Emilia AI, the restaurant artificial intelligence startup founded in 2024 by Colombians Andrés Cajiao and Sebastian Rojo, closed a US$1.5 million pre-seed round led by Prosus Ventures, the early-stage investment arm of the group that owns iFood.
The remaining US$500,000 comes from a group of angel investors in the technology sector whose names were not disclosed. Based in the United States, the company chose Brazil as its main launch market.
The proposal is based on a simple finding: most restaurants already have cameras installed, but the video is only reviewed after something has gone wrong. Emilia AI installs an AI layer on top of that existing infrastructure and crosses it with point-of-sale data so that the owner can act on the same day.
The system does not use biometrics, does not record conversations outside the service and does not store video outside the premises, a design designed to comply with the Brazilian LGPD.
Two agents with different roles
The software operates through two agents. Coach observes the room in real time and points out missed sales opportunities: the after-dinner meal that was not offered or the drink that was not suggested.
Sentinel acts as an anti-fraud layer and detects the dish that leaves the kitchen without going through the cash register, the cash that does not enter the register or unauthorized access to the warehouse. “The Emilia was built to be the eyes of the owner on the restaurant floor, even if he is not there,” said Andrés Cajiao.
In the Alife Nino group, which operates more than 100 establishments in Brazil, the pilot generated an estimated return of 28 times the investment. At the Jin Jin chain, an iFood franchisee that is now scaling the solution to more than 77 locations, Sentinel compressed 12 hours of recording into a handful of relevant incidents and identified fraud that was going unnoticed.
Prosus’ commitment to the foodtech ecosystem
The contribution reinforces Prosus Ventures’ thesis of building a technological ecosystem around the gastronomic sector, beyond delivery and logistics.
“We see Emilia AI as a strategic bet to deepen the integration of AI throughout our ecosystem, particularly in the foodservice sector, where Prosus already has a strong presence,” said Matheus Campos, Head of Latin America at Prosus Ventures.
With the new capital, Emilia AI will accelerate the platform’s development and expansion in Brazil, where most restaurants still operate with basic point-of-sale software, before moving to the rest of Latin America.
The structural argument of the business: a typical Brazilian restaurant renews its entire staff every 16 months, with a turnover of more than 70% annually. If the tool helps staff sell more and earn better, retention in the establishment should increase.
