The seed funding round was co-led by venture capital firms Burnt Island Ventures and Sand River. This financial backing arrives at a critical juncture for global commerce, where enterprises of all sizes are feeling the pressure of sweeping environmental legislation. Chief among these regulatory hurdles is the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), a landmark law designed to ensure that products sold within the bloc do not contribute to global deforestation or forest degradation.
Under the stipulations of the EUDR, companies placing specific high-impact commodities on the European market must definitively prove that their goods are both deforestation-free and legally produced. The covered commodities include cattle, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, rubber, soy, and wood. The regulatory timeline mandates that the rules will apply to large and medium-sized operators beginning December 30, 2026, followed by most micro and small operators starting June 30, 2027. Meeting these compliance standards requires unprecedented levels of transparency and traceability, a challenge that has historically overwhelmed smaller market participants.
Founded in 2023 by Chief Executive Officer Jinal Surti and Chief Technology Officer William Ouellette, Epoch was built to address the glaring data gaps in global supply chains. The London-based startup develops artificial intelligence-driven supply chain intelligence technology that empowers businesses to trace raw materials back to their exact geographical origins while simultaneously assessing environmental, social, and regulatory risks. Rather than relying on traditional, slow, and often inaccurate supplier questionnaires, Epoch leverages geospatial artificial intelligence and automated research to analyze supply networks with a high degree of precision.
The platform’s core functionality centers on identifying supplier facilities, mapping the precise plots of land where raw materials originate, and evaluating associated deforestation and legality risks. By synthesizing this data, Epoch enables businesses to generate comprehensive compliance portfolios capable of satisfying multiple regulatory requirements simultaneously, including the complex demands of the EUDR.
Alongside the funding announcement, Epoch unveiled a new self-service solution specifically engineered for small and mid-sized businesses. This technology allows SMBs to ingest existing supplier information and harness advanced AI assistants, such as ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini, to organize unstructured data and rapidly evaluate supply chain risk profiles. Furthermore, the platform can generate standardized Due Diligence Statements complete with all necessary supporting evidence, which can then be submitted directly to the EU Information System, known as TRACES.
Jinal Surti, CEO and co-founder of Epoch, emphasized the modern architecture of the company’s solution, noting that it was designed specifically for the capabilities of the current technological landscape. He explained that a single sweep across a supply chain using geospatial AI and agentic research produces verifiable evidence that can be packaged to meet virtually any regulatory demand a company might face, including future laws that have not yet been drafted. Surti pointed out that while large enterprises typically integrate such capabilities directly into their existing enterprise software platforms, the newly launched self-service offering extends this vital capability to smaller enterprises that often lack dedicated compliance departments.
The $4.25 million in new capital will be strategically deployed across several key areas of the business, with primary focuses on product development, underlying infrastructure enhancement, and the expansion of the company’s commercial team to capture growing market demand.
Christine Boyle, a Partner at lead investor Burnt Island Ventures, highlighted the acute vulnerabilities that modern corporations face due to a lack of visibility within their supply networks. Boyle noted that large companies fundamentally rely on their supply chains to operate, yet they frequently operate completely in the dark regarding localized environmental conditions such as droughts, floods, and overall forest health. By leveraging cutting-edge artificial intelligence, earth observation data, and proprietary analytical models, Epoch provides the transparency necessary to drive effective risk mitigation and ensure seamless regulatory compliance.
As the December 2026 enforcement date for larger operators approaches, followed swiftly by the June 2027 inclusion of smaller entities, the market demand for automated, scalable compliance solutions is expected to accelerate significantly. With its latest funding secured and its self-service SMB platform now live, Epoch aims to play a central role in helping businesses navigate the shifting regulatory landscape without sacrificing operational efficiency.
