
Autonomo is a Harvard award-winning deep tech business that revolutionizes convenience shopping by using proprietary computer vision technology to eliminate checkouts. This allows customers to simply tap their card or phone, select products, and leave the store. Founded by a former Metro Group CEO and Harvard graduate, Autonomo's team of 33 professionals works with petrol stations, convenience stores, and grab-and-go retailers to enhance customer satisfaction and operational efficiency in physical retail. The technology has been utilized by half a million customers and is employed by leading European brands like Edeka. The company aims to impact the $1 trillion convenience shopping market and has secured multiple innovation and business awards. Autonomo's business model is likely SaaS or licensing, focused on increasing sales, cutting operating costs, eliminating queues, reducing theft, enabling 24/7 operation without staff, and facilitating aggressive store footprint growth through digitalization of physical stores.

Autonomo is a Harvard award-winning deep tech business that revolutionizes convenience shopping by using proprietary computer vision technology to eliminate checkouts. This allows customers to simply tap their card or phone, select products, and leave the store. Founded by a former Metro Group CEO and Harvard graduate, Autonomo's team of 33 professionals works with petrol stations, convenience stores, and grab-and-go retailers to enhance customer satisfaction and operational efficiency in physical retail. The technology has been utilized by half a million customers and is employed by leading European brands like Edeka. The company aims to impact the $1 trillion convenience shopping market and has secured multiple innovation and business awards. Autonomo's business model is likely SaaS or licensing, focused on increasing sales, cutting operating costs, eliminating queues, reducing theft, enabling 24/7 operation without staff, and facilitating aggressive store footprint growth through digitalization of physical stores.
Product: Computer-vision powered just-walk-out autonomous store platform (ceiling cameras, AI, payments, store ops)
Headquarters: Hamburg, Germany
Founders: James Sutherland (CEO), Patrick Müller‑Sarmiento (Chairman)
Customers / Partners: Convenience stores, petrol stations, grab-and-go retailers; deployments with European retailers including Edeka
Funding: Raised across Pre-Seed (Dec 2022) and Seed (Mar 13, 2024); reported lead investors include Potter Ventures and River Capital
Checkout friction, high operating costs, shrink/theft, and limited store operating hours in convenience and grab-and-go retail.
Retail technology; computer vision; autonomous stores
“Reported investors include Potter Ventures and River Capital”