Northcast

The problem

Supply chains run on forecasts that are wrong by default. Every error shows up somewhere: empty shelves when demand spikes, overflowing warehouses when it doesn’t, and markdowns that erase margins. Traditional forecasting tools rely on historical averages and manual adjustments, which struggle with promotions, weather, new products and sudden shifts in consumer behaviour. Planners spend most of their time fixing numbers instead of making decisions.

Why now

Supply chains became front-page news during years of disruption, and executives realised how fragile their planning processes were. Machine learning models matured enough to combine many signals, from promotions and pricing to weather and local events, into more accurate forecasts. Cloud data platforms made it far easier to access the historical data needed to train those models. Companies that once accepted forecasting errors as unavoidable started investing in better tools. Northcast was ready with a proven product when demand for smarter planning accelerated.

The founders

Erik Johansson ran demand planning at a global retailer, where he managed forecasts for tens of thousands of products across hundreds of stores. Mei Lin built forecasting models in academic research and later at a logistics company, focusing on how to combine many weak signals into reliable predictions. They met at an industry workshop where Mei presented research that Erik immediately recognised could have saved his team millions.

Why we invested

Lina was Northcast’s first institutional investor, backing the team when the product was still a set of models running on a customer’s data. What convinced her was the founders’ insistence on explainability: planners could see why a forecast changed, which made them trust and use it. Pilot results showed significant reductions in both stockouts and excess inventory. Lina has followed on in every round since, because the company has consistently delivered on what it promised.

How we helped

Over the years, we helped Northcast expand from retail into manufacturing and consumer goods by introducing the founders to supply chain leaders across industries. Lina worked closely with Erik on building an enterprise sales team and on structuring pilots that converted into long-term contracts. Our platform team supported international expansion, including hiring local teams in Europe and Asia.

Where they are now

Northcast’s forecasts now plan inventory for retailers and manufacturers on four continents, cutting stockouts and waste at the same time. Customers report freeing planners from manual adjustments so they can focus on strategy and supplier relationships. The company recently launched scenario planning tools that model the impact of disruptions before they happen. Erik still joins customer planning meetings regularly to see the product through a planner’s eyes.