On 27 May, the European Innovation Council (EIC) hosted a landmark EIC Corporate Day with Unilever Foundry, bringing together the global consumer goods leader and 6 EIC-backed start-ups from 6 countries. This exclusive acceleration activity is part of the EIC Corporate Partnership Programme, supporting EIC-backed innovators with opportunities to connect with leading European corporations and tailored acceleration services to make the best out of the opportunity.
Sustainability meets innovation in the future of consumer goods
Bringing together some of the most promising start-ups from the EIC portfolio and the innovation powerhouse Unilever Foundry, this activity is part of the EIC Business Acceleration Services provided to EIC-backed startups to foster collaboration, pilot projects, co-development opportunities, and strategic investments.
The selected start-ups, chosen by Unilever Foundry and trained by the EIC Corporate Partnership Programme to align with their innovation priorities, showcased cutting-edge solutions in areas such as sustainable materials, biotechnology, consumer products, and environmental sciences. The online Corporate Day featured reverse pitching by the corporation, start-up presentations, interactive Q&A sessions, and tailored one-on-one meetings aimed at driving concrete business outcomes.
PJ Mistry, Strategy & Ecosystem Builder at Unilever Foundry:
Finding innovative start-ups amongst the immense competitive and geographical landscape is not as easy as going to a catalogue somewhere and clicking 'select'. But with the partnership of EIC, it almost makes it easy to find high-quality, relevant, and passionate start-ups willing to collaborate in solving Unilever’s biggest scientific challenges.
During the activity, Unilever Foundry met some of the most promising EIC innovators, spanning industries such as sustainable materials, biotechnology, consumer products, and environmental sciences:
- Aqdot (United Kingdom) developing pioneering supramolecular capture technology for odour elimination and VOC removal.
- Bac3Gel (Portugal) accelerating microbiome-driven personal care solutions using advanced mucus-mimetic materials.
- Lactips (France) producing biosourced thermoplastic alternatives for fully biodegradable packaging solutions.
- Melt and Marble (Sweden) pioneering sustainable fats and lipids through precision fermentation technology.
- Roka Furadada (Spain) developing eco-friendly UV protection ingredients using patented SMART UV technology.
- Traceless Materials (Germany) revolutionising materials with plastic-free, fully biobased alternatives from agricultural by-products.
For the start-ups, this acceleration programme offered a unique chance to engage directly with key decision-makers from one of the world's leading consumer goods companies.
EIC-backed start-ups brought new ideas to solve the packaging and material challenges of Unilever, presenting their solutions through pitching sessions and one-to-one meetings. Lactips and Traceless Materials presented biodegradable alternatives helping reduce plastic waste. Meanwhile, Aqdot, Bac3Gel, Melt and Marble, and Roka Furadada developed breakthrough technologies, from odour control to sustainable lipids.
About the EIC Corporate Partnership Programme
The EIC Corporate Partnership Programme, an initiative of the EIC Business Acceleration Services, allows EIC-backed innovators to boost their network and do business with relevant decision-makers from the largest companies in Europe. Since 2017, the EIC Corporate Partnership Programme has organised 74 initiatives with +120 corporate partners including 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 and 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 an 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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DISCLAIMER: This information is provided in the interest of knowledge sharing and should not be interpreted as the official view of the European Commission, or any other organisation.