Lugano, 31 May 2023 – Barilla and Lavazza, in collaboration with Loomish, a Swiss investment management company, have launched the FoodTech Innovation Award 2023, an open innovation initiative created in synergy with the members of the Lifestyle Tech Competence Center in Ticino.

In the context of an increasingly competitive food market, Barilla and Lavazza are looking for new solutions to optimize marketing activities across different channels and attract different generations of consumers. The FoodTech Innovation Award 2023 offers an unprecedented opportunity for local and international startups and scaleups to present their solutions and collaborate with two of the most renowned brands in the industry.

All applications will be evaluated by a prestigious jury composed of Barilla and Lavazza management, executives from leading Swiss and Italian retailers, and leading representatives from the Lifestyle Tech Competence Center member companies and universities, including Dagorà, SUPSI, and USI.

The FoodTech Innovation Award 2023 is scouting for innovative solutions in the field of “Shoppable Marketing“, targeting solutions that aim to intercept customer needs and behaviors, optimizing the shopping experience and maximizing the return on marketing investments. The goal is to identify the innovative solutions that can improve brands’ performance across multiple channels and multiple generations of consumers by offering personalized and engaging content and shopping experiences.

The call is open until 12 July 2023 at this link. The finalists will be announced on 1 September 2023, and they will be invited to pitch in front of the jury during a dedicated event organized in Ticino, Switzerland on 28 September 2023. The event will be “phygital” and can also be accessed online.

The scouting activity is made possible by the Award sponsors and partners Barilla, Dagorà, Lavazza, Lifestyle Tech Competence Center, Loomish, SUPSI, and USI.

Andrea Bello, Innovation and Experience Senior Manager at Lavazza: “We are very pleased to continue our collaboration with LTCC, an innovative environment where collaboration aimed at sharing knowledge and skills is a must to develop effective and innovative solutions; collaboration that further enhance the dialogue between Companies and Distribution.

The shopping experience is increasingly shifting from omnichannel to optichannel and this optimization is a choice increasingly defined by consumers themselves, today enabled by technologies. For this reason, we need customer-centric models, training grounds in which try out new ideas and partners to trace this path.

Facing with this scenario, we have decided to go on being part of the FoodTech project and to make our innovative motivation and expertise available to companies and retailers”.

Luca Ravazzoni, eCommerce Director at Barilla says: “The multitude of touchpoints makes the purchase decision path articulated and digital, increasing the opportunities for interaction among shopper, retail and brand. Communication and distribution channels require information, content and offerings that are increasingly personalized and relevant to the shopper. In this context, data is crucial to understand different shopper’s needs and journeys, representing a shared value for brands and retailers. New technologies, collaborative approaches, and new ideas are key and FoodTech Innovation Award represents an excellent opportunity to evolve and transform.”