Italian deeptech startup Ganiga has raised €1.5 million in an equity funding round to further develop its AI-powered waste management technology and support commercial expansion. The round was led by Italian contract catering company Vivenda, with participation from London-based NextSTEP and three angel investors. Together with €1 million secured through Smart&Start Italia, an incentive programme managed by Invitalia, Ganiga's total funding has reached €2.5 million.
Founded in the province of Pisa by Nicolas Zeoli, Ganiga develops technologies combining artificial intelligence, computer vision and robotics to improve waste management and reduce food waste. The company initially focused on robotic waste sorting, developing devices that identify and separate different types of waste. It has sold more than 300 devices for use in airports, shopping centres and large businesses across Italy, Japan, Australia and other European countries.
Building on data collected through these deployments, Ganiga expanded into food waste management with HooolyFood, an AI-powered system designed to help catering operators monitor and reduce waste. Using cameras installed above waste containers, the system identifies discarded food without requiring weighing and provides data to help operators identify inefficiencies, improve purchasing and menu planning, and manage costs. Developed in less than a year, the technology is already deployed in operations serving more than 30,000 meals daily.
The company's proprietary data platform brings information from its devices into a single dashboard to analyse waste patterns, estimate costs and monitor container fill levels. Ganiga is also extending its technology to automate ingredient ordering and menu planning, while developing sensors for existing containers to monitor municipal and other waste streams.
The development comes as the European Union introduces binding targets to reduce food waste by 2030. According to Eurostat, the EU generated approximately 58 million tonnes of food waste in 2023, highlighting the need for more efficient waste management across industries, including food services.
Nicolas Zeoli, founder and CEO of Ganiga, said the investment will help scale technology already deployed in commercial settings. He added:
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.
With the new funding, Ganiga plans to expand its technical and commercial teams, further develop HooolyFood and its data platform, and increase recurring revenue. The company will initially focus on expanding within contract catering alongside Vivenda, before targeting event catering, hotels and other foodservice settings.