Apulia-based foodtech startup Tuidi has raised €3 million in seed funding to accelerate the digital transformation of Italy’s €135 billion grocery retail industry through AI-driven automation and decision-making.
The round was co-led by Vertis SGR — through its funds Vertis Venture 6 Digital Sud (partly financed by the EU’s Next Generation EU initiative) and Vertis Venture 7 Digital Puglia — and Azimut, via Azimut Eltif Venture Capital ALIcrowd III & IV and Azimut Digital Equity Italy, all managed by Azimut Libera Impresa SGR.
QBerg, a leader in market research and price intelligence, also joined as both an investor and strategic partner.
Bringing AI automation to grocery retail
Founded by Giulio Martinacci and Vincenzo Morelli, Tuidi builds proprietary machine learning systems that enable large-scale retailers to run stores more efficiently.
At the heart of the company’s offering is Delphi, an AI-powered “store controller” that analyses millions of data points daily and provides actionable recommendations on procurement, pricing, product assortment, and workforce scheduling.
“Delphi acts as a virtual store controller — it translates data into daily decisions,” said Giulio Martinacci, co-founder and Managing Director at Tuidi. “It helps retailers optimise operations, anticipate customer demand, and make every store more efficient.”
The platform combines internal and external data sources, using predictive models to forecast consumer behaviour, reduce stockouts, and prevent over-ordering.
“Our proprietary models anticipate purchasing patterns and automate key store operations,” added Vincenzo Morelli, co-founder of Tuidi. “It’s about using machine learning not just for analytics, but for real business control.”
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Real-world impact across Italy’s retail sector
Tuidi’s technology is already deployed by major Italian retailers including Conad Centro Nord, Maiora, Retail Pro, Ama Crai Est, and Gruppo Romano.
Across more than 620 million products managed through the Delphi platform, Tuidi’s clients have reported sales increases of up to 2% and order cost reductions of up to 10% — alongside notable reductions in waste.
The fresh funding will be used to expand the company’s product suite, integrate agentic and generative AI capabilities, and strengthen its position as Italy’s leading technology partner for grocery retailers.
Investors back scalable innovation for the food industry
“As a consumer, you can see inefficiencies every day — from empty shelves to poor pricing,” said Giacomo Giurazza, Partner at Vertis SGR. “Tuidi shows that cutting-edge technology can solve these problems in practical ways. We’re proud to support their mission to modernise Italy’s grocery sector.”
Guido Bocchio, Head of Venture Capital at Azimut Libera Impresa, added: “With over 28,000 grocery stores nationwide, more than 7% of revenues are lost to inefficiencies like waste and stockouts. Tuidi is tackling these issues directly, helping retailers become more competitive and sustainable.”
Fabrizio Pavone, Founder and CEO of QBerg, commented: “Our partnership with Tuidi is both financial and strategic. Their sophisticated technology can truly reshape how retail operates in Italy and beyond.”
About Tuidi
Founded in 2021 by Giulio Martinacci and Vincenzo Morelli, Tuidi is an Italian foodtech company developing proprietary AI platforms for large-scale retail. Its flagship solution, Delphi, acts as an intelligent control system for stores, automating procurement, pricing, and inventory management to increase sales, reduce waste, and enhance operational efficiency.
Headquartered in Apulia, Tuidi is working to make Italy’s grocery industry a model for technological innovation — where data and AI drive sustainability, competitiveness, and better food systems for consumers and retailers alike.
