South East Angels invest in Wonki to eradicate supply chain food waste

We're excited to announce our investment in Wonki. Their AI-powered marketplace helps food manufacturers redistribute surplus ingredients and prevent food waste. The food manufacturing industry currently faces massive inefficiencies, with £18.4 billion worth of perfect but surplus food being wasted every year in the EU alone, adding up to 10% to the cost of goods.

Founded by Alina Sartogo and Dini McGrath, The Wonki Collective brings unique insight from their backgrounds in law and food & drink manufacturing. Their solution uses ML-powered matchmaking algorithms to connect buyers and sellers of surplus ingredients, and has already demonstrated impressive traction with over 200 food manufacturers onboarded, including major players like Nestle and Belazu. The market opportunity is compelling, with a £335 million addressable market in the UK for surplus edible ingredients.

Our group backed The Wonki Collective because of their data-driven approach to solving food waste and their impressive early traction with major food manufacturers. Their technology not only offers compelling commercial benefits to both buyers and sellers but delivers significant environmental impact by reducing CO2 emissions.

"The Wonki Collective team has identified a critical inefficiency in food supply chains and developed a solution that delivers both commercial and environmental value. Their intelligent marketplace approach, combined with their deep industry connections and impressive grant funding success, positions them for significant growth in this large and underserved market."     

 - Kristina Pereckaite, Director of South East Angels