W23 Global, a Fund backed by 5 Leading Global Retailers, Invests in Topsort’s AI Powered Ad Infrastructure and Programmatic Vision for the Future of Retail
W23 Global, a Fund backed by 5 Leading Global Retailers, Invests in Topsort’s AI Powered Ad Infrastructure and Programmatic Vision for the Future of Retail
W23 Global is backed by Tesco (UK, ROI, Europe), Ahold Delhaize (US, Europe, Indonesia), Woolworths Group (Australia, New Zealand), Empire Company Limited/Sobeys Inc. (Canada) and Shoprite Group (Africa). Topsort is setting new global standards for how retailers, brands, and agencies activate, optimize, and measure retail media
Palo Alto, CA – November 24, 2025 — Topsort, an artificial intelligence (AI) and auction-based
retail media infrastructure company that aims to democratize Silicon Valley’s monetization secrets to retailers and marketplaces, today announced an investment from W23 Global, a global grocery retail venture capital fund backed by five leading grocery retailers, Ahold Delhaize, Tesco, Woolworths Group, Empire Company Limited/Sobeys Inc., and Shoprite Group.
Bringing together five leading grocery retailers, W23 Global invests in the world's most innovative start-ups and scale-ups deploying technology to transform grocery retail, and address the sector’s sustainability challenges.
“Topsort addresses a key opportunity in the rapidly growing retail media landscape: simplifying advertising to unlock the potential of the vast long-tail advertiser segment,” said Ingrid Maes,CEO and CIO of W23 Global. “Their innovative bidless auction technology empowers retailers to expand their media networks, while offering more sellers the chance to effectively reach relevant customers.”
Topsort has recently expanded from its pioneering supply-side infrastructure into full-stack retail media solutions that power both supply and demand. In 2025 Topsort has launched three major products:
- Toppie: A programmatic retail media network that enables advertisers to access inventory across multiple retail partners and channels.
- Instore Journey: A privacy-first solution that digitizes in-store shopper signals and connects them to digital ad campaigns.
- Toptimize: An AI-powered optimization engine for mature retail media programs.
Topsort’s infrastructure powers monetization for major retailers and marketplaces globally, activating auction-based formats such as sponsored listings, banners, and off-site media without heavy engineering lift. By combining scalable infrastructure, AI automation, and omnichannel capabilities, Topsort is building a future where retail media is not just an add-on, but a core driver of retail growth—cleaner, more connected, and truly global.
“Retail media is entering its AI and scale era, where retailers, marketplaces, brands, and agencies can finally operate in one standardized, transparent, and AI-powered ecosystem,” said Regina Ye, Co-Founder and CEO of Topsort. "Being backed by W23 Global, comprising five of the world’s leading grocery retailers—Tesco, Ahold Delhaize, Woolworths Group, Empire Company Limited/Sobeys Inc., and Shoprite Group—strengthens Topsort's mission to accelerate a more unified, transparent, and innovation-driven retail media ecosystem across the entire grocery sector.
About Topsort
Topsort is an AI-based retail media infrastructure company with a mission to democratize walled garden ad technology into infrastructure products for retailers and marketplaces worldwide.
Today, Topsort works with international retailers and marketplaces such as Poshmark, Doordash, JustEatTakeaway, Cencosud, and LG, and has a team based in 13 countries and customers in 40+ countries worldwide. Book a demo with Topsort today.
About W23 Global
W23 Global is a global grocery retail venture capital fund backed by five leading grocery retailers: Tesco (UK, ROI, Europe), Ahold Delhaize (US, Europe, Indonesia), Woolworths Group (Australia, New Zealand), Shoprite Group (Africa), and Empire Company Limited/Sobeys Inc. (Canada).
W23 Global invests in innovative start-ups and scale-ups deploying technology to transform grocery retail, and address the sector's sustainability challenges. W23 Global is led by CEO and Chief Investment Officer Ingrid Maes. Ingrid brings 25+ years of experience in retail, data, customer loyalty, digital, innovation and investing.