Keychain Secures $10 Million To Launch AI Operating System For Private Label Retailers
Keychain closed a $10 million investment to accelerate the rollout of Keychain360, an AI-driven operating system built to speed up private label product development and tighten supply chain execution. The round includes funding from W23 Global, the venture capital fund supported by Tesco, Ahold Delhaize, Woolworths Group, Empire Company Limited/Sobeys, and Shoprite Group.
Based in New York, the company has been building an AI-first manufacturing platform for consumer packaged goods. With Keychain360, the focus is squarely on retailers: give teams clearer visibility, more control, and faster paths to market for private label programs.
What Product Teams Can Expect From Keychain360
Keychain360 brings product design, sourcing, manufacturing, and compliance into one connected system. The goal: shave months off development timelines while improving coordination across supplier networks.
- End-to-end visibility across the product lifecycle, from concept to shelf
- Real-time intelligence to spot bottlenecks and prioritize actions
- Predictive capabilities to anticipate risk and demand shifts
- Connected workflows that keep specs, approvals, and supplier tasks in sync
- Compliance integrated into everyday work, not bolted on at the end
Proof It Works
A top ten retailer used Keychain's technology to launch 100+ products, cutting time to market by more than two months while improving supplier ecosystem efficiency. That's the kind of throughput and cycle-time gain product teams look for when scaling private label.
Adoption is broad: eight of the top ten global retailers use Keychain's platform, along with 7-Eleven, Whole Foods, and seven of the top ten CPG brands, including General Mills. The network now spans 30,000+ manufacturers and 20,000 brands and retailers.
Why This Matters Now
Private label keeps gaining share as shoppers want high quality at competitive prices. Meanwhile, product teams are juggling more SKUs, stricter regulations, and tighter timelines.
Keychain360 is positioned to ease that pressure by unifying workflows and surfacing the right signals at the right time-so teams can move faster without sacrificing compliance or product quality.
How To Put This To Work
- Benchmark your current cycle time for private label NPD and set a target reduction (e.g., 20-30%).
- Map compliance checkpoints across categories and bring them earlier into the workflow.
- Consolidate product specs and supplier requirements into a single source of truth.
- Pilot with a high-velocity category and a small supplier cohort to validate workflows.
- Track core KPIs: time to market, first-pass compliance rate, supplier response time, change order frequency, and on-time launch rate.
Company Momentum
Less than two years in, Keychain has raised a $30 million Series B, entered the Irish and UK markets, and launched KeychainOS for manufacturers. Keychain360 is the company's third major product, connecting brands, manufacturers, and retailers on a single AI-powered network.
Key Quotes
"With speed and transparency increasingly shaping the market, Keychain360 gives private label brands the advantage. Retailers can now manage their products end to end, innovate rapidly, and adapt to consumer preferences and regulatory changes, all within a single connected platform."
- Oisin Hanrahan, CEO and Founder, Keychain
"Keychain's AI-powered platform streamlines private label sourcing and enables retailers to bring quality private label products to customers faster and more efficiently. As consumer expectations around health, sustainability, and value continue to rise, Keychain's solution helps retailers respond to these expectations effectively while ensuring compliance and product quality."
- Ingrid Maes, CEO and CIO, W23 Global
For Teams Building AI Skills
If you're leveling up your team's capabilities around AI-enabled product development workflows, explore curated AI courses by job to accelerate adoption and execution.
Your membership also unlocks:
