This initial funding will accelerate the development and deployment of its solutions for the logistics and warehousing industry. 

The seed round was supported by a multitude of investors, including 1Sharpe, GTMFund, 9Yards, Chingona Ventures, and the Bond Fund.

LuminX addresses critical inefficiencies in supply chain and warehouse management that lead to significant operational costs and errors. 

The company is at the forefront of solving these issues by developing and deploying its Vision Language Models (VLMs) directly onto low-cost mobile hardware within the warehouse – an approach that makes advanced AI accessible and practical for a wider range of operations.

LuminX systems uniquely integrate sophisticated visual understanding with powerful generative AI capabilities, enabling its cameras to ‘see’ and interpret complex, dynamic warehouse environments in real-time, recognising products, varied labels, assessing package conditions, and tracking movement. 

These versatile devices can be deployed anywhere in the warehouse, including docks, conveyors, on forklifts, or as handheld units. LuminX’s system intelligently processes this visual information to automate intricate operational tasks, eliminate manual work, and provide actionable data for drastically reducing discrepancies and optimising overall workflow.

LuminX is led by founder and CEO Alex Kaveh Senemar, a seasoned entrepreneur with a proven track record of building and scaling successful AI companies across several industries. 

He previously founded and led Voxel, a pioneering AI company in warehouse safety and operations, and prior to that, founded Sherbit, which was successfully acquired by Huma in 2019. 

He is joined by co-founder & CTO Reza (Mamrez) Javanmardi, Ph.D. in Computer Science and former Head of AI Research at Voxel, whose career spans impactful R&D in machine learning and computer vision across startups and research institutions. 

The LuminX team brings a wealth of knowledge and deep expertise in AI, specifically in Vision Language Models, computer vision, and robotics, with many members having ties to leading research institutions like Carnegie Mellon University. 

The team’s established track record and vision have garnered strong support. Significant participation in the funding round also came from previous investors in Voxel and customers, underscoring deep confidence in LuminX’s advanced technological approach.

“This pivotal funding allows us to scale our next-generation AI models, transforming how warehouses operate,” said Alex Kaveh Senemar.

“Our edge based vision language models represent a massive step forward, acting as an intelligent core for warehouse operations. They deliver new levels of automation and insight, helping to turn previously opaque processes into transparent highly efficient systems.”

LuminX is experiencing strong early traction, with many warehouses using the technology. One such early adopter is Vertical Cold Storage. Robert Bascom, COO of Vertical Cold Storage, commented on their experience: 

“LuminX’s technology is set to revolutionise our warehouse productivity and operations. It’s allowing us to automate critical tasks, significantly enhance quality, and reduce claims.” He added, “In my entire career, I have yet to encounter a product that so effectively improves efficiency while simultaneously boosting quality and reliability.”

Kat Collins of 1Sharpe Capital, a key investor, stated, “Edge-deployed vision-language models are breaking the two toughest bottlenecks in logistics—labor scarcity and data blindness. By turning a low-cost camera into a perceptive co-worker that sees, understands, and acts in real time, LuminX is unlocking a step-change in operational intelligence and efficiency for every pallet, conveyer, and forklift.”

The newly acquired funds will be strategically invested in advancing LuminX’s core research and development in Vision Language Models for logistics, further optimising them for edge deployment, expanding its specialised engineering talent, and scaling go-to-market activities.  

With a projected global compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.8%, edge technology is reshaping the digital landscape, offering enhanced user experiences, reduced latency and improved security.

As edge computing converges with 5G, IoT and AI, it enables ultra-fast data processing and the creation of powerful analytics and connected experiences. As a result, the digital edge data centre market is experiencing rapid expansion.

To unlock the full potential of edge sites, organisations need to select the optimal edge rack, integrate the most suitable power and cooling systems and implement effective management strategies that can meet the evolving needs of higher processing power coming from IT, storage and networking devices.

The ideal edge solution

Building a suitable edge rack or micro data centre solution requires a tailored approach that considers the unique needs and varying environments of organisations. There is no one-size-fits-all solution. Factors such as power distribution, backup systems, and temperature and humidity control varying between each site, must be carefully considered to ensure optimal performance and reliability.

As computing and storage migrates closer to customers, backup power becomes more important than ever. Uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems play a crucial role in supporting new edge applications and ensuring business continuity during power outages.

By providing a reliable power supply and safeguarding data, software and hardware, UPS systems protect valuable business assets and eliminate costly downtime. Lithium-ion batteries are now widely adopted for UPS application, offering twice the life expectancy of traditional batteries. Through fewer battery replacements, ability to withstand higher temperatures, and quick recharge cycles, lithium-ion UPS battery backup systems are well-suited for edge and distributed IT environments.

In small edge spaces, power densities as low as 2 kW can generate enough heat to cause issues for IT systems. As such, maintaining appropriate temperature and humidity is a critical consideration that requires specialised cooling solutions. Perimeter cooling, in-rack cooling systems and rear door exchange systems are all effective options that provide efficient edge climate regulation while optimising space utilisation.

There is no universal answer when it comes to selecting the perfect edge solution but, with a thoughtful approach to rack configuration, power supply and cooling systems, organisations can construct the most appropriate edge rack for their needs.

Effective management and visibility

With the most suitable edge rack determined, organisations must prioritise edge data centre management to prevent common pitfalls and maintain control over their expanding edge presence. This requires a strategic approach that includes thorough site preparation to accommodate the increased data volume.

Organisations must unlock comprehensive visibility across diverse IT equipment within their edge ecosystem. With this complete view, they can better manage their infrastructure, provided that resources are allocated to staff members that have the expertise to navigate the intricacies of edge infrastructure. This allows for proactive issue resolution and minimises the risk of downtime.

As well as this, a centralised IT management system can play a crucial role in streamlining processes and enabling secure, standardised and automated management of edge networks. With this consolidation, organisations can achieve greater operational efficiency, reduced complexity, and more control over their edge.

Remote diagnostics and recovery

By nature, edge locations are often difficult to reach or considered ‘dark sites’, meaning that they are designed to operate without any human intervention. However, the consequences of downtime in these locations can be significant, leading to interruption of digital product and service delivery to customers.

Remote monitoring systems that can proactively identify and address potential failures in unmanned edge locations must be implemented. These robust health systems enable organisations to monitor the status and performance of their edge infrastructure, detecting and addressing potential issues before they escalate into major problems.

Infrastructure vulnerability can be reduced with always-on, always-connected out-of-band management as this reduces the need for physical intervention and accelerates the resolution processes. This real-time access to their edge infrastructure allows organisations to improve overall resilience and ensures the continuous operations of critical services.

Edge computing offers exciting opportunities for digital transformation, but it all starts with strategic decision-making in the building phase. With the right decisions and tools in place, businesses can ensure strong management, effective diagnostics, and prompt resolution of IT equipment issues across all edge locations.

By supporting more sites and devices while delivering the responsiveness and uptime organisations seek, this platform powers business growth in the era of edge computing.

While we may, rightly or wrongly expect a top tech executive to understand seemingly basic technology, the fact is that in today’s hyper-energized tech space, innovation moves so quickly that it is easy for most people, including business leaders, to be overwhelmed.

Nevertheless, business leaders often must chart a technological path for their organisations and, therefore, need to stay updated on potentially game-changing technologies for their businesses.

Tech-savvy business leaders drove the generational shift to cloud computing and are at the forefront of the increasing recognition of Edge computing as the future of business in Nigeria and globally.

As MD of a leading-Edge computing provider in Nigeria, inq.Digital Nigeria, I am keenly aware of the immense benefits that Edge computing can bring to Nigerian businesses and would like to discuss some of these here.

As you may know, Edge computing is essentially a distributed information technology architecture which allows client data to be processed as close to the originating source as possible, thereby minimizing the need for data to be transmitted to a remote processor.

The elimination of data transmission and the attendant reduction in latency, i.e., the time it takes for data to be moved from one point to another, results in a massive improvement in processing speed. Although data is currently processed at supersonic speeds, consumers are demanding even faster transactions and as more data is generated and shared, edge computing will be crucial in meeting our speed and reliability requirements.

So how can it help businesses in Nigeria? Let’s start with the Fintechs, with Nigeria being the fintech capital of Africa (attracting 63% of funding raised by African start-ups in 2021) and the rapid growth of the country’s fintech ecosystem enabled by the ability of developers and consumers to enjoy high- speed processing services.

Edge computing will unleash the untapped potential of the fintech ecosystem by providing lower latency and more reliable processing capabilities, which will form the backbone for optimising current fintech applications and developing innovative services in the future.  

Based on current statistics, the agricultural sector remains, by some distance, the largest contributor to Nigeria’s GDP, accounting for over 25% of 2021 GDP. It, therefore, remains the backbone of the Nigerian economy and Edge computing can help to increase the sector’s yield, profitability and contribution to GDP. Edge computing solutions can help farmers track soil condition, crop growth, weather and climatic changes, input usage and stock, crop yield, quality, and water usage among others. This data can help farmers improve yield by improving planning, farming methods and output.  The data can also help farmers anticipate and address environmental factors in addition to continually improving crop growing algorithms towards ensuring that crops are in peak condition when harvested.

In Manufacturing, Edge computing can be used to monitor processes: applying machine learning and real-time analytics to identify production errors and enhance product quality. Edge computing can enable the addition of various types of sensors throughout the plant which will provide and analyse data relating to the production processes, output of the various production stages, product quality and stock levels for production inputs.

This data can help manufacturers accurately forecast production supplies and outputs as well as optimise the manufacturing process to minimise waste and increase efficiency.

What about the Nigeria healthcare industry businesses that are enjoying significant private investment? This private sector-led growth is producing data-driven hospitals and Health Maintenance Organisations (HMO).

Electronic records are replacing paper-based patient notes used by doctors, and the availability of electronic records provides the possibility for this data to be analysed in order to optimise healthcare delivery.

Edge computing can support the collection and analysis of patient records by hospitals and HMOs with the resulting data guiding patient care by hospitals and financial planning by HMOs. Healthcare data can also be provided to patients to encourage the adoption of healthier lifestyles and reduce the need for repeated or prolonged hospitalisation.

Today, many Nigerian companies maintain a fleet of vehicles as staff buses, operational vehicles and status cars for executives.

Edge computing can significantly help to improve fleet management by helping to gather data such as vehicle location, speed, road and traffic conditions, weather and service cycles, which can enhance fleet planning and management.

Edge computing can also help to considerably improve workplace safety by analysing, in real-time, data from cameras, sensors and safety devices to alert businesses to potential or actual safety issues which can subsequently be proactively addressed to minimize accidents. Tracking and analysing workplace safety data can also help businesses monitor compliance with safety protocols and provide a basis for the review of these protocols where necessary.

The potential applications of edge computing in Nigeria highlighted above are only a sample of the numerous ways in which Edge computing can significantly improve business operations and profitability in Nigeria.

inq.Digital is proud to be at the forefront of Edge computing in Nigeria and I am incredibly optimistic about the opportunities that this technology can unlock for Nigerian businesses.

Enterprise and service provider spending on hardware, software, and services for edge solutions is forecast to sustain this pace of growth through 2025 when spending will reach nearly $274 billion, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Edge Spending Guide.

Edge Computing, according to the IDC report, is the foremost technology infrastructure that extends and innovates on the capabilities found in core datacenters, whether they are enterprise or service provider owned.

The value of edge is the movement of computing resources to the physical location where data is created, dramatically reducing time to value and the instant enablement of business processes, decisions, and intelligence outside of the core IT environment.

IDC defines edge as the technology-related actions that are performed outside of the centralized datacenter, where edge is the intermediary between the connected endpoints and the core IT environment. Characteristically, edge is distributed, software defined, and flexible.

“Edge computing continues to gain momentum as digital-first organizations seek to innovate outside of the datacenter,” said Dave McCarthy, research vice president, Cloud and Edge Infrastructure Services at IDC. “The diverse needs of edge deployments have created a tremendous market opportunity for technology suppliers as they bring new solutions to market, increasingly through partnerships and alliances.”

IDC has identified more than 150 use cases for edge computing across various industries and domains.

The two edge use cases that will see the largest investments in 2022 – content delivery networks and virtual network functions – are both foundational to service providers’ edge services offerings.

Combined, these two use cases will generate nearly $26 billion in spending this year. In total, service providers will invest more than $38 billion in enabling edge offerings this year.

For enterprise adopters, the edge use cases with the largest investments in 2022 include manufacturing operations, production asset management, smart grids, omni-channel operations, public safety & emergency response, freight monitoring, and intelligent transportation systems.

Use cases that will see the fastest spending growth over the 2020-2025 forecast include public infrastructure maintenance, network maintenance, anatomy diagnostics, and AR assisted surgery.

Across enterprise end user industries, discrete and process manufacturing combined will invest $33.6 billion in edge solutions this year.

Retail and professional services will also see spending of more than $10 billion on edge computing in 2022 while all 19 industries profiled in the Spending Guide will experience double-digit spending growth over the five year forecast period.

“In the service provider segment, a five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 21.6% reflects the edge infrastructure buildout underway to deliver edge cloud services. For enterprise edge technology buyers, growing at a 14.1% CAGR, provisioned services such as IaaS will grow significantly and capture an increasing share of total expenditures over the forecast period,” said Marcus Torchia, research vice president, Customer Insights & Analysis group.

IDC expects hardware and services spending will account for 85% of all edge spending in 2022 with the remainder going to software.

Hardware spending will be led by investments in edge gateways, which feature low-power components designed for running limited or single functions in environments where power and cooling availability is limited. Investments in compute and storage assets adapted for edge locations or deployment will grow at a faster rate and will nearly equal spending on edge gateways by the end of the forecast period.

Services spending, comprised of professional and provisioned services, will grow at a faster rate than the other two groups with a five-year CAGR of 19.6%.

By 2025, services will account for nearly 50% of all edge spending led by investments in provisioned services, including connectivity and edge-related infrastructure, platform, and software as a service (IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS).

Software spending will primarily be allocated toward system infrastructure and security software with analytics & AI software seeing faster growth within the group.

From a geographic perspective, the United States will be the largest investor in edge solutions with spending forecast to reach $76.5 billion in 2022. Western Europe and China will be the next largest regions with spending totals of $30.6 and $20.8 billion, respectively.

China will see the fastest spending growth over the five-year forecast with a CAGR of 19.7%, followed by Latin America at 19.4%.

“The European edge market has developed significantly in the last couple of years and is expected to nearly double in value over the forecast period,” said Alexandra Rotaru, research analyst with IDC’s European Customer Insights & Analysis group. “With nearly 30% of European organizations planning to start using edge technologies in the next two years and going beyond the pilot phase, solutions related to smart buildings, manufacturing operations, or production asset management will become more prevalent.”

The IDC Worldwide Edge Spending Guide quantifies the edge computing market by forecasting enterprise and service provider spending across 17 technology markets, six technology domains, 19 industries, and nine geographic regions. This version (V2 2021) of the Spending Guide also includes 50 new use cases that were segmented across various industries and domains bringing the total number of named use cases to 155.