Successful POC development during the Swiss Prime Site Accelerator Programme in RetailTech

20.10.2020 14:20, Lara Fritschi

Technology is changing the way every industry does business by helping to create efficiencies, save money, and provide better products and services. Retail businesses are also adopting technology to their advantage. The Swiss Prime Site Accelerator Programme in RetailTech selected 4 projects to transform how retail is done.

Last week, the 11th Swiss Prime Site Accelerator Programme with a focus on RetailTech took place in Zurich. After being a relatively traditional and stable sector for decades, retail is now being transformed by technological advancements in the areas of omnichannel experiences, shopper data & analytics, autonomous stores, loyalty & rewards, marketing & promotions as well as logistics. Out of over 80 applications across Europe, eight pioneering RetailTech startups were selected to pitch their B2B- and B2C solutions to the jury of Swiss Prime Site and its group companies Wincasa, Jelmoli and Swiss Prime Site Solutions.



The jury then chose four finalists who were given 1.5 days to elaborate a joint business case, which was eventually presented to Swiss Prime Site’s group management. The two days were filled with pitches, break-out and coaching sessions: 

“If you have or want to start a business in the real estate industry, participating in a SPS workshop will open the doors to the Swiss real estate landscape for you. It allows you to get first-hand knowledge, access to experts of every real estate field imaginable and the opportunity to develop a real-world case in just 2 days. Thank you again for having us.” – Chalid A. El Ashker, CEO POP UP SHOPS AG

“It is a great opportunity to get exposure, contact and direct feedback from top enterprises for which our solution might be relevant. What makes this event special is a tight and intensive cooperation with corporates from the first moment. As opposite to many other accelerator programs here the corporates are willing to share crucial data from their operative business to confirm or reject the hypothesis from the beginning. That helps to learn quickly and elaborate better fit of value proposition for each specific business case.” - Roman Stahovsky, Managing Director MAGNWALL 

Each of the four startups brought their unique expertise to the table, which contributed to well-rounded use cases:

Behamics: Behavioral Science meets AI to improve the e-commerce experience.
MagnWall: Modular electrified display systems and magnetic visual merchandising
Pop Up Shops: A platform for brands and retailers, who together create inspiring pop up shops
Rüedu: Your 24/7 containerized neighborhood stores with an automated check-in/check-out system and fresh regionalproducts

Following the workshop, Swiss Prime Site and the finalists will seek to execute the elaborated proof of concepts together.

“With this eleventh Swiss Prime Site Startup Accelerator Programme we are promoting 88 start-ups since 2018. And once again, we have succeeded in developing four completely different cases within a very short time frame by involving our operational business units during the programme. We’re curious to see what else the future holds in store for us!" - Bastian Zarske Bueno, Head Group Corporate Ventures & Innovation at Swiss Prime Site AG

Check out the video from the workshop and stay tuned for the next Swiss Prime Site Start-up Accelerator Programme on Energy and Circular Economy happening the 8 and 9th of December 2020: