One bad apple can spoil the supply chain, so Katherine Sizov uses software to find rotten ones. In 2019, she launched Seattle-based Strella, which uses machine learning models and food-sniffing sensors to monitor inventory to prevent produce from rotting. AI-connected sensors measure the hormones plants exude as they ripen. Based on the data, Strella informs vendors about the best time to ship and sell it. To date, Sizov says she has analyzed more than 1.5 billion pounds of apples, saving over 40 million pounds from going to waste. Investors Google Ventures, Yamaha Motor Ventures and Millennium New Horizons have put $18.5 million in. Sizov says her service is good for the planet—and potentially highly profitable. “A lot of sustainable solutions are profitable, driving optimization and driv

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