless of membership.

$20 million...Scotch, an all in one operating system for liquor retailers, has raised a $20 million Series A, led by VMG Partners, with participation from First Round Capital, Lerer Hippeau, and Toba Capital.

In a LinkedIn post, Jake Bolling, Founder and CEO at Scotch, said: “In 2024, we set out to fix something that's been broken for 30 years: the technology running America's 40,000+ independent liquor stores. Most of those stores operate on PoS software built before the iPhone. Before Amazon was founded. In some cases, before the store owners themselves were born.”

He added: “Since launching our first store ten months ago, we've crossed $1 billion in annualised gross payment volume. That number tells us two things: (1) The problem is real, and (2) operators are ready to move. Store owners are quite literally blowing up systems they've used for two decades to partner with Scotch. While these milestones are fun to celebrate, they're far from what we're focused on. We think about the calls from owners and GMs who used to spend Monday mornings buried in distributor invoices, line by line, for hours. Now they spend that time looking at margins, planning reorders, and growing their store. That's what we built this for.”

Bolling concluded: “Our CTO, Dan Chen, spent more than a decade in liquor tech, including CTO at Drizly before its acquisition by Uber. Kevin Hodges and I built Skupos in convenience retail. We didn't stumble into this category. We picked it on purpose, and we built the team to win it. This round lets us keep building faster and with more intention. More automation. More time returned to the amazing people running these stores. Independent liquor retail is an $80 billion market that technology has ignored for a generation. Tens of thousands of stores will be getting the technology they deserve. We're just getting started.”

$8 million...Alitheon has announced the closing of a $8 million Series A1 funding round led by Emerald Technology Ventures, with participation from eBay Ventures and support from existing investors.

The cash will be used to accelerate global deployment of Alitheon's FeaturePrint technology. It says that industry has long relied on barcodes, tags, and stickers, but these external proxy markers can be damaged, detached, or counterfeited. Standard machine learning only identifies objects at a class level, recognising a generic part rather than a specific asset. Alitheon captures the inherent surface details of an object to create a unique, unforgeable identity.

The result is pitched as ‘biometrics for things’: a Zero Trust framework where no item is assumed authentic until its digital fingerprint is verified via a standard camera. With nothing added, there is no marker for bad actors to spoof, ensuring an unbreakable link between the physical object and its digital record, those involved claim.

"Securing support from such powerhouses proves the world is ready for digital first serialisation, provenance, and traceability," says Roei Ganzarski, CEO at Alitheon. "We aren't just identifying goods; we are powering the trust layer of the global economy, providing a level of security that additives and standard AI simply cannot match."

"We look for technologies that solve fundamental industrial challenges at scale," says Gina Domanig, Managing Partner at Emerald Technology Ventures. "Alitheon's ability to provide one to one serialisation without the need for labels or tags is a game-changer for global supply chains. By establishing a 'Zero Trust' framework for physical goods, Alitheon is providing the essential data integrity required for the future of automated manufacturing and logistics."

15...Zalando's Co-CEO David Schröder was at Shoptalk Europe 2026 in Barcelona, Spain this week, during which time he took to the conference stage to talk about how AI is reshaping European commerce. Schröder shared how Zalando is navigating one of the biggest technology shifts in the company's 15-year history. 

Key takeaways:

• Its AI assistant went from six million users in all of last year to ten million in Q1 alone.

• 90% of content on its site is now AI generated. A year ago that was close to zero.

• AI powered size recommendations have cut returns by 8%, meaning millions fewer packages shipped back each year.

• Customers using Zalando's AI assistant ask three to five questions in a back and forth dialogue, sharing context about occasions, preferences, and what they're really shopping for. That's fundamentally different from typing a search query once and scrolling results.

• On Europe's AI challenge, Schröder said: "It's not a question of talent. It's also not a question of ingenuity. It's more a question of how do we actually scale it and how do we productise it?" Europe has world class researchers but struggles to turn that into global products. More support for European digital champions is needed. 

• On what would excite him for the future: "What would excite me most is if in a few years, consumers feel that shopping is much more human. It's much more personal, much more conversational. Not AI for AI's sake."