Meet Bluicity: The Startup That’s Predicting and Perfecting the Supply Chain

Welcome to Startup Spotlight, where we shine a light on innovative companies transforming the supply chain industry. Bluicity is on a mission to improve food quality and reduce waste. The Ontario-based startup specializes in digitalizing and automating logistics chains for the food and pharmaceutical industries. In this installment of Startup Spotlight, SC247's Andy Gray spoke with CEO and Co-Founder Bob Burrows to discuss the company's evolution, fundraising efforts, and the entrepreneur he most admires.

Company Snapshot
Name: Bluicity
Headquarters: Ontario, Canada
Year founded: 2020
Number of Employees: TK

Can you provide some basic information on your company?

Bluicity is out to improve food quality and reduce waste. To achieve this, we use continuous data collection and processing at the product level. It's not just about knowing “I have 26 pallets of lettuce”; it's about understanding more detailed aspects such as, “What type of pallets? Where are they from? What temperatures have each pallet been through?” This applies not just to produce but also to meat, considering 18% of meat spoils between packaging and shelf.

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The solution to reducing food waste isn't just about having AI search through paperwork. It's about knowing what specific products have gone through and predicting their condition so that companies can take proactive steps to optimize operations instead of just filing complaints with insurance companies 30 days later. We want to predict these conditions. That was the genesis of our startup.

This is my second go at it. The first time, we realized that no existing technology supported automation-grade, continuous information collection. With Bluicity, we spent a couple of years developing that capability before we started work on the applications. Now, we have a patent on it and we're moving forward.

Do you see any trends in the food industry that make your product more appealing?

Yes, there are two main things. The first is reducing food waste. That one has a clear ROI and most companies are taking steps to implement at some level. The second is traceability. The new FSMA Section 204 is something we already have as part of our process. The law requires everyone to have it in place by January 2026, but already having a traceability solution gives us an advantage.

Editor's Note: FSMA Section 204 requires the FDA to designate foods for which additional recordkeeping requirements are appropriate and necessary to protect public health

How has fundraising gone so far?

The company is currently self-funded and the other founders and I have taken no salary. We're part of Plug and Play, one of the world's largest Venture Capital companies. They have a unique value proposition where they “arrange marriages” between corporate partners and investors, and then they invest as well. We've pitched at their Summit in Silicon Valley and received a lot of positive responses. I've spoken with senior executives at Pepsi, Coca-Cola, and multiple venture capitalists. It's been very promising so far.

The new traceability requirements give us an advantage since our solution is baked into the product. We're looking to raise $2.5 million so we can really hit hard. We have the technology, which is the hard part. But now we need the sales team to sell, it needs to be marketed, and we need to win this market share.

Onto some lighter questions—how did you come up with the name “Bluicity?”

I'm a believer in sustainability. There's something called the Green Movement, where people protest and push for big companies to be more environmentally friendly. But there's also a Blue Movement, which focuses more on what individuals can do themselves. That part is interesting to me. So, I started with “blue,” and the “icity” part is like “ethnicity.” Besides all that, the domain name was available.

Looking back are there any decisions that you would have made differently in the early stages?

“It's worth the extra time to vet the people who work for you and make sure they see your vision and want to be held accountable.”

— Bob Burrows

I'd say that it's worth the extra time to vet the people who work for you and make sure they see your vision and want to be held accountable.

Are there any upcoming milestones or developments that you're excited about?

Our patent was published in December. It's a very powerful patent. Without getting too technical, we are the only company with wireless technology that guarantees data delivery. We set out to achieve this because if we couldn't, we couldn't do everything else.

Do you have any advice for someone starting their career?

I was at Motorola for a while early in my career, and it was fun. I didn't know why I was there, but I didn't know enough to be anywhere else. So I'd say find something you love, do it for a company that is a leader in that field, and work in the part of the company that makes a difference.

Are there any entrepreneurs that you look up to?

A person I look up to is Desh Deshpande. I knew him for a couple of years at Motorola. He came from India, became a self-made billionaire, and is a very smart guy. I'm not personally in touch with him anymore, but he's published YouTube of interviews and offers great guidance.