VisioLab Raises $11 Million Series A to Scale AI-Powered Self-Checkout Across U.S. Sports Venues and Global Food Service

VisioLab, building an AI self-checkout for high traffic venues, led by Tim Niekamp and the team, has raised $11 million Series A financing round co-led by eCAPITAL Entrepreneurial Partners and Simon Capital, with continued participation from existing investors High-Tech Gründerfonds HTGF), zwei.7, and Heartfelt (formerly APX).

The funding positions VisioLab for its next phase of global expansion, building on stadium-wide deployments at major venues while advancing a fully integrated checkout and payment platform for food service operators.

Its iPad-based system leverages real-time edge AI to identify food items at checkout, eliminating barcode scanning and reducing transaction times. With no infrastructure changes required, deployment takes minutes and is already active across corporate dining, universities, and sports venues in Europe, the United States, and Asia-Pacific.

Landmark Venue Deployments

VisioLab has secured a series of high-profile partnerships, marking a clear inflection point for AI checkout adoption across live sports and entertainment.

At the Orlando Magic’s Kia Center, a stadium-wide rollout includes 43 units, making it one of the most AI-enabled food service venues in professional sports. Inter Miami CF’s Nu Stadium features 30 units deployed as part of its core infrastructure, while Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United FC’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium, also a host venue for the FIFA World Cup 2026, integrates the system at scale. Expansion continues with the Carolina Panthers and Charlotte FC at Bank of America Stadium.

These deployments build on an existing operator network, including Compass Group, Aramark, and Delaware North, alongside venues such as the University of Central Florida, Clemson University, Vegas Golden Knights’ T-Mobile Arena, and Minnesota Wild’s Grand Casino Arena.

All-in-One Checkout: From Item Recognition to Payment

Alongside the funding round, VisioLab is introducing a fully integrated checkout-to-payment platform that combines AI-driven item recognition, point-of-sale software, and payment processing into a single system. Embedding payments directly into the checkout flow removes the need for separate terminals, reducing hardware complexity and overall costs while improving the user experience.

The platform is further supported by a B2B e-commerce channel, enabling operators to configure and order systems online, streamlining procurement for multi-site deployments.

Series A Positions VisioLab for Accelerated Scale

The $11 million Series A positions VisioLab to expand across its four core verticals: Sports & Entertainment, Business & Industry, Higher Education, and Travel & Leisure. Growth is supported by active hiring across engineering, product, sales, and operations, with roles open at its headquarters in Osnabrück and its U.S. office in Boston.

“The food service industry does not require another point solution, but a new standard for checkout,” said Tim Niekamp, CEO and Co-Founder of VisioLab. “This round enables the delivery of a unified system that handles everything from item recognition to payment, deployed on an iPad without infrastructure changes, defining what category creation looks like.”

“The U.S. sports and entertainment market represents the most demanding proving ground in food service, with peak volumes and no margin for error,” said Iwo Gernemann, Co-Founder & President of VisioLab Inc. “Live deployments now span NFL, NBA, MLS, and NHL venues, alongside major NCAA programs, signaling the adoption of a new standard.”

“VisioLab transforms a complex operational challenge into a simple, scalable product, delivering measurable ROI across high-throughput environments,” said Lucas Merle, Partner at eCAPITAL. “The platform sits at the intersection of AI and physical commerce, with the potential to become a durable category leader.”

“VisioLab aligns with a ‘next generation’ thesis by rethinking point-of-sale from the ground up using edge AI to significantly enhance operator productivity,” said Nico Heinz, Principal at Simon Capital. “Early traction in the U.S. market reinforces the potential to redefine food service checkout globally.”