John Lewis selects JLAB 2017 startups
By Retail Technology | Monday July 31 2017
The John Lewis Partnership has selected five retail tech startups for JLAB 2017, its accelerator programme run in association with innovation partner L Marks
Now in its fourth year, JLAB sees Waitrose joining John Lewis for the first time this year while female-led startups will be strongly represented in this year’s programme, with three of the five companies in this year’s cohort launched by women.
The finalists were chosen from more than 300 applications, following a successful pitch to senior John Lewis and Waitrose executives.
The finalists will spend 12 weeks working from the head offices of both Waitrose and John Lewis, developing their ideas while gaining invaluable access to John Lewis and Waitrose resources, as well as industry-leading insight from specialist mentors.
At the end of the 12-week programme, each team will have an opportunity to pitch for up to £100,000 in funding in exchange for equity, from a combined fund of £200,000.
The finalists are:
● Mucho – a smart grocery shopping app which provides daily personalised recipes and enables you to order ingredients when you need them
● Exaactly - an intelligent addressing system that enables customers to mark any location for delivery, empowering them to get orders anywhere.
● WeFiFo – This digital social hub connects home chefs, supper club hosts and professional chefs with paying guests
● BB1 – a data analytics solution that uses customer behaviour to help businesses optimise their ways of working, monitoring an assortment
of variables such as customer footfall
● Journifi - linking online and in-store shopping by providing customers with personalised in-store experiences - such as tailored personal shopper sessions - based on their online behaviour and tastes
Paul Coby, CIO at the John Lewis Partnership, said: “We look forward to supporting and nurturing our five finalists as they shape and develop their products under the guidance of the John Lewis Partnership.”
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