Sodexo, in partnership with L Marks, has selected five start-ups to take part in the 10-week Accelerators programme to road-test their propositions in a bid to find innovative new solutions in the areas of smart buildings, employee experience and sustainability.
Over 400 start-ups applied to the prorgamme which launched in January this year, with 21 then selected to ptich their business propositions to Sodexo at live events in London and Dublin.
The 21 start-ups pitched their innovations (virtually and in-person) to an audience of Sodexo senior leaders, operational teams as well as the organisation’s experts in areas such as sustainability, employee engagement, marketing, supply chain as well as market consultants.
In order to ensure solutions relevant to its operations were among the finalists Sodexo, opened up the pitches to its colleagues around the business by live-streaming the events and enabling colleagues to have a say through an app-based voting platform.
The chosen five finalists are:
• Asseticom - a pioneering digital solution that advances asset data collection and building surveying.
• Hark Systems - a technology company specialising in helping enterprises to improve efficiency and reduce waste by providing visibility and automatic control over assets such as energy metres, building management systems and industrial systems
• Advanced Bacterial Sciences (ABS) - developing next-generation bacterial treatments for waste and water management, pollution remediation and agriculture that boost efficiency, cut maintenance and running costs and regenerate natural systems.
• Wayleadr (pictured left, CCO Jason Popplewell and right, Val Cassidy, head of partnerships & integration) - reimagining the last mile of commuter journeys by connecting smart buildings with smart vehicles, saving time, rightsizing real estate spend and curbing carbon emissions
• Infogrid's AI Building Intelligence Platform (graphic pictured) makes buildings healthier for occupants, more efficient for managers to operate and more sustainable for the planet.
The five finalists will now work with Sodexo teams on the 10-week programme, which will enable them to test, refine and adapt their business propositions in a live operational environment. They will be mentored and supported by Sodexo’s subject matter experts and will look to develop their solutions in line with the organisation’s Vital Spaces workplace proposition.
Julie Ennis, CEO Sodexo Corporate Services, UK & Ireland, said, “We were delighted with the quality and volume of applications we received for the programme. The pitch days were very exciting and action-packed.
“Technology enabled a number of the start-ups to pitch remotely and by live streaming the event we were able to invite colleagues from across our business, not just in the UK and Ireland but from around the world to watch the pitches and be involved in the selection process via the voting platform.
“The feedback and votes from both days helped us decided on the final five and we look forward to the finding out how the five get on during the next stage of the programme, which will test their solutions in our live operations.”
Sodexo’s Accelerators innovation programme has already launched in China, Brazil, India, France and Sweden. For the UK and Ireland programme Sodexo has partnered with L Marks - an innovation specialist with experience of running over 70 programmes with some of the world's leading companies.
Through its extensive global network and rigorous scouting methods L Marks was able to uncover the most promising early and growth stage companies that are operating in food services and facilities management and supported Sodexo in the final selection.