Kuona Company Profile

Background

Overview

Kuona is a technology company specializing in artificial intelligence (AI) solutions tailored for consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands and retailers. Founded in 2017 and headquartered in Monterrey, Mexico, Kuona's mission is to empower businesses with data-driven tools that optimize pricing strategies, promotional activities, and inventory management. By leveraging advanced AI and machine learning technologies, Kuona aims to enhance operational efficiency and profitability for its clients.

Mission and Vision

Kuona's mission is to revolutionize the CPG and retail industries by providing intelligent platforms that automatically optimize product prices, promotions, and inventories. The company's vision is to be a global leader in AI-driven solutions, enabling businesses to stay ahead in a rapidly evolving market landscape.

Industry Significance

In an era where data-driven decision-making is paramount, Kuona addresses the critical challenge of understanding and adapting to ever-changing consumer behaviors. By offering AI-driven insights that consider external factors such as weather, seasonal trends, product cannibalization, and competitor pricing, Kuona helps businesses navigate complex market dynamics effectively.

Key Strategic Focus

Core Objectives

Pricing and Promotion Optimization (P&PO): Kuona enables clients to simulate numerous promotional scenarios, analyze historical promotion activities, and leverage custom-built analytics platforms to determine optimal pricing and promotional strategies.

Perfect Order (PO): This solution provides real-time analysis of inventory, creating high-accuracy sales forecasts, assortment optimization, and order recommendations down to both the SKU and store level.

Key Technologies Utilized

Kuona employs neural network-based models that leverage real-time data to generate granular insights at the SKU and store level. This approach allows revenue growth management teams to monitor key variables such as sales, volume, market share, cannibalization, and profitability effectively.

Primary Markets Targeted

Kuona operates in multiple countries, including the United States, Mexico, Brazil, Peru, and Ecuador, serving major customers such as Coca-Cola and OXXO convenience stores.

Financials and Funding

Funding History

In December 2022, Kuona raised $6 million in a seed funding round led by Cometa, with participation from Seaya Cathay Latam and FEMSA Ventures. The company intends to use the funds to expand its presence and team in key geographies, including Latin America, Europe, and the United States.

Notable Investors

Cometa: A venture capital firm investing in early-stage technology companies serving Spanish-speaking markets.

Seaya Cathay Latam: A venture capital fund backing startups redefining industries and society across Latin America.

FEMSA Ventures: A venture capital fund backed by FEMSA, dedicated to building collaboration bridges between FEMSA's business platform and the entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Pipeline Development

Key Products

Kuona Price and Promotion Optimization: Enables companies to automatically calculate the real performance of historical and current activities and optimize future ones.

Kuona Perfect Order: Creates the optimal sales order that increases sales, diminishes merchandise returns, and reduces out-of-stock incidents at points of sale.

Technological Platform and Innovation

Proprietary Technologies

Kuona utilizes advanced neural network technology capable of performing millions of iterations and scenarios, achieving predictions with over 97% accuracy. This high level of precision is crucial for businesses relying on accurate data to make strategic decisions.

Significant Scientific Methods

The company's AI-driven solutions encompass:

Kuona Insights: Instant processing and visualization of big data, transforming complex datasets into actionable insights.

Competitive Intelligence: Automatic and real-time price and promotion monitoring, allowing businesses to stay ahead of market trends and competitor activities.

Leadership Team

Key Executives

Chema Sanroman, CEO and Co-founder: With over six years at Xignux and an MBA from INSEAD, Chema brings extensive experience in the CPG and internet infrastructure industries.

Agustín Magaña, CTO and Co-founder: Agustín has held multiple technology and product roles at NIC, contributing his expertise in AI and data science to Kuona's technological advancements.

Rommel Silva, Director of Sales: Formerly led pricing strategies at companies like Heineken and Coca-Cola FEMSA, bringing valuable industry insights to the sales team.

Enrique Perez, Director of Operations: Previously served as Director of RGM for Heineken Europe and a Senior Director at PepsiCo’s RGM Division in Brazil, enhancing Kuona's operational strategies.

Competitor Profile

Market Insights and Dynamics

The global AI-driven analytics market is experiencing significant growth, with the retail sector contributing substantially. Retailers face challenges in understanding evolving consumer behavior and adapting to market changes, making AI-driven insights increasingly essential.

Competitor Analysis

Kuona's competitors include:

True Fit: Provides an AI size and fit platform for the apparel and footwear retail industry.

Simplify360: Offers an AI-powered omnichannel customer experience platform.

Dragonfly AI: Develops an AI predictive visual analytics platform.

AnyDesk: Provides remote desktop access software.

Strategic Collaborations and Partnerships

Kuona has established significant partnerships to strengthen its market position:

FEMSA Ventures: The investment represents a strategic partnership aimed at mutual value creation, leveraging FEMSA's extensive reach in the CPG and retail industries.

OXXO: Kuona has been working with OXXO since 2022, contributing to their industry-leading revenue growth management strategy.

Valora: A recent partnership with Valora marks Kuona's first key expansion outside of Latin America, aligning with their global enterprise SaaS strategy.

Operational Insights

Strategic Considerations

Kuona's ability to integrate with clients to capture real-time data and leverage neural networks for high-precision simulations positions it ahead of competitors. The company's automated approach and cloud-based, flexible nature allow adaptation to specific client needs, enhancing its competitive advantage.

Strategic Opportunities and Future Directions

Strategic Roadmap

Kuona plans to utilize its recent funding to expand its presence and team in key geographies, including Latin America, Europe, and the United States. The company's global product nature and versatile omnichannel capabilities position it well for international growth.

Opportunities for Expansion

By adapting to the data available in each country and offering automatic data capture with high levels of granularity and accuracy, Kuona aims to provide value to customers who previously relied on less effective methods for demand prediction.