<div><p style="text-align:center;"><em>The FMItech Pitch program highlights emerging technology companies offering practical solutions to improve grocery retail operations, shopper engagement, and sustainability. This year, six semifinalists were selected for their measurable impact on real grocery challenges.</em><strong></strong></p><p paraid="1295439165" paraeid="{94165741-81cf-44a3-8d41-21d3cf513a74}{176}"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:inherit;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;caret-color:auto;white-space:inherit;">By: Doug Baker, Vice President, Industry Relations, FMI </span></p></div><div><p paraid="1035321736" paraeid="{94165741-81cf-44a3-8d41-21d3cf513a74}{192}"><img src="https://www.fmi.org/images/default-source/blog-images/fmitech-2024-stage.tmb-large-350-.jpg?Culture=en&sfvrsn=32820bca_1" style="float:right;margin:10px;" class="-align-right" alt="FMItech 2024 stage" sf-size="168862" />Every year through our FMItech Pitch program, we challenge emerging technology companies to show us what’s next for grocery retail. What makes this program different is that it’s not about innovation for innovation’s sake. It’s about practical solutions that make grocery retail work better for the people behind it and the customers it serves. </p></div><div><p paraid="13523890" paraeid="{94165741-81cf-44a3-8d41-21d3cf513a74}{202}">This year, our panel of industry judges reviewed 25 submissions from companies working to improve efficiency, process automation, shopper engagement, loyalty and sustainability across the food retail industry. The six semifinalists stood out because they’re addressing real problems and delivering measurable results. From simplifying operations to rethinking how we connect with shoppers, they are showing what happens when technology meets the realities of running a grocery business. </p></div><div><h5 paraid="127956125" paraeid="{94165741-81cf-44a3-8d41-21d3cf513a74}{220}">Meet the Finalists: </h5></div><div><div><strong>BetterBasket </strong></div><div><a href="https://betterbasket.ai/" target="_blank">BetterBasket</a> helps retailers price more precisely. By applying data to pricing, promotions and assortment, it helps grocers respond faster to market changes while maintaining shopper trust and profitability.</div><div><br /></div><div><strong>Gander</strong> </div><div><a href="https://gander.co/" target="_blank">Gander </a>connects shoppers with markdown products in real time, reducing food waste and improving margins. Retailers using Gander report lower shrink, higher foot traffic and stronger sustainability results.</div><div><br /></div><div><strong>Genuin </strong></div><div><a href="https://begenuin.com/" target="_blank">Genuin</a> brings short-form video storytelling into retailers’ own digital channels, turning online browsing into community and connection. The platform helps retailers and brands inspire discovery and loyalty in a space they control.</div><div><br /></div><div><strong>Swish</strong> </div><div><a href="https://swishbrandexperiences.com/" target="_blank">Swish</a> is modernizing in-store sampling by helping brands reach shoppers with speed, data and measurable results. Swish makes it easier for retailers to drive trial and build baskets with less operational effort.</div><div><br /></div><div><strong>SYNQ Technology </strong></div><div><a href="https://synqtech.com/" target="_blank">SYNQ Technology</a> bridges the digital and physical store by connecting associates, shoppers and devices. Its Frontline Hero platform supports digital ordering, real-time assistance, curbside pickup and secure locker systems that improve service and reduce friction.</div><div><br /></div><div><strong>Vallum</strong> </div><div><p><a href="https://vallum.ai/" target="_blank">Vallum </a>gives retailers a way to manage and measure the use of digital tools across their businesses, ensuring consistency, compliance and performance.<br /></p><h5>Emerging Themes:</h5><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#999999;font-family:inherit;font-size:10px;text-align:inherit;text-transform:uppercase;word-spacing:normal;caret-color:auto;white-space:inherit;"></span></div></div><div>Looking across these six companies, a few patterns stand out. </div><ul><li><strong>Efficiency is Everything:</strong> Four of the six finalists focus on simplifying work and improving consistency, showing that automation and clear processes are key to sustainable growth. </li><li><strong>Engagement is Personal Again: </strong>Two of the finalists, Genuin and Swish, remind us that technology works best when it helps people connect. Whether it’s trying a new product or sharing a story, these tools bring human interaction back into focus. </li><li><strong>Partnership Drives Progress:</strong> Each of these companies is already working with grocery partners. Their ideas are not theories; they’re being tested and refined in real stores, solving problems today. </li></ul><div>These finalists represent more than new tools. <span style="background-color:transparent;color:inherit;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;caret-color:auto;white-space:inherit;">They reflect the energy and creativity that keep food retail moving forward. </span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:inherit;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;caret-color:auto;white-space:inherit;">We will see three of them take the stage at the </span><a href="https://go.fmi.org/fmitech-pitch" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" style="font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;white-space:inherit;">FMItech Pitch</a><span style="background-color:transparent;color:inherit;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;caret-color:auto;white-space:inherit;"> during the </span><a href="https://www.fmi.org/midwinter-conference" rel="noreferrer noopener" style="font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;white-space:inherit;" target="_blank">2026 Midwinter Executive Conference</a><span style="background-color:transparent;color:inherit;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;caret-color:auto;white-space:inherit;">, where the industry will help decide which of these innovations will shape the future of grocery. </span></div><div><p paraid="907272573" paraeid="{4ea10671-b649-4504-93b6-1c20fe88baa0}{139}">Stay tuned. This is where ideas meet action. </p><p paraid="907272573" paraeid="{4ea10671-b649-4504-93b6-1c20fe88baa0}{139}"><a href="https://www.fmi.org/midwinter-conference/b2b-meetings/fmitech" class="button">Learn More About FMItech</a></p></div>
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