The FMItech Pitch competition has announced its finalists, with three companies set to compete at the FMI Midwinter Executive Conference in January. The finalists are HuLoop Automation, Portal, and RETAiLABS, having advanced from a class of six contenders.
Each finalist is addressing distinct challenges within the food retail and consumer packaged goods (CPG) sectors. Their innovations aim to streamline operations, enhance advertising insights, and improve data-driven decision-making processes.
Innovative Solutions Addressing Industry Challenges
HuLoop Automation focuses on reducing the manual workload often faced by employees in grocery settings. The company’s AI-driven platform facilitates the automation of routine tasks, such as price updating and system information management. The goal is to minimize errors, shorten processing times, and enable staff to concentrate on more valuable activities.
Portal enhances retail media measurement for CPG brands. By providing insights into shopper behavior post-click, the platform allows brands to better understand the effectiveness of their advertising efforts. This insight helps brands refine their advertising strategies while promising food retailers increased traffic resulting from brand-funded initiatives.
RETAiLABS offers a solution to the challenge of coordinating data-driven decisions across various retail functions. Its ARI platform integrates data and business processes, facilitating better alignment among merchandising, supply chain, and marketing teams. This tool is designed to streamline grocery promotions by connecting essential decision-making areas, ensuring timely execution.
Seven industry experts judged the competition, lending their extensive experience in grocery operations, technology, investment, and retail media to the selection process. Judges included Mark Doiron from BGJ Group, Tom Furphy of Consumer Equity Partners, and Katie Hotze from Crave Ventures, among others.
The finalists will present their solutions on January 20, 2027, at the FMI Midwinter Executive Conference at the Gaylord Pacific in Chula Vista, California. Conference attendees will vote to determine the winner, who will also have the opportunity to present on the General Session stage. Additionally, finalists will engage in FMItech Exchanges and participate in the exclusive FMItech Supper Club.
For more information, visit the full details on the FMItech webpage.
