Iceland Innovation Lab seek disruptive tech startups

by Startacus Admin

Disruptive startups that can help with innovation in the retail sector, take note! Iceland, recognised as the leader in frozen food and with 900 stores in the UK are on the hunt for startups to work with them on developing solutions to shape the future of their business. 

Delivered in partnership with corporate innovation specialists L Marks, the Iceland Discovery Programme aims to find innovative new solutions to improve both their overall operations and the customer experience.

Iceland and L Marks are both leaders in innovation; Iceland is continuously developing ways to set themselves apart from competitors and engaging in developing new solutions - such as opening a £2million state of the art kitchen to create and test new products and positioning themselves as industry leaders with environmental initiatives whilst L Marks is a leading advisor in applied innovation and an experienced investor in early-stage technologies. 

Led by Stuart Marks and Daniel Saunders, L Marks has created the UK’s largest network of corporate accelerators and launched over fifty innovation programmes across Europe, Israel, Japan and the US. They work with some of the world’s best-known brands, including BMW, Lloyd's of London, Arsenal FC, and British Airways to identify business challenges and transform them into opportunities for growth.

The Iceland Discovery Programme is seeking startups that will help the retailer in:

- Improving their productivity - from Intelligent ordering and Store Replenishment through to Vans Capability and Store Profiling

- Improving colleague experience - in areas such as Employee Communications and Staff Optimisation and productivity

- Increasing brand awareness - how to develop smart, targeted marketing 

- Delivered sales - from how to optimise the online range through to picking efficiencies for online ordering as well as improving last mile efficiencies

- Wildcard - in essence an innovative solution for any aspect of their business

Whilst It’s not necessary for startups to have experience of the grocery sector, all ideas submitted should be scalable, require minimal integration and not require heavy capital investment.

If you’re working on an idea that could help this leading retailer with its innovation plans, then apply before the deadline of 26 January 2020.

Shortlisted startups will then be invited to present to Iceland’s senior management at a Pitch Day, and those selected will be invited to work with Iceland to develop their product or service for potential collaboration. 

They will receive a host of benefits including mentorship from Iceland’s senior leadership team and retail experts, product validation from Iceland’s stakeholders and customers, feedback and insight from industry experts, the opportunity to test in a live customer environment and the potential for an ongoing relationship with Iceland.

For more detailed info on the programme or to apply, please visit Iceland Innovation Lab. Good luck!

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Published on: 16th December 2019