Keychain, the AI-powered manufacturing platform transforming the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry, today announced its entrance into the United Kingdom, marking the next phase of its European growth.
Already used by 8 of 10 largest retailers in the US (including 7-Eleven and Whole Foods), the move comes alongside £7.5 million in new funding from investors including London-registered W23 Global, a fund backed by five of the world’s leading grocery retailers – Tesco, Ahold Delhaize, Woolworths Group, Empire Company Limited and Shoprite Group – and is set to fuel Keychain’s continued expansion.
W23 Global’s investment closely follows Keychain’s August 2025 Series B funding round (led by global asset manager Wellington Management and international VC BoxGroup).
The launch comes at a watershed moment for brands and consumers alike – with the introduction of the UK’s Extended Producer Responsibility Scheme (EPR), brands are facing fines for the packaging they put on market, shifting extra costs onto hardpressed consumers.
By allowing retailers to design and produce their own-brand products from scratch, Keychain can factor in travel miles, packaging materials and carbon footprint, helping brands create more efficient supply chains, reduce waste, and crucially, pass savings on to consumers.
Keychain’s expansion into the UK – led by GM Europe Alan Metcalfe, formerly of Red Bull and FULFIL – will help brands and manufacturers bring products to market faster, smarter, and more sustainably, supporting innovation across one of Europe’s most dynamic CPG markets.
Keychain’s UK platform already features more than 2,000 local manufacturers and has analysed and indexed more than 500,000 British products, and has a running list of over 1,000 brands and retailers waiting to use the product before its official debut.
Keychain’s proprietary platform KeychainOS is an AI-based operating system that helps manufacturers manage their production cycle with greater speed, visibility, and intelligence. It also gives retailers clear insight into how existing products are made, helping them reproduce or improve on those formulas with trusted manufacturers, as well as enabling them to create entirely new products from the ground up, using AI to recommend the best production options to meet their goals for quality, cost and sustainability.
Unlike traditional enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems like Oracle, QAD or Plex – which take months or years to implement, and then require add ons like TraceGains or Redzone to be usable – KeychainOS deploys in days and is purpose-built for CPG.
Manufacturers are already using it to manage safety, reduce waste, predict bottlenecks, and improve planning in real time. The company recently expanded into the beauty and personal care sector, demonstrating its applicability across consumer goods categories.
Keychain founder and CEO Oisin Hanrahan: “Following our success in the USA, where brands and retailers post over $1 billion in projects per month, expanding into the UK felt like a natural next step. The UK is home to some of the most innovative CPG brands in the world, and we’re excited to help them scale efficiently, sustainably, and globally.”
With backing from five of the world’s largest retailers, Keychain is opening doors for UK private label producers, providing them with the necessary tools to bring new offerings to market with greater speed and transparency.
W23 Global CEO and CIO Ingrid Maes: “Keychain’s AI-powered platform streamlines private label sourcing, and enables retailers to bring quality private label products to customers faster and more efficiently.” said Ingrid Maes, CEO and CIO of W23 Global. “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.”
Together, Keychain’s UK expansion and new investment will connect local manufacturers with global partners like General Mills and The Hershey Company, helping them reach new markets, operate more effectively, and enhance product development.
Since launching in 2024, Keychain has raised $78M in venture capital and built a network of 30,000+ manufacturers and 20,000+ brands and retailers – including 8 of the top 10 U.S. retailers. Already working across supply chains in the US, Canada, Ireland, and the UK, Keychain continues to expand its global footprint and redefine how the CPG industry manufactures and scales.
