Crisp has closed a $26 million Series B1 financing round to accelerate the expansion of its vertical artificial intelligence solutions for the retail industry. The round was led by Paine Schwartz Partners, with participation from Blue Cloud Ventures, FirstMark Capital, Cox, DNX, Prologis, and Wellington Management. The financing brings Crisp’s total capital raised since its founding in 2017 to $127 million.
Based in Bentonville, Arkansas, Crisp positions itself as a leading AI-powered platform designed specifically for retail data. Unlike horizontal AI tools that serve broad use cases such as chatbots, Crisp focuses on industry-specific applications, including reducing out-of-stocks, improving e-commerce performance, and optimizing assortment and space planning for consumer packaged goods brands and retailers.
The company plans to use the new capital to accelerate growth across multiple fronts. These include expanding platform functionality for CPG and retail partners, deepening data partnerships, investing further in its flagship Crisp AI Agent product, and scaling its global workforce through strategic hiring. Crisp currently supports more than 7,000 brands and employs over 250 people.
Paine Schwartz Partners, which specializes in sustainable food chain investing, highlighted Crisp’s role at the intersection of commerce, supply chain operations, and sustainability. The firm cited the company’s ability to deliver measurable returns through data-driven and AI-enabled systems as a key factor behind the investment.
Crisp has also recently launched its AI Agent Studio, which it describes as the retail industry’s first purpose-built AI agent platform. The platform is designed to orchestrate supply chain insights and trigger real-time actions that improve retail performance. This capability is powered by Crisp’s underlying retail data foundation, which integrates, cleanses, and models data from a wide range of commerce partners.
Existing lenders JPMorgan and Silver Lake Waterman continue to support the company as capital partners, reinforcing Crisp’s financial position as it pursues accelerated growth in the global retail and supply chain technology markets.
KEY QUOTES:
“Crisp is an example of a company laser-focused on creating smarter data and AI-driven systems that power the global food chain. They have proven repeatedly that they have the ability to scale and build the solutions that are needed to address the toughest challenges within the global food supply chain.”
Kevin Schwartz, CEO and Managing Partner, Paine Schwartz Partners
“Investors are looking to support companies that are demonstrating measurable change through advanced technology. Paine Schwartz recognizes that Crisp represents a compelling opportunity to invest in a scaling, high-ROI vertical AI data platform operating at the intersection of commerce, supply chain, and sustainability.”
Are Traasdahl, founder and CEO of Crisp
“FirstMark has been an investor in Crisp from the beginning because we believe in their technology, their team, and their mission. Are and his team have identified the most pressing business challenges faced by every CPG brand and their retail partners. Crisp leverages an intelligent, connected data strategy supported by the latest AI and automation tools. As a vertical AI solution that touches production, inventory, logistics, pricing, marketing and more, Crisp is an expert in AI and retail data, and they are well-positioned to lead the market.”
Rick Heitzmann, FirstMark Capital founder and partner
