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Phood Solutions
Techstars '19Boston, US · Founded 2019 · 35 employees on LinkedIn · 3 known investors
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PhoodSolutions uses computer vision and data analytics to help food service operators optimize menu performance, labor management, and reduce food waste and costs.
Also known as Phood · Phood Solutions Inc.
Investors · 3
How we know: funding news · the VCSheet dataset · research · preqin.com · Not right? Tell us
How we know: Story Ventures's portfolio page · funding news · the VCSheet dataset · research · preqin.com · Not right? Tell us
How we know: the Techstars portfolio · open dataset · Top 3000 Accelerator Startups (no YC) 2026-08 · Not right? Tell us
Company profile
researched Sep 2026Phood Solutions is a business-to-business food technology company serving the food service industry with hardware-and-software systems that measure and analyze food waste. Its core product, the Phood X system, is a tabletop unit combining a smart scale, a tablet and an integrated AI camera; computer vision identifies items placed on the scale and the system logs how much food enters and leaves the kitchen to a cloud-based analytics platform. A larger XL model is designed to sit within normal kitchen disposal routines, detecting and logging each item thrown away. The platform reports individual product margins and demand-based production volumes, and is positioned for use at hot bars, prepared-food stations and donation stations.
The company markets three main outcomes from the resulting data: menu and assortment optimization based on which products drive sales, sell well together and carry the highest margins across seasonal, weekly, daily and hourly cycles; labor optimization by eliminating manual waste tracking and surfacing team behaviors and menu compliance; and food cost reduction by quantifying unknown and known shrink and feeding that data into ordering and production schedules. Alongside the product, Phood Lab offers bespoke digital solutions built by the company's industry experts and food technologists for partner-specific operational problems.
Public profiles describe Phood as a private, venture-backed company classified in AI, computer vision, analytics and SaaS, with a recurring-revenue software model serving enterprise customers.
Founding story
CEO Luc Dang grew up in rural Connecticut around rescued mustangs and beehives, with the family's surplus eggs going to local restaurants. While working in corporate finance after graduation he encountered a statistic on the share of US food production that never reaches market, which prompted the creation of Phood. Jackson Killion is identified as the company's founder. Dang has been named to Forbes 30 Under 30 for sustainability.
Business model
Phood operates a B2B model in which food service operators subscribe to its waste tracking system and associated analytics, with transaction structures described as annual or monthly fees scaled to the level of service and size of implementation; a bespoke professional services arm, Phood Lab, builds custom digital solutions for partners. Pricing is not publicly disclosed.
Recurring subscription revenue from food service clients for the hardware-plus-software waste tracking system and analytics platform, supplemented by custom digital solution engagements through Phood Lab.
Traction
Company materials state that 1.8 billion pounds of food have been analyzed through the platform, and cite customer results including a 5:1 ROI and a 90% reduction in tracking-related labor costs, plus a category manager testimonial describing identification of shrink and improved hot bar margins within months. Third-party profiles list approximately 30 employees as of February 2024 and cumulative funding of $2.3 million as of November 2023.
Latest developments
Following its seed round, the company said it would use the capital to broaden its product line and enter additional US urban markets, with further technology releases planned. Database profiles report a $150,000 funding event in November 2023 and headcount of about 30 in early 2024, while the company's site continues to market the Phood X system and Phood Lab custom development services.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history, risks & controversies
Market position
Phood competes in the food waste prevention and kitchen analytics segment alongside companies such as KITRO, FloVision Solutions, Kwali and PreciTaste AI, and has been grouped by technology press with venture-backed food supply chain startups including Shelf Engine, Imperfect Foods and Mori working to reduce waste across the food system.
The company positions source reduction — preventing waste before it occurs — as its focus, using automated computer vision measurement in place of manual waste logging, and tying waste data directly to product-level margin reporting and demand-based production volumes rather than to waste reporting alone. Marketing materials cite a 5:1 return on investment and a 90% reduction in labor costs associated with waste tracking.
Technology
The system pairs a smart scale and tablet with an AI-driven camera; computer vision identifies food items placed on or discarded through the unit, and the software aggregates measurements into a cloud-based analytics platform that explains not only what is wasted but why, then links that data to purchasing decisions, staff behavior, menu creation and supply chain planning. Product configurations include the compact, portable Phood X tabletop model and the Phood XL model integrated into routine kitchen disposal.
Go-to-market
Phood pursues a top-down enterprise strategy, selling to large food service organizations and using accelerator programs to bridge the startup-to-enterprise gap; management cited Techstars Farm to Fork and Relish Works' Food Foundry bootcamp (with Gordon Food Service and 1871) as sources of enterprise partnerships and mentorship. The website drives demand through demo requests and inquiry forms and references named partner logos and customer testimonials.
Consumer-facing food businesses, including grocery stores, corporate dining halls, contract food service providers, restaurants and catering operations, with particular applicability to prepared-food and hot bar stations.
Geography
Operations are focused on the United States, with third-party profiles citing urban markets across the country and listing New York, NY as the company's headquarters; expansion into additional US urban markets was stated as a post-seed priority.
History
The company participated in the Techstars Farm to Fork accelerator, which it credits with helping it raise a pre-seed round, and later joined Relish Works' Food Foundry bootcamp with Gordon Food Service and 1871. It began raising a seed round in July 2020 and announced a $2 million seed co-led by New Stack Ventures and Story Ventures in November 2020, stating plans to expand product offerings and enter additional urban US markets. Third-party databases report a further $150,000 raise in November 2023 and cumulative funding of $2.3 million. Sources differ on founding details, variously giving 2015 and 2019, and list the headquarters as New York.
Risks & controversies
Public records are inconsistent on basic company facts, with founding year reported as 2015 by some databases and 2019 by others and headquarters given as New York in third-party profiles. Performance figures such as the 5:1 ROI, 90% labor cost reduction and 50% waste reduction are company-reported and not independently verified in the available sources. Management has also described the difficulty of bridging the gap between a startup and large enterprise food service buyers.
Compiled by commissioned research from 7 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Timeline · 3
launches, deals, and filingsPhood Solutions raised USD 2 million in seed funding, announced by lead investor New Stack Ventures and reported by Crunchbase News and The Spoon; Preqin records the round as co-led by New Stack Ventures and Story Ventures, bringing total raised to USD 2 million.
$2M source ↗
Phood collaborated with Gordon Food Service and 1871 through Relish Works' Food Foundry bootcamp accelerator program.
The company took part in the Techstars Farm to Fork accelerator program, which the CEO said helped it raise its pre-seed round.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
▸Research sources · 7
primary sources listed
- Phood Solutionsphoodsolutions.com · web
7 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Phood Solutions do?
- Phood Solutions builds computer-vision hardware and software that tracks food waste and margins for food service operators.
- Who are Phood Solutions's investors?
- Phood Solutions's investors include New Stack Ventures, Story Ventures, Techstars.
- Where is Phood Solutions headquartered?
- Phood Solutions is headquartered in Boston, US.