On 27 – 28 November, 2024, the European Innovation Council (EIC) and Holcim, global leader in sustainable construction, co-hosted in Lyon (France), a dedicated matching and pitching session in the framework of the EIC Corporate Partnership Programme which stimulates business creation between EIC-backed startups/scaleups and Europe’s leadings corporations. 10 pre-selected EIC-backed scaleups followed a 3-month customized preparation journey culminating in this business gathering with decision makers and experts from the construction giant.
Held at Holcim’s cutting-edge Innovation Center, the EIC-backed companies presented ground-breaking solutions for the most critical challenges faced by the Franco-Swiss corporation and its clients, such as green operation, building better with less, circular construction, and sustainable buildings. The pitching session was followed by high-impact one-on-one meetings with Holcim’s senior decision-makers.
EIC Corporate Partnership Programme fostering impactful collaborations
The partnership between the EIC and Holcim started in 2021 and since then it has been a powerful driver of impactful corporate-startup collaborations. One good example is the case of Nanolike, a startup specialised in the development of connected solutions for monitoring the fill level of containers and silos. Nanolike received funding of the EIC and was selected by Holcim to participate in their first EIC Corporate Day back in 2021. Shortly afterwards they developed their first pilot together and once tested and proven the concept, Holcim offered them contracts with several subsidiaries worldwide. In 2023, Holcim completed the acquisition of a stake in Nanolike, completing a profitable relation among the two companies.
Edelio Bermejo, Head of Global Innovation and R&D at Holcim, highlighted the value of this strategic cooperation: “The EIC Corporate Partnership Programme’s rigorous pre-selection process enables Holcim to engage with the most promising startups, SMEs and scaleups across Europe. This initiative is an important part of our innovation strategy, helping us address sustainability challenges head-on".
This new edition of the EIC Corporate Day introduced the building materials company to 10 new ventures of the EIC portfolio coming from 6 different countries.
One of them was Materrup, an industrial impact-driven startup specialized in low-carbon cement. After joining the EIC ecosystem as a beneficiary of the EIC Accelerator, Materrup was able start a new state-of-the-art factory in the southwest France. Last June, Matterup raised over €26 million, with the EIC Fund being one of the investors. This fundraising will enable the startup to scale.
Julie Neuville, Chairwoman of Materrup, shared her experience: “The Corporate Partnership Programme is invaluable. It’s not just about funding; it’s about access to decision-makers and forging strategic alliances with industry leaders like Holcim. This event has definitely been a game-changer for Materrup’s growth trajectory”.
Julie Neuville, Chairwoman of Materrup
Learn more about the 10 EIC-founded companies selected by Holcim:
- ALTAROAD (France)
- ALTERNATIVE ENERGY INNOVATIONS SL (Spain)
- ECOAT (France)
- HIBOO SYSTEMS SAS (France)
- MATERRUP (France)
- PLENESYS (France)
- POLYLABS SIA (Latvia)
- POWERUP FUEL CELLS OU (Estonia)
- SVENSKA AEROGEL AB (Sweden)
- VIDEO SYSTEMS SRL (Italy)
Additional information
About the EIC Corporate Partnership Programme
EIC Corporate Partnership Programme allow EIC-backed companies to boost their network and do business with relevant decision-makers from the largest companies in Europe. Since 2017 until the EIC CPP has organised 72 initiatives with +120 corporate partners like: ABB, Airbus, BMW CaixaBank, CommerzBank, Enel, Ferrovial, L’Oreal, Medtronic, Neste, Roche, Saint-Gobain, Shell, Siemens Energy, Solvay or Telefonica. Over 1200 EIC-funded startups/scaleups and +2500 corporate high-level representatives have been able to participate in these initiatives reporting a significant business impact, follow-ups, and business deals.
The EIC is looking for large corporations with open innovation spirit, interested in integrating innovations coming from startups, scaleups and research projects directly into their business offering, procurement and R&D activities as well as investing in highly innovative/deep tech companies. Open application for corporations.
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