UK DIY News
Travis Perkins BreakThru selects 3 tech start-ups
After a competitive application process, Travis Perkins have selected three tech startups for BreakThru, its accelerator programme run in association with innovation partner L Marks.
Read - Travis Perkins launch tech accelerator programme
The finalists will spend 11 weeks working with the company, developing their ideas while gaining invaluable access to Travis Perkins’ resources, as well as industry-leading insight from specialist mentors. At the end of the 11-week programme, each team will have an opportunity to seal a commercial agreement and potentially receive financial investment in their business.
The final three are:
SpecifiedBy, who provide an online marketplace for construction products and materials, which streamlines the search, comparison and pricing process, helping architects & specifiers to make fast, efficient and better informed specification decisions.
Soter Analytics, who have developed wearable sensors and AI to help industrial workers and their organizations avoid injuries in the workplace. The first application of their AI is the SoterSpine, which coaches workers to reduce hazardous movements that result in musculoskeletal injuries by up to 70%. The solution was designed with the worker as the primary focus and have received positive ratings from 96% of users.
CarTap, who are on a mission to make last mile delivery more convenient and less polluting – by delivering goods/services direct to vehicles. By removing the need for customers to be at home during a delivery, we enable more efficient dark-hour deliveries and reduce peak traffic. We have received support from Innovate UK, the UK’s innovation agency, and we use software, hardware and the cloud to offer a seamless and secure solution.
Cheryl Millington, Chief Digital Officer of Travis Perkins plc said:
“We are delighted to be partnering with L Marks on our BreakThru startup programme. After a global search we have chosen three exciting startup finalists which we believe have the potential to significantly improve the lives of our customers and colleagues. Each startup now has 11 weeks of access to industry specialist mentoring and expertise, guidance on how to develop their solutions and pilot opportunities.”
L Marks chairman Stuart Marks said:
“The opportunity to partner with the UK’s largest supplier of building materials is a unique and exciting challenge. This is a sector that has huge potential for innovation and together with Travis Perkins we have found solutions that can provide an even better service for customers. As finalists in BreakThru, these startups can expect an unprecedented level of support, guidance and industry-leading insight that only Travis Perkins can provide.”
These companies were chosen from over 80 start-ups across Europe, Asia, North America and Australia who submitted their proposals to Travis Perkins in August.
For more information about the programme, please visit www.travisperkinsbreakthru.com
Source: Insight DIY Team & Travis Perkins press release
Insight provides a host of information I need on many of our company’s largest customers. I use this information regularly with my team, both at a local level as well as with our other international operations. It’s extremely useful when sharing market intelligence information with our corporate office.
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