Winnow

What Winnow does

Winnow is a UK-based AI software and hardware company that builds food waste prevention systems for commercial kitchens in the hospitality sector. Founded in 2013 and headquartered in London, the company combines a connected camera-and-scale hardware unit with computer-vision software trained on 500+ million food waste images to automatically identify and weigh discarded food items, generate daily reports, and recommend operational changes. Its product family includes Winnow Vision / Winnow Track (the core hardware+software unit), Throw & Go (a fully automated, touchless tracking mode), Winnow Hub (a cross-site analytics and ESG reporting dashboard), Winnow Sense (plate-waste tracking), and a Zero Waste Culinary Advisor coaching service delivered chef-to-chef.

Winnow sells primarily to large enterprise hospitality operators — hotel and resort groups, contract caterers, cruise lines, casino resorts, and retail food-service operators — under a SaaS-plus-hardware commercial model. Customers pay recurring subscription fees (with a standard 36-month minimum term) plus hardware purchase or lease, with installation, a 100-day onboarding program, and ongoing culinary coaching included. Pricing is quote-based and indexed annually to inflation. Anchor customers include IKEA, Hilton, Marriott, Accor, IHG, Iberostar, Mandarin Oriental, Sodexo, Compass Group, and ISS, with a March 2025 multi-year partnership with Sodexo covering 200 kitchens being a flagship enterprise deployment.

The business is monetized through three revenue streams: subscription SaaS (recurring), hardware sales or lease, and professional services (installation, training, advisory). The company has raised approximately $30M+ in disclosed funding across multiple rounds (2014 seed through a 2023 Series C and a 2024 strategic round from ABC Impact), operates 3,500+ sites across 94 countries, and reports that customers collectively save over $100M per year while preventing 122,000 tonnes of CO2e annually. Distribution is direct enterprise field sales, supported by strategic sustainability partnerships with UNEP, WWF, EarthCheck, and others.

Name

Winnow

Legal name

Winnow Solutions Limited

Website

https://winnowsolutions.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Winnow builds AI-powered food waste prevention systems for commercial kitchens, combining computer vision, connected scales, and analytics software. It serves large enterprise hospitality operators, including hotel chains, contract caterers, cruise lines, and casinos, across 3,500+ sites in 94 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food Waste Management Software

NAICS

Caterers (72232), Food Service Contractors (72231), Limited-Service Restaurants (722513)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro primary industry

Drop-Off / Delivery Catering (THAFAIAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Drop-Off Catering & Boxed Meals (HSACAGAB)

Keywords

• AI food waste management
• Commercial kitchen analytics
• Hospitality sustainability software
• Food waste reduction platform
• Kitchen waste tracking

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Subscription Services (SaaS): Winnow provides software-as-a-service subscriptions for its food waste prevention platform. Customers pay recurring subscription fees for access to the Winnow software, analytics dashboards, and ongoing support. Subscription fees are invoiced in advance and payable prior to each subscription period. The Minimum Period is 36 months per standard contract terms. Pricing is subject to indexation for inflation/deflation annually.
2. Hardware (Goods - Camera + Scale System): Winnow sells or leases hardware equipment (camera and connected scale system) as part of its product offering. Hardware can be purchased outright or leased. For leased hardware, title does not pass to the customer. Goods are subject to separate pricing and delivery terms.
3. Professional Services (Installation & Training): Winnow provides installation, training, and ongoing kitchen coaching services. Training and follow-up consultation are provided to a reasonable number of Users. Remote assistance is available for day-to-day operation. Additional services (e.g., bespoke installation) may incur extra charges at applicable day rates.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Winnow sells an AI-powered food waste prevention system for commercial kitchens, combining computer-vision-enabled hardware (camera + connected scale installed in bins) with the Winnow Vision/Track software and the Winnow Hub cloud analytics platform. Its Throw & Go mode enables fully touchless, automated waste capture, turning what kitchens throw away into cost-, reason-, and category-level insights that drive 50% food waste reduction and 2–8% food cost savings. The platform is sold as a multi-year SaaS subscription (typically 36-month Minimum Period) bundled with hardware, installation, and chef-to-chef Zero Waste Culinary Advisor coaching.

Product overview

Winnow offers an AI-powered food waste prevention platform for commercial kitchens, consisting of the Winnow Vision/Track hardware system combined with Throw & Go automated tracking software and the Winnow Hub analytics platform. The system uses computer vision AI and connected scales to automatically capture and identify food waste, generating daily reports and actionable insights for kitchen teams. The platform is complemented by culinary coaching services through Winnow's Zero Waste Culinary Advisors. Customers subscribe to the SaaS platform and lease or purchase the hardware. The system is designed for quick deployment with 100-day onboarding and ongoing monthly coaching.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Winnow Vision: AI-powered computer vision food waste tracking technology that automatically identifies and weighs food items discarded in commercial kitchens.
• Winnow Hub
• Winnow Sense
• Winnow Track
• Throw & Go

Products and services

• Winnow Vision / Winnow Track AI-powered food waste prevention hardware + software system for commercial kitchens, combining a camera and connected scale that automatically identify and weigh every food item discarded and convert that data into actionable daily reports for kitchen teams.
• Winnow Hub Winnow's enterprise analytics and reporting platform enabling cross-site reporting, sustainability dashboards, and customisable views by brand, region, or group. Supports corporate food waste reduction targets with auditable, site-level data including weight, cost, and CO2e avoided.
• Winnow Zero Waste Culinary Advisor Chef-to-chef coaching service where Winnow's culinary experts work directly with kitchen teams to translate food waste data into practical, data-led actions, helping teams reduce waste, cut food costs, and embed lasting behaviour change.

Quantifiable outcome

• 50% reduction in food waste
• +8 more outcomes

Named customers18 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability7 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• SodexocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2025Winnow entered a multi-year partnership with Sodexo in March 2025 to deploy AI-powered waste analytics across 200 kitchens globally. This is a flagship deployment that demonstrates Winnow's ability to scale across a major contract catering operator.
• IKEA (Ingka Group)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIKEA partnered with Winnow to develop Winnow Vision AI. Winnow Vision is deployed across IKEA stores in the UK and globally. IKEA UK has saved over £14 million in ten years using Winnow while reducing carbon emissions equivalent to taking 2,300 cars off the road. IKEA co-developed the technology with Winnow.
• Emaar Hospitality GroupmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmaar Hospitality Group was the first company to bring cutting-edge AI technology into UAE kitchens in partnership with Winnow. The partnership includes Armani Hotel Dubai, deploying Winnow Vision across the region's properties.
• easyJet HolidaysmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWinnow and easyJet Holidays teamed up to launch a Guide to Reducing Food Waste in Resorts, targeting the travel and hospitality industry's food waste challenge.
• EarthCheckminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEarthCheck and Winnow teamed up to benchmark the climate impact of food waste reduction using Artificial Intelligence, providing certification-ready data for sustainable tourism operators.
• Ne'ma (UAE)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWinnow partnered with Ne'ma in the UAE to accelerate food waste reduction efforts in the region, aligned with UAE national sustainability goals.
• UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWinnow partnered with UNEP, Hilton, and Goumbook for the Green Ramadan campaign, achieving significant food waste reductions across participating hotels.
• Australian Food PactminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWinnow joined the Australian Food Pact, a voluntary agreement between food businesses to reduce food waste in Australia.
• WWF ChinaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWWF and Winnow worked together to reduce food waste in China, combining Winnow's AI technology with WWF's environmental advocacy and reach.
• Costa CruisesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWinnow and Costa Cruises partnered to halve food waste by 2020 on cruise ships, deploying AI food waste analytics in shipboard kitchens.
• Dayblink GPO and The Leading Hotels of the WorldmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWinnow was selected as Dayblink GPO's food waste management partner for luxury hotels under The Leading Hotels of the World brand, targeting the luxury hospitality segment.
• AmadeusminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAmadeus and Winnow announced a programme saving 40,000 meals a year through AI food waste reduction, integrating sustainability into travel technology.
• Melco (Casino Operator)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMelco combined Winnow's AI with behavioural science to cut plate waste by 35% at their Macau properties, then doubled down on the partnership following the successful trial.
• Emirates Flight CateringmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmirates Flight Catering teamed up with Winnow to reduce food waste by 35% in airline catering operations, addressing the unique challenges of in-flight meal preparation.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Kitro: Kitro is a Norway-based food waste measurement company that automates tracking in commercial kitchens using AI image recognition and scales. It is a direct competitor in the European hospitality and foodservice market alongside Winnow.
• Orbisk: Orbisk is a Dutch AI food waste startup using computer vision and a connected bin to identify and weigh food waste in commercial kitchens. It targets hotels, hospitals, catering, and other hospitality operators with a similar SaaS+hardware model to Winnow.
• Leanpath: Leanpath is one of Winnow's most direct competitors, providing AI-enabled food waste tracking hardware and analytics for commercial kitchens across hospitality, healthcare, education, and foodservice. Both companies combine connected scales, software dashboards, and coaching to help operators cut waste and food cost.

Broad incumbents

• Sodexo (internal sustainability tech): Sodexo is one of the world's largest contract catering and food services companies and a Winnow partner/customer (200-kitchen rollout). It also invests in and develops its own sustainability and waste-tracking capabilities as part of its broader foodservice portfolio, making it both customer and potential broad competitor.
• Compass Group: Compass Group is a global contract catering giant and a Winnow customer. As one of the largest foodservice operators, it both consumes Winnow's technology and has internal sustainability and procurement capabilities that overlap with Winnow's value proposition.

Emerging players

• Wasteless: Wasteless provides AI-driven dynamic pricing for grocery retail to reduce food waste at the shelf. While focused on retail markdown optimization rather than kitchen bin tracking, it competes for ESG and food waste budgets within the same enterprise buyer ecosystem that Winnow addresses.
• Holopti: Holopti is an early-stage AI food waste tracking player using computer vision in commercial kitchens. While smaller and earlier-stage than Winnow, it targets overlapping hospitality and foodservice customers with comparable touchless AI waste analytics.
• Too Good To Go: Too Good To Go is a consumer marketplace and B2B platform that helps restaurants and foodservice operators sell surplus food, reducing waste. While more consumer/app-led, it increasingly overlaps with Winnow's mission to reduce commercial kitchen food waste and is a recognized brand in the space.
• Spoiler Alert: Spoiler Alert is a US-based B2B platform helping grocers, restaurants, and food manufacturers manage unsold inventory and food waste. It sits adjacent to Winnow's kitchen-bin focus, with overlap in food waste data, reporting, and ESG workflows for large operators.
• Eden (food waste software): Eden provides workplace and food services software including facilities, snacks, and food waste management for enterprises. It overlaps with Winnow in the broader employee-dining and corporate-foodservice sustainability workflow, often competing for the same ESG/operations budget.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights8 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/WinnowSolutions
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/winnowsolutions
• Facebookfacebook.com/winnowsolutions
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/winnow-ltd-
• Instagraminstagram.com/winnowsolutions

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds9 records

Investors15 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Winnow