Registration opens for 2nd European Supply Chain Start-up Contest

Supply Chain Start-up Contest

Supply Chain Media has opened the registration for the 2nd European Supply Chain Start-up Contest. The finals will be held on 22 May 2019, once again during the inNOWvate Supply Chain Event in Amersfoort, the Netherlands. Independent companies with a supply chain app or platform and founded no earlier than 2013 are welcome to enter this prestigious contest.

At the start of 2018 Supply Chain Movement, Supply Chain Media’s quarterly magazine for the international supply chain industry, published a Maturity Matrix showing 56 European supply chain start-ups. They were all invited to participate in the 1st European Supply Chain Start-up Contest. This resulted in 28 start-ups entering the competition by submitting key information including their mission, vision, strategy and business model. The longlist was reduced to a shortlist, and 17 start-ups presented themselves during the inNOWvate Supply Chain Event in Amersfoort on 24 May 2018.

Out of the five finalists ultimately chosen to pitch on the main stage of the event, the Swiss start-up LuckaBox emerged as the winner of the 1st European Supply Chain Start-up Contest. LuckaBox impressed the jury and the public alike with its online platform making it quick and convenient for retailers to arrange parcel shipments to consumers. Besides receiving a 3D-printed trophy, LuckaBox went home with €40,000 worth of marketing budget.

Conquer the supply chain market

In view of the rapid growth in the number of start-ups in Europe, it should come as no surprise that so many companies participated in the 2018 contest. The EU-funded Startup Europe Map (www.startupeuropemap.eu) currently shows 990 registered start-ups, and AngelList (https://angel.co/europe) has been counting the number of new start-ups in Europe since 2010 and currently lists an astounding 68,400 companies. Each start-up has to gain a foothold within the market to be able to survive, and supply chain start-ups are no exception.

InNOWvate presents

The European Supply Chain Start-up Contest offers start-ups an opportunity to present themselves to supply chain professionals. In parallel, there is a separate contest for supply chain scale-ups: more established companies that were founded a maximum of five years ago. During the inNOWvate Supply Chain Event on 22 May 2019, each of the shortlisted start-ups and scale-ups will have a small stand where they can interact with the attendees and demonstrate their solutions in the hope of winning the visitors’ personal votes and making it through to the final. The resulting five finalists will pitch their solutions to the attendees on the main stage and each finalist will also be extensively interviewed by a professional jury.

In preparation for the 2nd European Supply Chain Start-up Contest, Supply Chain Media is currently conducting research for the Maturity Matrix visualizing the current European supply chain start-ups. Start-ups with a supply chain app or platform that wish to be considered for this editorial overview, which will be published in the Q1 2019 edition of Supply Chain Movement, and are keen to enter the contest can send an email to the editorial team: Martijn Lofvers, Chief Trendwatcher (martijn.lofvers@supplychainmedia.nl) and Marysa Vos, Trendwatcher (marysa.vos@supplychainmedia.nl).