Trigo, the Israeli company using computer vision to power checkout-free shopping, is making its US debut in 2022. The Tel Aviv-based start-up has announced a partnership with Wakefern Food Corp, the largest retail-owned cooperative in the US, to develop a pilot that offers Trigo’s grab-and-go shopping tech at a local supermarket.
Wakefern, the logistics, distribution and merchandising arm for ShopRite stores, is comprised of nearly 50 member companies that independently own and operate close to 360 retail supermarkets under the ShopRite, Price Rite Marketplace, The Fresh Grocer, Dearborn Market, Gourmet Garage and Fairway Market banners.
The agreement is to pilot an autonomous supermarket making use of Trigo’s AI-based frictionless checkout technology in New Jersey, Trigo CEO Michael Gabay said.
“Trigo is proud to work with some of the largest grocery retailers around the world, so partnering with Wakefern Food Corp. was a natural step for the company,” said Gabay in the company’s announcement last week.
“By helping Wakefern convert some store formats, or develop new ones that are exclusive to their brands, we can help them accelerate their growth within the market and pave the way for frictionless shopping in the future.”
Wakefern Food Corp VP of technology, innovation & strategy Charlie McWeeney said, “With Trigo’s frictionless technology, Wakefern Food Corp. is opening up access to cutting edge innovation for our members. We are excited to pilot Trigo’s solution and offer our consumers the ultimate in checkout convenience.”
Foot traffic analytics firm Placer.ai raises $100m.
Israeli-founded location analytics and consumer foot traffic data firm Placer.ai announced last week the completion of a $100 million Series C financing round at a valuation of $1 billion.
The round was led by Josh Buckley with participation from WndrCo, Lachy Groom, MMC Technology Ventures LLC, Fifth Wall Ventures and Array Ventures. There was also participation from leading commercial real estate investors and operators, including J.M. Schapiro (Continental Realty Corp), Eliot Bencuya and Jeff Karsh (Tryperion Partners), Daniel Klein (Klein Enterprises/Sundeck Capital), Majestic Realty and others.
Founded in 2013, Placer.ai provides insights about foot traffic in retail centers, casinos, theme parks and stadiums, and more.
Noam Ben-Zvi, CEO and co-founder of Placer.ai, said in the announcement that the company will use the funding to “accelerate the development of the Placer.ai platform, adding an unprecedented range of new data sets – such as vehicle traffic, planned construction, web traffic, purchase data, and much more – as well as more advanced solutions to empower any professional with a stake in the physical world to make better decisions, faster than ever before.”
Since launching in November 2018, Placer.ai has been adopted by over 1,000 customers including industry leaders in commercial real estate and retail like JLL, Regency Centers, Taubman, Planet Fitness, BJ’s Wholesale Club, and Grocery Outlet. In the wake of COVID-driven upheaval, the company saw widespread adoption among a series of new categories, among them hedge funds and CPG leaders including Tyson Foods and Reckitt Benckiser.
Technion team remove ‘forever chemicals’ from water
Researchers from the Technion–Israel Institute of Technology have developed innovative technology to remove dangerous pollutants from drinking water.
The technology efficiently removes and destroys synthetic organofluorine chemical compounds (PFAS). PFAS is a family of problematic pollutants, also known as “forever chemicals” because of their chemical stability and environmental persistence.
There are thousands of PFAS chemicals, and they are found in many different consumer, commercial, and industrial products. This makes it challenging to study and assess the potential human health and environmental risks. These substances can be found in air, water, soil, and food, as well as a large range of products, including Teflon pan coating, fire-fighting foam, flame retardants and water-repellent additives. They reach the groundwater in various ways, including agricultural irrigation using treated wastewater and fire-fighting substances seeping into the soil. As a result of their chemical stability, they remain intact in the ground for a long time, leading to extensive contamination of drinking sources, which in turn significantly increases human exposure.
“Lately, it has become clear that these chemicals are of severe health and ecological hazard – thus, finding ways to remove and destroy them is of great importance,” said Technion Asst. Prof. Dr. Adi Radian.
Radian, head of the Soil and Environmental Chemistry Lab in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, headed the study with her post-doctoral student Dr. Samapti Kundu. Their findings were published in the Chemical Engineering Journal.
For more Israeli innovation news, click here.