FoodTech Award 2024: scouting for retail media solutions for Barilla and Lavazza
The two leading players in the food industry are on the lookout for cutting-edge solutions that can empower brands and retailers to enhance engagement along the shopping journey, while mapping and better understanding new customers’ behavior. Winners will get the chance to explore potential pilot projects with both brands.
Lugano, 03 June 2024 – The fourth edition of the FoodTech Innovation Award represents a forward-thinking approach to open innovation, sponsored by Barilla and Lavazza in collaboration with Loomish, a Swiss investment management company, and LTCC.
The FoodTech Innovation Award 2024 aims to identify groundbreaking cutting-edge solutions in the “Retail Media” field. Specifically, the scouting will focus on new technologies that can help Barilla and Lavazza boost customer engagement and interaction across different channels and touchpoints, also allowing brands and retailers to collect and analyze customer data to face fast-paced evolving behaviors.
In an increasingly competitive food market, Barilla and Lavazza are actively seeking new innovative solutions to improve brand interaction with customers along the shopper journey and efficiently collecting and analyzing data to understand their behavior. Startups and scale-ups, both locally and internationally, have an unprecedented opportunity to showcase their cutting-edge innovations and establish strategic partnerships with industry leaders Barilla and Lavazza.
All projects will be evaluated by a prestigious jury, consisting of executives from Barilla and Lavazza, prominent figures from major Swiss and Italian retailers, and key representatives from companies and universities affiliated with the Lifestyle Tech Competence Center.
This scouting project is made possible through the support of sponsors and partners, including Barilla, Dagorà, Lavazza, Lifestyle Tech Competence Center, Loomish, SUPSI, and USI. The call for submissions remains open until 26 July at the following link: https://awards.loomish.ch/?page_id=6981
The finalists will then be announced on 1 October 2024, and invited to physically join a dedicated event in Zürich, Switzerland, on 22 October 2024 and to present their ideas in front of the initiative’s prestigious jury.
Andrea Bello, Innovation and Experience Senior Manager at Lavazza: “We continue our collaboration with the LTCC high-tech hub as we consider it essential to actively participate in dialogue platforms on open innovation opportunities. The continuous evolution of the shopping experience constantly motivates us to share knowledge on innovative approaches not only related to our core business and the coffee category ecosystem but also exploring transversal areas in the food world. Like Lavazza, we recognize the importance of shared research to develop effective solutions and promote progress in the industry, and we offer our expertise to make a concrete contribution to this goal”.
Luca Ravazzoni, eCommerce Director at Barilla says: “The numerous touchpoints make the purchasing journey complex and digital, amplifying the opportunities for interactions between shoppers, Retailers, and Brands. Communication and distribution channels demand increasingly personalized and relevant information, content, and offerings for shoppers. In this landscape, data and new technologies are essential to understand various shopper needs and journeys, serving as a shared assets for both brands and retailers. New technologies, collaborative strategies, and fresh ideas are key drivers to innovate the industry, and the FoodTech Innovation Award provides an exceptional platform to discover new empowering solutions worldwide.“
Carlo Terreni, President of the Lifestyle Tech Competence Center and Founder of the M&A advisory boutique Loomish, highlights the crucial importance of collaborative partnerships in the context of FoodTech 2024: “Thanks to this initiative, we offer senior industry leaders the rare opportunity to explore the latest innovations, ensuring them a competitive advantage in an ever-evolving market. Additionally, investors receive valuable insights into emerging technologies shaping the future of the food retail sector. This collaboration underscores our ongoing commitment to promoting innovation, fostering engagement, and building strong partnerships with Swiss and Italian retailers over time. For these reasons, once again, I am delighted to announce the launch of the fourth edition of the FoodTech Innovation Award sponsored by Barilla and Lavazza.”