The CPG industry runs on spreadsheets. Not because they're the best tool — but because nothing better existed that understood the domain.
The spreadsheet problem
Every emerging CPG brand starts the same way. A founder with a great product, a few retail accounts, and a Google Sheet tracking everything from velocity to trade spend. It works — for a while.
Then you win Kroger. Or Costco calls. Or you launch a new SKU at Whole Foods. Suddenly that spreadsheet is a liability:
- 12 tabs tracking demand across retailers
- 3 different versions of the forecast floating around on email
- No one updating trade spend after the promotion ends
- Supply chain finding out about new business three days after the buyer meeting
By the time you have 20 retailers and 50 SKUs, the spreadsheet isn't a tool anymore. It's a full-time job.
The gap in the market
Enterprise CPG companies use SAP, Oracle, and Kinaxis. These systems cost millions, take 18 months to implement, and require dedicated IT teams. They're designed for companies with 10,000 employees and $10B in revenue.
Emerging and mid-market brands — the ones growing 30-100% per year — have been left in no-man's land. Too complex for a spreadsheet. Too small for SAP.
What an operating system looks like
An operating system for CPG isn't another point solution. It's not a "better spreadsheet" or an "AI-powered planning tool." It's a system where every part of the business is connected:
- A sales win instantly updates the demand forecast
- The demand forecast triggers supply chain calculations
- Supply chain flags shortfalls and stages purchase orders
- Trade spend is calculated and budget pacing is updated
- All of this happens in seconds, not days
That's what we're building with ModusCPG. Ten AI agents, each owning a department of your business, all working together in real time.
The parking lot test
We have a simple test for every feature we build: can your sales director use it standing in a parking lot after a buyer meeting?
If the answer is no — if it requires a laptop, a VPN, or a 15-minute workflow — we haven't finished designing it.
The future of CPG isn't more complex software. It's radically simpler software that does more.
ModusCPG is now accepting early access applications. Request access →