Damm presents the winning startups of its Business Impact Challenge innovation open call
Xylene GmbH and Zenit Solar Tech are the winning startups of the challenge promoted by Damm to find innovative solutions that are able to improve supply chain and energy efficiency
Damm has named the two winning startups of the first edition of the Business Impact Challenge, the open call for innovation promoted by the company in order to find innovative solutions that add value to the food industry in the short-term. Xylene GmbH and Zenit Solar Tech were the startups chosen after participating in a pitch session where 6 finalists presented their submissions before a specialized assessment committee. Both will have the possibility to carry out a pilot test of their solutions with support from Damm.
The company presented its Business Impact Challenge last January via its global open innovation platform LAB1876. This open call was aimed at startups working in the field of supply chain and energy efficiency that could provide solutions to the challenges companies that the food industry currently faces. The first edition of the initiative had a total of 83 submissions, 35 of which were presented by international startups.
From among all the solutions presented, German Xylene GmbH was the winner within the field of supply chain efficiency. This startup has developed a digital passport for food materials and products that tracks them throughout the entire value chain. Xylene GmbH has become a tool for suppliers and clients that offers the possibility to collect and exchange information on products through digital passports, providing a broad view of supply lines that allows users to identify potential bottlenecks along the chain. Christopher Edwards, CEO of Xylene GmbH has made it clear he believes "anticipating interruptions and the availability of materials is a key benefit of a transparent supply chain. Xylene creates this view and helps make provisioning decisions, thus increasing trust with both companies and consumers."
Zenit Solar Tach has presented a winning submission in the energy efficiency challenge by means of its low environmental impact solution. The proposal by this startup from Barcelona promotes energy transition and the creation of smart energy communities by means of a digital platform that allows companies to maximize the use of the solar energy that is generated. This way, companies that make use of their technology can not only supply themselves with clean energy, but also share any energy production surplus with consumers in localities that are near the production site, thus generating an economic and social impact and accelerating the amortization of the facility. "Zenit allows small and large companies to become stakeholders and benefactors of the energy transition with tools based on Big Data and machine learning", says Oihan Goenaga, CEO and founder of Zenit. To which he added: "The Business Impact Challenge is becoming the perfect opportunity to expand our project and foray into the food industry for the first time, with Damm's support."
During the final phase of the Business Impact Challenge, the two winning startups will have the possibility to kick off a pilot test of their solutions, in collaboration with Damm. Furthermore, they will receive financial support from the company and will be able to present their solutions to leading businesses in the food industry.
"The first edition of the Business Impact Challenge has exceeded all of our expectations." We have received top-tier proposals from every corner of the globe. We are excited to be able to begin to collaborate with the winning startups, as well as to continue supporting initiatives that allow us to move forward with regard to our own agenda of building a more sustainable and safe industry through technology", said Laura Gil, Digital Transformation Director at Damm.
