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In the series “Start-up Check!” We regularly examine the business models of start-ups. What is behind the company? What makes the start-up so special and what is there to criticize? Today: SkoneLabs.
Start-ups: That sounds like inventiveness, future technologies, new markets. But in reality, many of the start-ups unfortunately often turn out to be a mixture of an e-commerce idea, haphazard founders and shaky future prospects.
They certainly do exist: the thought leaders who work on the big problems and revolutionize business models. Finding and presenting them is the task of the Start-up Check format. Today: SkoneLabs, FoodTech start-up from Berlin.
What is SkoneLabs?
- Industry: FoodTech
- Founder: Nishit Agrawal, Dr. Siddardha Koneti
- Year founded: 2021, Berlin
- focus: Smart sensors + AI for freshness and shelf quality in the supply chain
- Products: Octagon (plug-and-play sensor device); Skone AI (software)
Food losses in the fresh supply chain are not a new problem. But with the advance of AI, new approaches are emerging to finally get it under control. More and more start-ups are trying to use data and sensors to make the path from the field to the shelf more efficient. One of them is SkoneLabs from Berlin.
While companies like Freshflow use AI to optimize inventory and replenishment planning in supermarkets, SkoneLabs starts much earlier – in the supply chain. Using sensor technology and real-time data, the founders want to ensure that food arrives at the retailer in optimal condition.
Data-based early warning system
The start-up has developed a combination of hardware and software: The “Octagon” sensor device measures parameters such as temperature, humidity and gas composition during storage and transport.
The associated platform “Skone AI” analyzes the data in real time and predicts how long a product will stay fresh under the current conditions.
In this way, subjective assessments become a data-based early warning system: If parameters change, an early reaction can be made – for example through relocation, faster further processing or adjustment of transport conditions. This should not only avoid losses, but also save resources and CO2.
SkoneLabs: A look into the supply chain
SkoneLabs is aimed primarily at wholesalers, logistics centers and distributors – i.e. at players who stand between production and retail. Food losses at this stage of the supply chain vary significantly from region to region.
Loud Data According to the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) and the UNEP (United Nations Environmental Program), around 23 percent of food is lost before it is sold in sub-Saharan Africa, around 14 percent in Asia and around 13 percent in Latin America.
In Europe the proportion is significantly lower at around six percent, but given the high production volume and strict quality requirements, significant quantities add up here too – especially for fresh products with a short shelf life. The causes are usually small deviations such as temperature fluctuations, incorrect storage times or simply a lack of transparency along the cold chain.
This is exactly where SkoneLabs wants to start. Through continuous monitoring, logistics partners should be able to see in the future which batch is becoming critical or which truck is standing for too long. For operators, this means more planning security – and, in the best case, less waste.
AI meets reality
The particular appeal of the approach lies in the combination of sensor technology and artificial intelligence. The AI platform should not only evaluate current conditions, but also recognize patterns and create forecasts – such as how certain goods react to different transport conditions.
In the long term, this could result in a standardized “freshness profile” for every product – a kind of digital fingerprint that is carried along the entire supply chain. For retailers and producers, this would not only be a gain in efficiency, but also a contribution to the documentation of sustainability and ESG goals.
Although SkoneLabs is still one of the early-stage start-ups, the team is already attracting attention: Co-founder Nishit Agrawal was appointed in 2025 Forbes Included in the “30 Under 30 Europe” list in the Manufacturing & Industry sector.
The company is currently funded through seed investments and is working on several pilot projects in the European food industry. In the future, the founders also want to use their technology in other areas, such as controlled plant production and indoor farming, where similar requirements for temperature and air monitoring exist.
SkoneLabs: Potential and Challenges
The potential is obvious: a significant proportion of food losses occur before the products even reach retailers. At the same time, companies are feeling increasing pressure to make their processes more sustainable and transparent – not only for regulatory reasons, but also because customers and partners expect evidence of responsible supply chains.
But as promising as the technology sounds, it faces classic hurdles: integration into existing systems is complex, hardware needs to be maintained and the digitization of traditional logistics processes is fundamentally a separate topic. The decisive factor will be whether SkoneLabs manages to clearly demonstrate the ROI for customers, because sustainability alone is rarely enough as a selling point in the B2B environment.
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The post SkoneLabs: How AI should ensure fresh food appeared first on BASIC thinking. Follow us too Google News and Flipboard or subscribe to our newsletter UPDATE.
As a Tech Industry expert, I believe that SkoneLabs is taking a step in the right direction by utilizing AI to ensure the freshness of food. With the increasing demand for fresh and healthy food options, it is crucial for companies to implement innovative solutions to maintain the quality of their products.
AI can play a significant role in monitoring various factors that can affect the freshness of food, such as temperature, humidity, and storage conditions. By analyzing data in real-time, AI can help identify any potential issues that may arise and take proactive measures to prevent spoilage.
Additionally, AI can also be used to optimize supply chain management, ensuring that fresh food is delivered to consumers in a timely manner. By leveraging predictive analytics, companies like SkoneLabs can better anticipate demand and adjust their production and distribution processes accordingly.
Overall, I believe that AI has the potential to revolutionize the way we ensure the freshness of food, and companies like SkoneLabs are at the forefront of this innovative trend. By harnessing the power of AI, we can not only improve the quality of our food but also reduce waste and promote sustainability in the food industry.
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