In the News & Media

From commodity price spikes to climate-driven supply disruptions, Helios AI is the data source journalists turn to when the market moves. Explore where we've been quoted, cited, and covered.

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The global food supply chain’s path forward is anything but strait

When the Strait of Hormuz closed six months ago, the global food and energy supply chain as we knew it came to an end. Like most other commodity intelligence firms, Helios AI expected global food prices to rise by more than 10%.

Predicting the next food crisis: Helios A unpacks 4 factors shaping global hunger

As conflict in the Middle East and supply chain disruptions persist, concerns are growing about the long-term resilience of agrifood supply chains and food security risks for developing economies across the globe, including in large parts of Africa and Southeast Asia, according to a report from commodity intelligence platform provider Helios AI

The Iran War’s Other Energy Shortage—Food

The Iran war will constrain the supply not only of oil and gas but of food. Two shocks hit the global food system following American and Israeli attacks on Iran, but only one was widely reported. First, the Strait of Hormuz was effectively closed beginning Feb. 28, day one of the war. Second, on March 18, Iranian missiles struck Ras Laffan Industrial City in Qatar. In both cases, media coverage has focused on petroleum prices. That framing is dangerously incomplete.

Gates Foundation-funded pilot empowers East African coffee growers to manage climate change with Helios AI

Helios AI is helping East African coffee growers determine how to grow and when to sell their crops through a Gates Foundation-funded pilot project. COSA and Helios AI are working to ensure that coffee cooperatives have access to weather forecast information to inform their farming operations, the companies shared in a press release.

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Media outlets that turn to us on what's next.

Thanksgiving dinner costs by the numbers reveal what's cheaper, what's still pricey

Fox News | Deirdre Bardolf

"Mississippi, one of the country's top sweet potato producers, went more than 70 days without rain this summer, resulting in smaller-than-average roots and lower yields per acre," said Francisco Martin-Rayo, co-founder and CEO of Helios AI, which uses artificial intelligence to analyze agricultural and market data.

New data shows Thanksgiving dinner costs are down — what’s cheaper and still pricey

New York Post | Deirdre Bardolf

“Mississippi, one of the country’s top sweet potato producers, went more than 70 days without rain this summer, resulting in smaller-than-average roots and lower yields per acre,” said Francisco Martin-Rayo, co-founder and CEO of Helios AI, which uses artificial intelligence to analyze agricultural and market data. “The inflation baked into side dishes remains a real pressure point for U.S. households,” Martin-Rayo said, noting that processors and packers will particularly feel the squeeze.

Grocery anxiety nudges aside tariff policy, in win for consumers

Axios | Ben Berkowitz

President Trump's tariff policy was always in tension with domestic economic policy — the risk of higher costs versus the promise of lower prices — but as long as inflation remained under control, the tariffs mostly won out. With questions of domestic affordability now threatening the president politically, at least some tariffs are fair game.

The Tariff That Wasn’t: What Bananas Can Teach Us About the Future of AI

The AI Journal | Francisco Martin-Rayo

A few weeks ago, a business news channel asked me to comment on whether new tariffs were driving up banana prices. Before the interview, I did something most people would do today: I asked AI. First, I asked ChatGPT. Then I asked our own system — Helios Horizon — a platform built specifically for agriculture and climate analytics. What came back from each revealed far more than just the forces shaping banana prices.

We launched an AI agent and it flopped. Here’s what we learned—and why we’re trying again

Fast Company | Francisco Martin-Rayo

In September 2023, we thought we had done something revolutionary. Helios AI became the first company in our industry to launch a generative AI agent. We called her Cersi. She was designed to help food companies understand the climate risks threatening their agricultural supply chains. She was powerful, intuitive, years ahead of the curve—and almost completely ignored.

🎥 Helios taps AI agents for ag insights at ‘worst time’ for procurement pros

AgFunder News | Elaine Watson

“If you’re a procurement manager, a procurement analyst in the food supply chain, this is the worst time in your professional career,” says Helios cofounder Francisco Martin-Rayo. “It used to be you would deal with a disruption once every couple of years. Then it became once a year. Now it’s multiple times a year across different regions and different crops. You need help.”

Helios AI's agentic feature is like working with 'a team of Bloomberg analysts'

AgTech Navigator | Ryan Daily

AI commodity platform Helios AI had a big week last week, announcing the launch of its agentic feature Helios Horizon and the closure of its seed round, led by Collide Capital. Helios' CEO and Founder Francisco Martin-Rayo discussed the news and where the company goes next at the World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit in London last week.

Helios AI Raises $4.7 Million and Launches Helios Horizon AI Supply Chain Tool

iGrow News | Madison Hong

Helios AI announced the close of a $4.7 million seed funding round led by Collide Capital, with additional participation from S&P Global Ventures, Stray Dog Capital, Angeles VC, Equity Alliance, and Supply Change Capital. The funding will support the company’s expansion and hiring efforts.