Retail Demo Day 2018

July 19th, marked the end of our Retail 2018 programme, which meant one thing: Demo Day.

Our nine start-ups took the stage, to present their solutions to an audience of approximately 400, including; investors, experts, multipliers, friends and family.

This latest generation of METRO Accelerator start-ups have spent the past three months in Berlin, working on promising solutions for the retail industry, with the support of experienced entrepreneurs, investors, experts, and corporate executives.

The start-ups address a range of areas in the industry including; data analysis to support more efficient business models; augmented reality for a personalised shopping experience; smart lighting systems to increase footfall; and data driven campaigns for small businesses.

“The retail sector is undergoing a fundamental change, in this process, we must always focus on our customers’ wishes and demands. It is not without reason, that in the framework of the Accelerator programme, we give our start-ups access to our market expertise and to our vast customer supplier network. With their connected technologies and analytical applications, the start-up teams give new impetus to the sector. The high level of interest in our Demo Day shows that a mutual exchange between innovators, investors, and partners is indispensable.”

– Sylvia Dudek, Programme Director

Opening the Demo Day; Olaf Koch, CEO of METRO tells us the strategy behind the METRO accelerator programme, and why it is so important:

“We (METRO) are serving 21 million independent operators, around the world; We are blessed that we can call ourselves a partner of the independent business owner. Since a number of years, we are exploring the opportunity to use innovation, specifically digital innovation, to reach out to those customers in a more meaningful way”

The 9 start-ups came to Berlin from; India, Israel, United Kingdom, Spain and Munich, Germany.

Demo Day sets out to bring the community around METRO Accelerator together; no matter the role in the cohort’s journey or the program’s success; big or small. The day also gives start-ups the opportunity to build further relationships with potentially significant people for the development of their business.

It is an incredible feat to see the number of people coming together on this day, and how strong the community has grown, it is also an emotional time, as the Demo Day marks the end of the retail 2018 programme and we have to say goodbye to our founders (for now).

Looking forward to our next Demo Day… Hospitality 2018. #staytuned #futurecalling

For photos or videos from the day head to our youtube and facebook – give us a like.