Italian deeptech firm Ganiga has closed a €1.5 million equity round to accelerate development of its artificial intelligence-driven waste reduction platform and push into new markets. Vivenda, an Italian contract catering operator, led the investment, joined by London-based venture firm NextSTEP and three individual backers. Combined with €1 million from Smart&Start Italia, a government incentive scheme run by Invitalia, the company's total capital raised now stands at €2.5 million.
Founded by Nicolas Zeoli in Pisa, Ganiga began by building robotic systems that use computer vision and artificial intelligence to sort and classify waste streams. The company has shipped over 300 sorting devices to airports, retail complexes and large enterprises across Italy, Japan, Australia and parts of Europe. This installed base has generated a wealth of operational data that informed the company's pivot toward food waste reduction.
The startup's newer offering, HooolyFood, applies machine learning and camera-based monitoring to help catering kitchens track and minimize food discard. Mounted above waste bins, the system's cameras detect what food is being thrown away without requiring manual weighing. The platform then feeds this information into a unified dashboard where operators can spot waste patterns, adjust menus, refine purchasing decisions and control expenses. Launched within twelve months, HooolyFood is already running in facilities that prepare more than 30,000 meals each day.
Ganiga's central data engine consolidates signals from all its deployed hardware into one interface for tracking waste composition, calculating financial impact and observing container saturation levels. The roadmap includes automation tools for procurement and menu design, plus new sensors designed to monitor waste flows in municipal systems and other non-catering contexts.
The funding announcement arrives as the European Union enforces new regulations requiring member states to cut food waste by 2030. Eurostat reported that the EU produced roughly 58 million tonnes of food waste during 2023, underscoring the urgency for better waste management practices across the foodservice industry.
For a canteen, knowing which dishes are being wasted and why provides actionable data to inform purchasing, menu planning and service delivery. The new EU directive makes food waste reduction a binding target, and you cannot reduce what you do not measure.
Nicolas Zeoli, founder and CEO of Ganiga
Ganiga intends to use the capital to grow its engineering and sales staff, advance HooolyFood and its analytics layer, and boost recurring revenue streams. The company will begin by deepening its presence in the contract catering segment alongside Vivenda, then branch into event catering, hospitality and other food preparation sectors.
Source: Tech.eu
