Clevermeals promotes healthy eating with AI – Innovation Origins

Eating healthy is not an easy task. Because not everything you usually buy at the supermarket is so good for your health. And so, how do you prepare this healthy food in the best way? The Portuguese start-up Clevermeals wants to “democratize knowledge and access to healthy, positive and planet-friendly food”, in its own words. The company is developing an application based on artificial intelligence. This should help you make better food choices and develop healthier eating habits. The founder, Nuno Brilha, talks about his work process and the future aspirations of Clevermeals for this start-up episode of the day.

How did you come up with the idea for the start-up?

“We realized that healthy food choices and sustainability are at the top of a socio-political agenda. At the same time, we have also identified a gap in the technology industry when it comes to these topics. For example, we have shopping list apps and stuff, but no consumer platforms for sustainable and healthy food choices. We wanted to provide a consumer product filled with consumer insights and give people a tool to access healthier choices.

How did you develop the business model of Clevermeals?

“We found through research that 90% of potential Clevermeals users are inspired to eat and cook using digital means, so we want to take that inspiration the consumer feels in the basket. Food is also a form of entertainment, and eating healthier is more complex than it seems. Most options are based on price or personal preference, but we provide knowledge and help the consumer discover healthy shopping sites. »

Having to remember a lot of things makes it harder to choose healthy options

If there’s one thing people find difficult, it’s making decisions. When you write choices, they seem so simple, but in practice they tend to be harder to make. In everyday life, choices are influenced by the strangest things.

What services does Clevermeals provide?

“We provide an aggregated content blog with an app that contains a digital cookbook, digital meal planner, and digital shopping list. Every week, three food content creators give our platform new recipes and lifestyle testimonials. Clevermeals now builds artificial intelligence to deliver healthier market options near the user’s location, filtering content based on user preferences.

How was the technology development process for your company?

“We are in the middle of this process. The backbone is Google since we want to use their technology and features in our platform. We have three technological building blocks. One is for content, which is complete. The second is AI, which we build, and the third is market opportunities. We are now starting to develop this part of the food technology platform. »

What makes your product better than what’s already on the market?

“Clevermeals’ secret sauce is how we wrap food discovery and shopping lists into a single solution using artificial intelligence. We have competitors who are very big on content but don’t have the technology Some other players have the technology, but they don’t have the content.Our method, plus the technology, gives consumers more options and features.

The high-tech supermarket of the future knows its customers

Standing in front of a supermarket shelf and debating which tomato sauce to buy might not seem like high-tech activity, but make no mistake: Brother is watching.

Was it difficult to obtain financial support?

“Funding is always a problem. Portugal is a great place to beta test, but it’s a smaller market, and it takes a lot of work to get funding. We initially had a few strategic partners and knew the risks, but the potential return on investment was even more attractive. In February 2022, we applied for a venture capital certificate and now have access to funding. We have since received the first round of investments and are working on the second.

What are the plans for your business?

“We need to finish all the building blocks of the project and go international; to date, it’s 60 to 70 percent complete. We still need the automation to be completed and we are working to have it ready by the end of 2023. Our plan is to offer a digital infrastructure for healthy eating that works with different market players in terms of sustainability.

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