Home delivery is key in times of Coronavirus
C4L and EY organized the first International Logistics Matchathon in Luxembourg over the month of June
Luxembourg, June 9th 2020 - The pandemic crisis called for innovative solutions and collaboration in the logistics sector. In this vein, the Cluster for Logistics (C4L) and EY adapted the 4th start-up matchmaking event to bring forth a new form of cooperation between start-ups and established companies. From May 26th to June 25th, the International Logistics Matchathon mobilized Start-ups and established companies to work on common issues and create enriched business opportunities. The first virtual edition chose to be dedicated to home delivery and was organized in cooperation with the Ministry of Mobility and Sustainable development and numerous partners from the business and start-up cosmos.
A blend between hackathon and matchmaking, the first matchathon crystallized a need for better home delivery solutions. The initiative was supported by a collaborative innovation platform, EYCogniStreamer, on which users joined forces to enrich ideas, connect and prepare deployment of innovative solutions. As the meetings were all virtual, with participants as far as Toronto, this platform was key to share the challenges and foster interaction between the companies. Kevin d’Antonio, who coordinated the efforts of the companies, noted that the combination of a hackathon with a virtual matchmaking is a good occasion to highlight Luxembourg and attract start-ups in the Greater region and beyond.
Grosbusch successful with Fruit@Home challenge
Fruit and vegetables distributor Grosbusch was glad to join the project, following the inclusion of private consumers during the Corona-crisis with the “Fruit@Home” service along their professional retail and B2B offer. This service born out of necessity is meant to stay, says managing director Goy Grosbusch. The winning start-ups could help to streamline and enhance the distribution processes of the company.
The first edition attracted 24 start-ups and over 30 supporting organisations. Three teams pitched their combined solution for a home-delivery platform. The teams consisted of two to three start-ups that joined their value proposition to elaborate a complete customer centric offer.
The teams, helped by moderators, presented their solutions to Grosbusch during a final video-meeting on July 2nd. Adapting a business model from professional to private customers requires major operational changes. The teams use advanced data collection and Artificial Intelligence to offer optimized routes, delivery windows or customer support. The requests and expectations being different, an integrated customer care platform is important. Private customers expect smart booking platforms with flexible slots.
Three teams synergize to offer integrated platforms with a green affordable solution.
Pronto, a grocery delivery service, sinfosy, an enabler for industry 4.0, and innoSEP, an AI software developer, presented their “on-demand grocery delivery”. The team devised the framework for an AI-powered end-to-end logistics marketplace for groceries. This customer-centric platform would allow for fast store to door delivery.
Open Routing, an e-commerce logistics solution for grocers with experience in a European capital, and EmailTree AI, an intelligent end-to-end customer service automation, teamed up to show an integrated solution by combining an e-grocer platform with AI Customer Care.
Mile1 (Canada), Motionminers and Filedgr combined hardware support, an ecommerce platform and digital storage to provide a delivery platform with selectable time windows friendly for warehouse workers. Customer satisfaction being essential, the solution includes track and trace and options to give feedback.
Goy Grosbusch listened to the different pitches and took the decision to examine the solution offered by Open Routing and EmailTree to adapt his Fruit@Home service further over the next months.
The new format also served as a test to determine the possibilities in matchmaking and cooperation projects in the future, says C4L director Malik Zeniti. The first edition was a complex case and attracting companies and start-ups was a difficult task in Corona times. The participation encourages the Cluster for Logistics to continue similar events in the future.
In line with Hackathons which took place all across Europe over the past months and the success of the “StartupsVsCovid19” initiative conducted by Ministry of Economy and Luxinnovation, this one-month “Matchathon” brought together international corporations, start-ups and logistics experts who wanted to work together, emphasize cross-border collaborations and to accelerate finding solutions and promote innovative ideas that could help Logistics. The matchathon was an initiative of the C4L and EY Luxembourg, in cooperation with Ministry of Mobility and Sustainable development, Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce, Chinalux Chamber of Commerce, the Luxembourg Open Innovation Club (LOIC), the House of Start-ups (Host), the association Luxembourg Business Angel Network (LBAN) and consulting company CorpPearls.
