Fourth Edition of the Open Innovation Program START and CO. 2022 Closes with the Highest Level of Participation Ever

There are three startup finalists in the fourth edition of START and CO. 2022, an innovation program resulting from the partnership between Nova SBE and Nestlé. The program selects the best national and international startups to co-create the future in food, nutrition, and well-being alongside the well-known food company.

This edition registered one of the highest levels of participation since its creation, with circa 80 applications, of which 48 were startups from 23 different countries. From these, the three finalists – 10pple, Little One, and Shoppermotion – were selected and will move on to the co-creation and commercial synergies exploration phase with the Nestlé Portugal and Nestlé Spain teams.

Rui Coutinho, Executive Director of the Nova SBE Innovation Ecosystem, highlights "(...) This partnership brings together the best of three worlds: academia, companies, and startups, and it is a huge inspiration to witness the ideas and projects with so much potential being developed. This program is the materialization of what we believe and covet for the Nova SBE Innovation Ecosystem."

Previous editions have already resulted in 31 pioneering projects that continue to accelerate and collaborate with Nestlé on new business models, system digitization, and online learning academies.