Epoch, a London company that uses geospatial AI to trace raw materials back to where they were produced, has closed a $4.25m seed round co-led by Burnt Island Ventures and Sand River. The company announced the round on 26 October 2026.
The round brings Epoch's total funding to $6.26m. Christine Boyle, a partner at Burnt Island Ventures, has joined Epoch's board. The company did not disclose a valuation.
“We've built a compliance solution for the AI era.”Jinal Surti, Co-founder and CEO, Epoch
What Epoch does
Companies face a growing number of rules that require them to know where their goods come from. Epoch focuses on the first mile of a supply chain: the farms, plantations and mines where commodities such as cocoa, coffee and rubber are grown or extracted.
Instead of relying only on questionnaires sent to suppliers, Epoch combines satellite and geospatial data with AI research agents to locate supplier facilities, identify the plots where goods are produced and assess deforestation and legality risks. The company says one analysis of a supply chain can then be reused for several regulations.
Epoch was founded in 2023 by chief executive Jinal Surti and chief technology officer William Ouellette, according to ESG Today. Boyle described it as a team of 14.
A product for smaller firms
Alongside the funding, Epoch launched a self-serve product for small and mid-sized businesses, starting with the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). The regulation requires companies selling cattle, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, rubber, soya or wood products in the EU to prove they are deforestation-free and traced to the plot where they were grown.
The EUDR applies to large and medium operators from 30 December 2026 and to most micro and small operators from 30 June 2027. Epoch says smallholders rarely hold plot-level coordinates, and that China and Indonesia now restrict what location data companies can share, which leaves smaller importers exposed when suppliers do not answer.
The new product starts from whatever supplier information a company has, even a list of names, and produces a due diligence statement ready to submit to the EU's TRACES system. Larger companies can use Epoch's data through partner platforms Altana, Assent, Resilinc and 3E, which together give more than 30,000 enterprises access. Epoch says it has screened more than 12,000 suppliers for enterprise customers in the past six months.
What the money is for
Epoch will spend the money on product, infrastructure and its commercial team. It has hired Dave Shanteler as head of partnerships, Mario Romero Garoz to lead sales in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and Tony Dawson to lead North American sales.
Boyle said large companies are often operating in the dark about local conditions such as drought, flood and forest health in their supply chains.
Company website: epoch.blue