The latest SAP.iO Foundry Paris startup accelerator program is geared towards the retail and consumer products industry and aims to increase product traceability and transparency while also providing customers with a personalized and engaging buying experience.
What was once a fairly simple customer journey has become increasingly complex, with consumers interacting with brands and businesses through a variety of channels. The global COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound effect on customer habits, resulting in an acceleration of the digitalization of all businesses. This has made the retail and consumer products industry more relevant than ever.
In response to this, the German enterprise software giant recently announced its latest startup accelerator program which will focus on the “Future of Retail and Consumer Products”. The program will be based at the SAP.iO Foundry in Paris, and will aim to support startups who are working on innovative solutions in this area. This is an important step for SAP, as they look to support the development of new technologies that can help their customers stay ahead of the curve in an increasingly competitive marketplace.
In particular, SAP.iO Foundry Paris selected 12 international startups to join their latest program. The selection process was done by a jury of SAP specialists, partners, clients, and investment funds. These startups will now have access to resources such as mentorship and education, which will help them grow their businesses.
Moreover, the Foundry’s efforts were key to reaching France’s overall goal for startup investments set at the #ChooseFrance summit. This is a major forum for economic attractiveness that France relies on to show the world its commitment to investing in new businesses. As part of its €2 billion investment in 2018, SAP spent €150 million on research and development (R&D), with a focus on machine learning (ML), blockchain, the Internet of Things (IoT), and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS).
Odilia von Zitzewitz, Interim Lead at SAP.iO Foundry Paris, asserted that the organization is committed to accelerating startups to help customers run at their best. Explaining more about the new startup accelerator program, she further said:
“For this program, our focus is on retail, addressing the traceability and authenticity of products as well as offering consumers an improved and differentiating purchasing experience. We are very proud to accompany this new class of start-ups and help them scale their innovations.”
Retail and Consumer Products Startups Join SAP.iO Foundry Paris
SAP.iO Foundry Paris has been a great help to over 65 startup businesses in developing their products and services. The equity-free incubator provides mentorship, resources, and advice that have been integral in the growth of these young companies. Many of the businesses that have gone through the program have seen significant success, thanks in large part to SAP’s guidance.
The startups included in the latest accelerator program were recognized as pioneers in this year’s chosen field of retail and consumer products as they have managed to stay ahead of the curve and innovate in an ever-changing landscape. These companies have been able to create new customer experiences, develop unique business models, and tap into new markets.
In a rapidly evolving industry, the following startups that will join the SAP.iO Foundry Paris Program have been able to set themselves apart and emerge as leaders:
- Sorga Technology helps retail companies innovate digitally by providing them with a solution that uses less energy and guarantees the transparency and traceability of their products.
- Arianee provides companies with simple solutions for establishing one-on-one connections with customers in a way that is considerate of customers’ personal information and independent of large technology platforms.
- CollectID can be used to ensure that products are genuine, enhance the physical-digital interaction, and open a line of communication between businesses.
- DIAKSE‘s primary focus is on helping brands improve product awareness and sales through improved product communication through the use of metaverse-based virtual showrooms.
- Foodetective is an application programming interface (API) and management platform used by businesses in the food and beverage sector because it intends to streamline processes, boost online sales, and speed up the development of new opportunities.
- LIVEBUY GmbH is an e-commerce platform that equips major retailers with both cutting-edge tools and talented content producers to establish a thriving content platform within their web stores.
- Through the use of artificial intelligence, Priceloop optimizes and automates the pricing procedure, providing clients with competitive quotes that account for all relevant factors.
- With Replika Software, brands can activate a network of social sellers with a complete business ready to use for social media marketing, online sales, and customer engagement.
- To extend the conveniences of internet purchasing to brick-and-mortar stores, Shopreme GmbH has created a new system dubbed “Scan & Go”.
- SmartPixels is a 3D product configurator and visualizer that luxury and fashion firms can use to make their digital and physical stores more engaging for their customers.
- Brands are able to gain direct return on investment (ROI) from content and measure specific data from video interactions with SMARTZER LTD‘s s platform, which is utilized to convert movies and live broadcasts into interactive and actionable experiences.
- YZR‘s robust solution based on artificial language processing automates and improves all of its clients’ text data initiatives.
During the course of the next five months, the startups will have access to customized mentoring from SAP France employees, introduction to SAP technologies and APIs, and opportunities to work with SAP’s client base from across the globe.
