18 startups invited to the second IKEA Bootcamp

The innovation approach has its starting point in the vision – To create a better everyday life for the many people – and in the IKEA values where renew and improved as well as togetherness are core. In a changing world it’s important to co-create with others, in order to find sustainable solutions for the many people The foundation of IKEA Bootcamp has been to find startups that not only share the IKEA vision but can innovate around solving three challenges connected to the IKEA direction; affordability for the many people, connecting with and being accessible for people across the world, and enabling a positive impact on the planet, people and society.

“For us it is great to see that the vision that we are working towards is so relevant worldwide and we are so impressed by all the applicants and the quality of the startups that have applied to IKEA Bootcamp. To only select 18 startups out of 1112 has been incredible hard”, says Per Krokstäde, IKEA Bootcamp manager, at IKEA of Sweden. “We look to find startups where we will have a win-win-win situation”, Per continues, “Win for the IKEA customers, win for the startup, and win for IKEA”.

Throughout the process, the IKEA Bootcamp team has met very high-quality startup companies, and quickly discovered that there in some cases was a better fit to work with IKEA in a different capacity than in the Bootcamp programme. We are therefore looking at a handful of successful sidetrack opportunities as a cherry on top of the selection process. This year the applications came from 62 different countries like China, India, Denmark and Nigeria, besides this the diversity within the startups are great with truly multinational teams. The selected startups are in a growth-stage with the ambition to strengthen their business with support from Rainmaking Innovation and key people from IKEA in order to be a good fit to partner up with IKEA when the program ends. The purpose of IKEA Bootcamp is to make Pilots happen between IKEA and the startups.

“Throughout the process we have discovered so many talented entrepreneurs from all over the world working on important solutions, both for IKEA and society. We have seen a trend of startups that are focusing on customer experience and solutions around accessibility. We have also seen a lot of startups within sustainability and circular movements that can make a big change for the world”, says Michelle Hart, IKEA Bootcamp Programme Director from Rainmaking.

IKEA Bootcamp is a partnership between IKEA Range & Supply, responsible for product development and supply chain for IKEA worldwide and Ingka Group, strategic partner to the IKEA franchise system and the largest IKEA franchisee.

“It has been an excited journey to experience the wide range of innovative and inspiring solutions that the startups are building for the future of retail. We are certain that something great will come of our combined effort to meet customers’ needs in all aspects of life. We are relentlessly trying to create a more affordable, sustainable and exciting customer experience and we believe that collaboration with other is the key to success”, Davide Urani, Strategy, Development and Innovation manager, Ingka Group.

The IKEA Bootcamp will begin end of March and the selected startups that will join in Älmhult are:
 

Fernish (US)

Fernish is a subscription service for your home. Fernish give their customers stylish home furnishings for however long they want them. They do it using circularity as their business model with advanced asset management, re-cycling and up-cycling of the products.
 

Circadia (UK)

Has developed a contactless health sensor and personalised therapies to improve your sleep, mood and energy. They bring medical grade measurements and recommendations to the many people using wide range radar and AI.
 

Bumblebee Spaces (US)

Bumblebee Spaces creates a new way to live by thinking about space in cubic feet instead of square feet. They combine AI and machine learning with robotics storage enabling next level of organisation in your home.
 

Liquiproof LABS (UK)

Liquiproof LABS is providing advanced fashion care solutions that protects, cleans and freshens shoes and clothing keeping them looking their very best for much longer. With IKEA they will use this knowledge to co-create around caring for the furniture range.
 

Flow Loop (DK)

Flow Loop provides smart and sustainable showering solutions for any bathroom that saves up to 85 per cent of water and. 75 per cent of energy. They re-cycle and clean the shower water for maximum comfort while being sustainable.
 

Streem (US)

Makes the worlds expertise more accessible by enhancing real-time communication and collaboration through on-demand video streaming. The platform makes home service professionals enhance their productivity. They can connect specialists to the users sharing AR screens and communication tools.
 

BFrame (IL)

BFrame is providing innovative connection solutions for bamboo, enabling low price, high quality constructions. This unique connection solution will be used in IKEA to co-create sustainable low price products.
 

Adlede (SE)

Creates more successful, relevant and fair advertising through context, sentiment and machine learning. Helps advertisers reach more of the right target group. By using contextual data rather than personal data, Adlede helps engage target audiences where they are and not by who they are.
 

IOVIA (CAN)

Develops a platform to help activate a brands biggest fans and consumers, to drive new commerce and influence the marketing. IOVIA wants brands to work with their customer base rather than with influencers.
 

Emrays (NL)

Develops a platform to instantly predict human reaction to marketing through AI simulation. Gives the customer an edge by predicting human reactions to news, text, images and video through AI simulation. Together with Emrays, IKEA will explore how to better connect to customers with relevant products and content starting in the emotional reactions to home furnishing.
 

Freemi (DK)

Freemi is developing a 'freeconomy' to help people recirculate used belongings. Freemi makes it easy to give away so the user will never have to throw things away. With IKEA they will co-create to expand their business model to reach a larger impact on both circularity and sustainability.
 

Jido Maps (US)

Jido is bringing in the next wave of AR where digital content can have a shared and persistent life in the real world. With Jido IKEA wants to explore how we can bridge the physical and digital retail environment with the goal to enhance the digital customer experience in the physical retail environment.
 

GIAB (SE)

GIAB is working with the principles for circular economy, turning what is considered as waste into an economically valuable resource. GIAB provide input in circular ways to prolong the product life cycle.
 

Beam Impact (US)

Beam enables retail brands to build values-based customer relationships, building on transactional, discount-driven ones, by reaching young customers and letting users donate part of each purchase to causes both the customer and the brand believe in.
 

The Syrup Company (DK)

The Syrup Company deliver the most economical high-end Organic certified beverage using natural ingredients. With their speciality in flavours, they will co-create unique flavours with IKEA.
 

Kaffeform (DE)

Kaffeeform produces reusable coffee cups from recycled coffee grounds and biopolymers. They collect coffee waste and turn it into cups to replace traditional paper or porcelain cups. With IKEA they will co-create on using the IKEA coffee waste and turn it into consumer products.
 

Laesk (DK)

Opposite conventional sodas, Laesk use fermentation as the key to unlock flavours and reduce sugar. The result is healthier and complex sodas. With IKEA, Laesk will co-create into getting fermentation and kombucha into the IKEA product range.
 

Skippings Rocks Lab (UK)

Skipping Rock labs makes packaging disappear naturally by pioneering the use of seaweed. This results in eatable packaging for liquids and other food products. They will co-create around sustainable eatable packaging together with IKEA.

The aim was to find 20 startups that would join the IKEA Bootcamp programme in March and the selection landed on 18 startups as a good fit for the programme. Besides this IKEA has decided to continue the dialogue with several of the other startups which also applied, to look into potential collaborations with them outside of the IKEA Bootcamp programme.