The startup battle by Unilever’s global corporate innovation pillar was held at the recent Innovfest Unbound 

Unilever Foundry, the FMCG giant’s global corporate innovation pillar that focusses on partnering and accelerating innovations across the company’s 400+ brands and functions, has announced the startups Kora and Rytle as the joint winners of Unilever Foundry Startups Battle 2019.

The startup battle was held at Innovfest Unbound from June 27 – 28, 2019.

“The variety of startups that competed in this year’s battle under the banner of Smart Retail demonstrated that we need to look at innovation through the lens of an ecosystem of technologies that goes beyond buying and selling,” said Barbara Guerpillon, Director, Unilever Foundry Asia.

Guerpillon further added that Unilever Foundry is looking at the integration of the latest technologies in the retail industry, as well as how they are transforming the rules of consumer engagement and opening up new opportunities.

Kora is an Indonesia-based startup that distributes over 500 different consumer products through a network of 2,800 individuals called Poskora.

Rytle is a Singapore-based startup that combines technology and environmental protection for maximum flexibility in city logistics.

The other finalists in the competition that went head-to-head with the joint winners included Fairbanc, Perx Technologies, and Fabulyst.

Also Read: Insurtech Singapore Life raises US$90M funding from Sumitomo Life

Unilever Foundry Startup Battle was launched in 2015 and has been joined by 500 startups from across the region, piloting more than 159 startups with Unilever brands and functions. Unilever Foundry focusses on areas such as marketing tech and adtech, enterprise tech, products and ingredients, new business model innovation, and social impact.

This year, the battle focussed on smart retail with startups covering categories such as smart vending, supply chain, retail experience, product loyalty, and shopper analysis.

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Image Credit: Unilever Foundry

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