Seattle-based grocery ordering startup Shelf Engine on Monday confirmed to the Business Journal the startup has laid off 43 employees.
Shelf Engine didn't provide an updated headcount, but the company had about 225 total employees as of September, Chief Revenue Officer Kane McCord said at the time.
The move comes after an impressive 2021 for Shelf Engine. The company raised a $41 million Series B round in March 2021 and moved into a 27,723-square-foot space, about four times as large as its old space, in downtown in the fall.
"Due to the current challenging economic conditions, Shelf Engine made the very difficult decision to reduce the number of positions at the company. We are moving forward aligned in pursuit of our mission to reduce food waste through automation," Stefan Kalb, co-founder and CEO of Shelf Engine, wrote in a statement to the Business Journal. "We are growing the number of customers benefiting from Shelf Engine’s intelligent forecasting and ordering solution, and currently have the most robust pipeline in our six-year history."
Shelf Engine, which was founded in 2016, takes data like foot traffic, weather, product sold and product received to automate food ordering for grocers. The company's goal is to reduce food waste from excess ordering. The company says it prevented 4.5 million pounds of food from being wasted last year.
In addition to Shelf Engine's Series B round, the company also received funding from celebrities like comedian Ellen DeGeneres and Olympic gold medalist Shaun White, among others, in September. The company didn't disclose the amount of the celebrity funding round.
Shelf Engine is just the latest Seattle-area company to face layoffs in recent months. Convoy, Flyhomes, Rad Power Bikes and Esper, among others, have all eliminated roles since the start of June.
