Gerrit Merz (Zenline AI)

Overview

Gerrit Merz is a tech entrepreneur and the co-founder and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Zenline AI, a Zurich-based retail technology company. Specializing in AI-driven solutions, Zenline AI aims to optimize product assortments for retailers through cutting-edge artificial intelligence technologies. Gerrit Merz, together with co-founders Arber Sejdiji and Minh Kha Nguyen, established Zenline AI in 2024. The company has quickly garnered attention for its innovative approach to retail assortment management, providing strategic insights that enable retailers to enhance their competitive edge. Gerrit Merz’s contributions in this domain position him as a significant player in the evolving landscape of AI-driven retail solutions.

Recent Developments

August 2025: Zenline AI successfully raised $1.6 million in pre-seed funding to enhance its AI models, product development, and expansion into new retail verticals. The funding round was led by Seedcamp with contributions from Yellow, First Momentum, and Arc Investors. This financial boost is intended to support the company's mission of enabling European retailers to compete more effectively by leveraging AI for smarter assortment decisions.
July 2025: Zenline AI announced that its technology had been adopted by a significant number of European retailers. The AI systems are now responsible for analyzing over one million products to identify assortment gaps, and recommend optimization actions, thus reinforcing Zenline AI's reputation as a leader in retail technology.
Early 2025: Gerrit Merz and his team at Zenline AI have been focused on refining their AI agents, which assist retailers in making product-level decisions faster and more profitably. The agents analyze margin data, market trends, and customer behaviors to provide actionable insights for assortment optimization.

Personal Information

Attribute	Information
Full Name	Gerrit Merz
Born	Not publicly disclosed
Nationality	German
Occupation	Co-Founder, CTO of Zenline AI
Known For	AI-driven retail technology
Net Worth	Not publicly disclosed
Education	Master's degree from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT); ETH Zurich

Early Life and Education

Gerrit Merz pursued a robust academic path that laid the groundwork for his career in technology and AI. He completed his Master's degree in Information Engineering and Management at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in Germany. During his studies, he also engaged in an exchange semester at the Eindhoven University of Technology, focusing on Computer Science. Further honing his expertise, Merz carried out his master's thesis project at ETH Zurich, one of the leading technology universities in the world. His education provided a strong foundation in engineering, management, and computer science, key areas that he would later leverage in his entrepreneurial endeavors.

Career and Notable Achievements

Gerrit Merz's career is marked by significant contributions to the tech industry, particularly in AI and software development:

Founding Zenline AI (2024): Along with his colleagues, Arber Sejdiji and Minh Kha Nguyen, Merz co-founded Zenline AI, aiming to revolutionize how retailers manage product assortments through AI.
CTO at Zenline AI: As the CTO, Merz oversees the technical direction and product development at Zenline, ensuring the AI technologies are robust and effective.
Previous Roles: Before Zenline, Gerrit gained experience in tech roles at ipt Innovation Process Technology and Software Brauerei AG, where he was involved in developing enterprise-grade software solutions.
Innovations in AI: At Zenline, Merz has been instrumental in developing AI agents that assist retailers in making rapid, data-driven decisions that enhance profitability and efficiency.

Current Work and Impact

In his current role at Zenline AI, Gerrit Merz continues to push the boundaries of AI in retail technology. The AI agents developed under his leadership are crucial in helping retailers optimize assortments, improve pricing strategies, and increase overall efficiency in product management. This technology not only supports retail operations but also promises long-term impacts by enabling retailers to remain competitive against major global platforms like Amazon and Temu. As Zenline AI expands its reach, Merz’s contributions are likely to have lasting effects in advancing retail technology and shaping future industry standards.

Conclusion

Gerrit Merz stands out as a key figure in the realm of AI and retail technology. His educational background and professional experiences have uniquely positioned him to innovate and drive significant advancements at Zenline AI. Through effective leadership and technical expertise, Zenline continues to empower retailers with sophisticated AI tools that transform assortment management. As the industry evolves, Gerrit Merz is likely to remain influential in steering emerging tech solutions that cater to and anticipate the dynamic needs of the retail sector.