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Why is Unilever seeking to work with
startups?
Ever since our business was
founded in the 1880s, we have been
pioneering. Today, startups are very much
pioneering the future of our lives.
How does Unilever Foundry support the
core business?
The Unilever Foundry is
our platform for startups and innovators to
engage, collaborate and explore business
ideas with Unilever and our 400+ brands.
The Foundry sits across the organization
to understand the challenges faced by
the business and identify new technology
and innovations that can help us. Through
scouting for
startups,
we work to
understand
how they
are going
to change
the world
and change
how we do
business.
How does the
partnership
with startups
bring value to
both sides?
Unilever has
the size, scale,
and leading brands, while startups have
new technology, agility, and new ways of
working. Unilever Foundry is the bridge
between the startup community and the
corporate community. The best way to
accelerate a startup and support their
success is to become a customer and work
with them to help drive their business.
That is what we do through the Unilever
Foundry.
How does Unilever Foundry engage with
startups?
Unilever Foundry enables our
global brands and functions to experiment
with and pilot new technologies more
efficiently, effectively, and speedily. It
provides entrepreneurs the opportunity
to develop and work on global projects,
access mentoring from marketing
professionals, and tap into a new source of
funding through Unilever Ventures.
Since its inception three years ago, we
have piloted 109 projects across various
real business challenges. Of those piloted,
45 have been scaled up – meaning that
they are working with us in 10 or more
countries.
How do Unilever and startups work
together in a physical space?
In February
2017, we launched our own co-working
space –
LEVEL3
– to bring
the startup
community
into the heart
of Unilever’s
regional
headquarters
in Singapore.
We
redesigned an
entire 22,000
SF floor of our
existing office,
creating an
opportunity to
work directly
with the Unilever teams in the building.
As part of the LEVEL3 community,
startups can interact and collaborate with
Unilever to solve business challenges
ranging from marketing
to functions including
finance, logistics, supply
chain, and customer
development.
For Unilever though,
LEVEL3 is not about
selling a desk. It is
offering an ecosystem
for startups to grow by
leveraging the people
that are also in that
physical space.
How does Unilever develop a strong
community around the workspace?
We have partnered with Padang & Co., to
run the space so that LEVEL3 provides
many opportunities for startups and
brands to meet during networking events,
workshops, training, and mentoring
sessions.
The startups we work with are chosen
for their specialization within Unilever
Foundry’s key focus areas and LEVEL3
then provides access to Unilever
employees, VCs, thought-leaders,
industry experts, service providers, and
consultants. It’s a very social and energetic
space. Everyone meets over a cup of
coffee to discuss exciting opportunities
for their brands or talk directly with the
startups about potential briefs and pilots.
LEVEL3 is a unique space because
we are connecting people to create
business opportunities and help startups
understand how large companies like
Unilever work.
Has the LEVEL3 space be successful so
far?
After five months, LEVEL3 has 45
startups with 110 people based there. It
is still the beginning of the journey and
we are experimenting every day. Unilever
Foundry praises experimentation and
collaboration, and at LEVEL3 we are
creating an opportunity for both startups
and corporate communities to innovate
side-by-side. It’s a very exciting time.
CASE STUDY
Unilever - LEVEL3
Singapore
Barbara Guerpillon, Head of Unilever Foundry SEAA,
in conversation with Rob Parker of Cushman & Wakefield
DISRUPTION
18 The Occupier Edge