For the fourth year, Quincy, Massachusetts-based Retail Business Services is partnering with ADUSA Supply Chain and Innovation Studio, a non-profit organization focused on growing inclusive entrepreneurship, to help early-stage entrepreneurs.
The five-week immersion program, called Seed, is designed to help start-ups build critical relationships to accelerate their companies successfully.
The scope of the program has been expanded and two winners will be selected: one focused on enhancing all or part of the total customer experience and one focused on driving efficiency and effectiveness in the supply chain, a key enabler of the omnichannel experience.
“We are always looking to develop our innovation portfolio,” said Brooks Thompson, director of innovation pipeline for Retail Business Services. “By expanding the program to include two winners, we will be able to leverage more technologies to benefit the Ahold Delhaize USA brands as they enhance the omnichannel customer experience – which is highly dependent on the efficiency and effectiveness of the food supply chain.”
Retail Business Services’s program will combine the best of Innovation Studio’s programming prowess with exclusive access inside the grocery retail ecosystem. This program includes mentorship, workshops and demo days – all aimed at providing an immersive entrepreneurial experience that enables startups to strengthen their offerings, deepen connections with Ahold Delhaize USA companies and accelerate Ahold Delhaize USA companies’ work to engage with a diverse and innovative supplier base.
Applications are open to start-ups until May 15, with programming taking place July 18-Aug. 23. The start-ups will pitch their solutions at a culminating event, Seed Live!, for an opportunity to be named the most viable technology for the future grocery retail.
“We believe the proper connection between startups and corporations generates the discovery of new business models, new products and new technologies, as well as digitalization of processes and business expansion,” said Walther Morales Rios, associate director of entrepreneurship for Innovation Studio. “We are honored to partner with Retail Business Services and ADUSA Supply chain to continue to impact the entrepreneurial community.”
Entrepreneurs can apply at innovationstudio.org/seedgrocery.
