Startups and AkzoNobel plan collaboration
AkzoNobel recently announced that three startups signed their letters of intent to further collaborate with the paint and coatings manufacturer on sustainable business opportunities less than 24 hours after winning this year’s Paint the Future awards.
The startups had the opportunity to explore their solutions with mentors and experts at each stage of the global startup competition, including an intensive three-day bootcamp. Now that they have signed the letters of intent, they will continue to develop their solutions together with AkzoNobel. „The winning startups will participate in our go-to-market acceleration programme, which connects them to a global network of people and resources,“ says Menno van der Zalm, Director of the AkzoNobel Incubator. „Over the next six months, we will work together to validate their solutions for our customers and develop a shared value case.“ The following three solutions impressed the international jury of experts and business leaders:
– Israeli start-up SolCold’s solution is a sustainable self-cooling coating based on anti-stokes. It uses the sun’s energy to keep the interior temperature significantly cooler without the need for electricity.
– Latvian start-up Aerones offers a robotic solution for wind turbine maintenance. With their crawling robot, technicians can carry out inspections, cleaning and repairs safely and efficiently at height.
– SprayVision from the Czech Republic offers a data-driven approach to optimising paint spray application, giving customers full control over the process. The solution helps reduce environmental impact by saving material and improving quality.
The second global startup competition, Paint the Future, launched by AkzoNobel in 2021, received 245 applications from 62 countries.
More information: www.akzonobel.com