German wholesaler Metro has selected 10 start-ups from eight countries for the fourth edition of its accelerator programme in Berlin.
The participants were selected from tech start-ups in Germany, France, UK, India, Israel, Italy, Croatia, and South Korea by a jury of more than 20 members comprising investors, Metro executives, and other partners.
Mutual Benefits
Programme director of Metro Accelerator, Sylvia Dudek, said, “The direct exchange with innovative start-ups enables us to change perspectives, which we expect will give new impetus to the hospitality sector.
“In return, we offer the teams potential access to our roughly 21 million wholesale customers and to an extensive network of contacts in the hospitality sector that start-ups hardly get anywhere else.”
The Programme
During the three-month programme, participants will further develop their business models through extensive support provided by the wholesaler.
They will be coached by selected experts from a pool of around 200 mentors, and receive a funding of up to €120,000 each.
The retailer will also provide support in matters related to infrastructure, network, and know-how.
Around the middle of February 2019, the start-up teams will also get an opportunity to pitch their ideas to potential investors in Berlin.
Promoting Innovation
The Accelerator Programme in Berlin, aims to promote innovations that have the potential to offer significant value addition to the hospitality sector.
Therefore, it mainly supports tech start-ups that bring special potential and facilitate digital transformation in the sector.
After completing the programme, the start-ups will also be able to test their technological solutions with around 500 restaurant owners across five European markets, under the retailer’s Metropolitan Pilot Programme.
© 2018 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Dayeeta Das. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
