Ahold Delhaize and its partners in grocery retail venture capital fund W23 Global have added five new technology companies to their investment portfolio, continuing a strategy focused on artificial intelligence, energy management and operational efficiency across the grocery industry.
Announced July 21, the latest investments include Moment Energy, Verse, Skyfire, Haast and Cresta – companies developing technologies ranging from battery energy storage and energy management software to AI-powered customer service, marketing compliance and autonomous commerce infrastructure.
The investments are part of W23 Global, a $125 million venture capital fund launched in 2024 by five of the world’s largest grocery retailers: Ahold Delhaize, Tesco, Woolworths Group, Shoprite Group and Empire Company Ltd., parent company of Sobeys. Rather than investing as individual retailers, the companies pool capital and industry expertise to identify emerging technologies that could be deployed across thousands of grocery stores worldwide.
For retailers, the model offers early access to technologies that could improve operations, lower costs and enhance customer experiences before they become mainstream. For startups, it provides something many venture investors cannot: direct access to some of the largest grocery operators in North America, Europe, Africa and Australia for testing and scaling new technologies.
Why Ahold Delhaize Is Investing in AI and Grocery Retail Technology
The newest investments reflect several themes that have become priorities throughout food retail, particularly as grocers seek productivity gains while managing labor shortages, higher operating costs and increasing energy demands.
Moment Energy develops battery energy storage systems built from repurposed electric vehicle batteries. The company says its systems can provide backup power while helping retailers reduce peak electricity costs and extend the useful life of EV batteries before recycling. Beyond grocery stores, the technology is also being deployed in facilities such as hospitals, manufacturing plants and data centers.
Verse focuses on enterprise energy management. Its software centralizes utility bills, contracts and energy purchasing information across thousands of locations, allowing companies to monitor energy consumption, compare forecasts with actual usage and optimize energy procurement. The platform also helps manage distributed energy resources in real time as electrical grids become increasingly constrained.
Skyfire represents one of the fund’s more forward-looking investments. The company is building infrastructure designed for what it describes as the “agentic economy,” allowing retailers to securely identify and transact with autonomous AI shopping agents. Its platform combines identity verification with integrated payment capabilities intended to distinguish legitimate AI agents from malicious automated bots.
Haast develops AI software that automates marketing compliance and brand governance. The platform reviews text, images, video and audio before and after publication, helping retailers and consumer brands ensure marketing materials comply with legal and regulatory requirements while accelerating approval workflows.
Cresta rounds out the investment group with generative AI technology for customer service operations. Originally developed from research at the Stanford AI Lab, the platform combines AI-powered customer interactions with real-time coaching and analytics for human customer service representatives. According to W23 Global, the company already serves more than 80 enterprise customers.
How the W23 Global Venture Fund Is Shaping Grocery Technology
Taken together, the investments offer insight into where some of the world’s largest grocery retailers see the industry’s technology priorities evolving.
Unlike many retail technology announcements centered on consumer-facing shopping experiences, this round emphasizes infrastructure that operates largely behind the scenes. Energy optimization, AI-assisted operations, compliance automation, customer service productivity and secure AI-enabled commerce all address areas where retailers continue to face rising costs and increasing operational complexity.
The latest additions also build on W23 Global’s earlier investments announced in 2025, expanding a portfolio intended to identify technologies with practical applications across multiple international grocery markets. As retailers continue investing heavily in artificial intelligence and automation, the fund provides a mechanism for major operators to jointly evaluate emerging technologies while giving startups access to large-scale commercial deployment opportunities.