Stockline

What do they actually do

Stockline builds software for food wholesalers that automates the messy front end of order entry. It captures incoming orders from channels wholesalers actually use (WhatsApp, SMS, email, and phone/voice notes), extracts the order lines with AI, and pushes them into a single ERP-style interface so staff don’t have to retype orders. The product also parses supplier invoices to update stock and can generate invoices, delivery notes and accounting documents; it includes lightweight sales alerts/CRM and basic forecasting/BI features as described on their site stockline.ai, YC launch post.

The company is early-stage (YC S25) with two listed founders and is offering 30–45 minute demos while seeking introductions to wholesalers in the US and EU YC profile, stockline.ai, YC launch post. They position this as a step toward an “AI‑native ERP” that automates routine admin work, but they have not published named customer case studies or deployment scale on their public pages YC profile, stockline.ai.

Who are their target customer(s)

• Small-to-medium food wholesaler taking orders by WhatsApp/SMS/email/phone: Staff retype and correct orders from chats and voice notes, creating mistakes and slowing fulfillment. Stockline automates order capture from those channels so orders enter the system cleanly.
• Operations manager for inventory and procurement: Manually reconciling supplier invoices and updating stock causes delays, stockouts and waste. Stockline claims to parse invoices and sync inventory to reduce that manual work.
• Sales rep or account manager: They spend time chasing customers without timely alerts about falling sales or missed reorders. Stockline surfaces simple CRM alerts and follow-ups so reps know where to act.
• Bookkeeper or billing clerk: Preparing invoices, delivery paperwork and reconciling payments across channels is slow and error‑prone. Stockline automates invoice/delivery note creation to cut that workload.
• Regional head/CTO replacing legacy tools in US/EU: Fragmented systems and manual admin limit scale and margins. Stockline aims to be a single system with AI automation for these workflows.

How would they acquire their first 10, 50, and 100 customers

• First 10: Founder‑led, hands‑on pilots via YC/network intros with local fish/produce/meat wholesalers using WhatsApp/SMS/phone; run short paid pilots with white‑glove onboarding and manual QA to prove reliable order capture, then convert into case studies/ROI one‑pagers stockline.ai, YC launch post.
• First 50: Hire a scrappy outbound rep to replicate the demo/pilot motion, formalize a pilot package and referral bonus, and sign channel partners (accounting/bookkeeping firms, ERP integrators) already serving wholesalers.
• First 100: Build a reseller/implementation program, standardize integrations and onboarding playbooks to reduce founder time, add inside sales and CS to run demos/close leads/limit churn, and use early case studies for targeted SEO/ads in US/EU.

What is the rough total addressable market

Top-down context:

In the U.S., Grocery and Related Product Merchant Wholesalers (NAICS 4244) reported $1.26T in 2022 sales, indicating a very large underlying revenue base U.S. Census AWTS. In the EU, food and drink wholesale generated about €266B in turnover in 2021 per Eurostat-sourced industry data FoodDrinkEurope Data & Trends 2024.

Bottom-up calculation:

US has ~58,700 grocery/related wholesalers under NAICS 4244 NAICS.com. The EU has ~205,000 food/beverage wholesale resellers Eurostat Key Figures 2024. Assuming 40% of US and 50% of EU wholesalers are in-scope SMBs that still take unstructured orders, and an average $15k ARR for core modules, SAM ≈ (23.5k + 102.5k) × $15k ≈ $1.9B.

Assumptions:

• Focus is US+EU SMB wholesalers using chat/email/phone ordering (40% US; 50% EU of entities).
• Average ARR of ~$15k per account for order capture, invoicing, basic inventory/CRM; excludes large‑enterprise deals and services revenue.
• EU figure uses Eurostat’s food/beverage wholesale resellers; US count uses NAICS 4244 entities as a proxy for food wholesalers.

Who are some of their notable competitors

• BlueCart: Ordering and inventory software for foodservice suppliers/distributors; digitizes phone/email ordering but is more marketplace/order‑management than an AI‑first ERP that reads WhatsApp/voice.
• Odoo: Modular open‑source ERP used by many wholesalers (inventory, sales, purchasing, invoicing). Powerful but general‑purpose and typically requires configuration/integrations rather than out‑of‑the‑box unstructured order capture.
• Unleashed: Cloud inventory and order management for manufacturers/wholesale distributors; strong on structured SKU/PO/SO workflows, not focused on parsing WhatsApp/voice orders.
• WATI (WhatsApp Business platforms): Messaging/automation on WhatsApp (chatbots, templates, workflows). Competes on the intake channel but does not offer a full ERP (inventory, invoicing, BI) as an integrated product.
• Rossum: AI document processing for invoices/orders. Overlaps on invoice parsing but is a specialized IDP layer rather than combined order capture + ERP/CRM.