Helios Launches Cersi, the World's First AI Analyst for the Agricultural Supply Chain; Raises $1.85 Million in Pre-Seed Funding

Cersi applies the cutting-edge power of generative AI to the supply chain for the very first time, providing executives and managers with unprecedented insight into how climate, economic, currency and political risk factors are impacting their suppliers in real-time

TYSONS, Va., Oct. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Helios, the analytics platform that predicts and mitigates risk in the agricultural supply chain, today launched Cersi, the world's first supply chain AI analyst. This revolutionary product allows supply chain executives to ask questions and gain crucial insights about their proprietary supply chains in seconds, rather than days or weeks, by leveraging billions of climate, economic, currency and political risk signals. Helios has also secured $1.85 million in pre-seed funding led by Supply Change Capital with participation from January Ventures.

Helios allows supply chain professionals to detect, evaluate, and proactively mitigate risks that impact their agricultural supply chains. This 360-degree view of supply chain health is driven by billions of data points and centralized into one easy-to-use dashboard. Users gain comprehensive, real-time insights into their suppliers' crops, down to the farm level, so that they can take action before disruptions happen. Helios' mission is to help managers hedge supply availability and prevent commodity shortages whenever possible. 

The launch of Cersi represents a landmark moment in which generative AI will make its first impact on the supply chain. This state-of-the-art tool empowers supply chain professionals to swiftly tackle complex questions that previously demanded weeks of effort. Cersi packages the entirety of Helios' insights, along with historical context based on a team's customized supply chain, into a conversational interface that is easy for anyone to use. Cersi is a 24/7 supply chain expert that protects and future-proofs Fortune 500 clients against costly disruptions.

"Cersi brings something truly unique to the agricultural supply chain space--the ability to ask key questions about your own supply chains and receive insights in seconds. On average, we're seeing the teams that use Cersi increase their productivity by 40%," said Francisco Martin-Rayo, co-founder and CEO of Helios. "The combination of our Supplier Dashboard and Cersi makes us the most impactful solution in this space. Most teams still rely primarily on supplier word of mouth, even when purchasing hundreds of millions of dollars of agricultural products. Imagine, rather than wasting time filling out decks or Excel sheets, and relying on generic and outdated commodity reports, your teams can use our custom insights to prioritize and tackle the most pressing risks in real-time."

"Generative AI is helping to bridge the gap between analysts and their data in the most intuitive way possible," said Eden Waller Canlilar, co-founder and CTO of Helios, and recipient of the 2021 Emerging Technologist Abie Award. "With Cersi, we've developed the most powerful application of generative AI for the supply chain to date. It's a first-of-its-kind solution that will change the game for any Fortune 500 company that purchases agricultural commodities."

"We are thrilled to be leading Helios' round," said Shayna Harris, Managing Partner at Supply Change Capital and Helios board member. "Supply chain disruptions cost organizations billions of dollars a year and this number is only increasing with extreme weather events and the volatility of capital markets. As a first-mover, Helios is extremely well positioned to leverage the power of generative AI to ensure continuity of supply chain risk management planning for the world's largest companies."

Available globally, Helios is advised by Bill Hovis, former Global Chief Procurement Officer for Coca-Cola, and Una Hrnjak, who runs Sustainability Strategy and Programs for Aldi. Their industry expertise and strategic guidance will further strengthen Helios' position as a global leader in agricultural and supply chain innovation.

About Helios
Helios is an analytics platform that uses AI to mitigate climate, economic, currency and political risk in the agricultural supply chain. Its technology equips supply chain executives and managers with the information needed to work more proactively and efficiently by providing real-time and predictive analytics regarding their individual suppliers. Backed by Supply Change Capital and January Ventures, Helios' mission is to prevent costly disruptions and food supply shortages whenever possible. For more information, visit https://www.helios.sc/.

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SOURCE Helios