The Detroit Regional Partnership (DRP) and the city of Southfield today announced Savormetrics, a predictive food spoilage artificial intelligence technology, is opening a research and development and sales office space in Lawrence Technological University’s Centrepolis Accelerator in Southfield.
Based in Toronto, Savormetrics provides real time quality assurance and quality control systems to the food and agriculture industries, offering solutions for greenhouses, vertical farms, food processors, and retailers that help decrease operating costs and potentially increase yields.
“Our state has long been one of this country’s largest agriculture and food producers providing a major market opportunity for Savormetrics’ data-driven predictive technology to reduce food waste,” says Maureen Donohue Krauss, president and CEO of the DRP. “We are particularly proud of how this project came together. Our business development team used virtual platforms to showcase the region, connect Savormetrics with our partners, and highlight the opportunities here.”
The DRP and Savormetrics partnered in 2020 during its virtual Canadian trade mission. The DRP’s business development team has exposed the company to the food processing and agricultural technology ecosystem. It also connected them with public, private, and university partners to support operations as well as gaining prospective clients.
“Savormetrics brings impressive technology and talent to the table for Michigan’s food and ag industries,” says Dan Radomski, director of the Centrepolis Accelerator. “With our focus on Industry 4.0 and the Industrial Internet of Things, we are confident that we can help Savormetrics grow in Michigan. We are connecting them to local food processors and vertical farms looking for technology to bring increased efficiencies to their operations.”
According to Feeding America, 108 billion pounds of food, or nearly 40 percent of all food in the U.S., is wasted annually — equating to more than $161 billion worth of food being thrown away.
“Our award-winning AI technology predicts food spoilage and out-of-spec products and helps grocery stores, food processors, and producers eliminate waste throughout the entire supply chain,” says Harjeet Bajaj, founder and CEO of Savormetrics. “We needed a location that offered access to high quality technical talent, a strong customer base, and a collaborative ecosystem, and found that in the Detroit Region.”
The LTU Centrepolis Accelerator seeks to accelerate the growth of Michigan’s advanced manufacturing, innovative hardware entrepreneurs, and small manufacturers by providing access to funding, experts, and key business and product development resources.