For procurement teams buying strawberries or cocoa, the standard of care is a stressful blend of spreadsheets, historical data, and gut instinct. Helios AI, a Tysons, Virginia-based startup, is betting that the same large language models powering office productivity can bring a new kind of clarity to these high-stakes, low-margin decisions. Its platform, Helios Horizon, functions as an AI copilot for agri-food supply chains, integrating climate, economic, and geopolitical signals to forecast when, where, and how much to buy [YouTube, March 2024].
The bet on a combined forecast
Helios AI's core proposition is that commodity buyers need two forecasts in one: a price prediction and a climate risk assessment. The company aggregates billions of data points to model 75 agricultural commodities across 90 countries [YouTube, March 2024]. Its flagship product, Helios Horizon, presents this through a chat-like interface where users can query specific scenarios [YouTube, March 2024].
The accuracy claims are ambitious. The company states its price forecasts are up to five times more accurate than traditional industry benchmarks [Food Ingredients First, 2026]. For exchange-traded commodities, its Global Commodity Reports predict large shifts in futures prices weeks to months in advance with up to 90% accuracy [Helios AI, Global Commodity Reports, 2026]. These are self-reported metrics, not yet validated by independent peer review.
A partnership as a traction signal
The most concrete signal of market acceptance is a disclosed partnership with Walmart, reported in February 2025 [Talk Business & Politics, Feb 2025]. The company's $4.7 million Series A round, closed in September 2025, provides the capital to pursue these enterprise deals [The Company Check, 2025]. The investor list includes S&P Global Ventures and Stray Dog Capital [Integrity Research, 2026].
The team behind the model
Co-founder and CTO Eden Canlilar was previously an AI/ML engineer at Google and a recipient of the 2021 Emerging Technologist Abie Award [Integrity Research, 2026]. CEO Francisco Martin-Rayo brings a background from Deep Labs and Boston Consulting Group [Integrity Research, 2026].
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2025 Series A | $4.7M |
Where the forecast could be cloudy
- Accuracy verification. The company's striking accuracy metrics are self-reported [Helios AI, Blog, 2026].
- Competitive landscape. The company operates in a space with established players like ClimateAI and Cropin.
- Brand confusion. The startup shares a name with several unrelated "Helios" AI companies.
The patient population: global food buyers
At its heart, Helios AI is built for a specific, pressured end-user: the procurement officer or commodity trader responsible for securing a reliable supply of soft commodities at a stable price. Helios AI is attempting to codify this tacit knowledge into a proactive, queryable system. The next twelve months will test whether its AI copilot can earn a permanent seat at the negotiating table.