Anheuser-Busch InBev, the largest beer brewing corporation, announced its 2022 Africa version of the Beer Garage Global Accelerator Program on April 20, 2022. The event drew a virtual audience of 250 attendees, including startups, venture capitalists, accelerators, corporates, and other ecosystem enablers.
Beer Garage is the global tech innovation branch of AB InBev that fosters innovation by developing a comprehensive network of ecosystem stakeholders including startups, SMEs, innovators, universities, and venture investors. The goal of the accelerator program is to uncover disruptive ideas that will help the organisation in leading category growth in the coming years, in order to accelerate innovation and change.
At this stage, it focuses on tackling current and future business concerns in the areas of sales, marketing, supply chain, packaging, future technology and sustainability.
The program is now seeking submissions from early-stage and above startups from across the world to answer particular problem statements for the brewing giant, in the areas of NFT, Metaverse, Sustainable Packaging, Reverse Logistics, Last Mile Delivery, 3P Lending, POS Devices and more.
There will be an equity-free paid proof of concept (up to USD $50,000) for selected entrepreneurs, along with access to investors, new customers and global mentors and leaders through the brewing giant’s global network in more than 100 countries throughout the globe.
The application period for the startup accelerator is open till May 11, 2022. Applications for the program can be submitted via Innovation Shots by Beer Garage, following which the applications will be vetted to determine the final cohort, which will be announced by early June.
Anheuser-Busch InBev’s Global SVP of Innovation, Luiz Gondim, stated, “Innovation is at the forefront of all we do at Beer Garage, and the accelerator is a reflection of that. Our aim through the program is to ensure that all tools are available for startups to drive exponential value for our customers and consumers while also helping startups scale up in their growth journey.”
Guilherme Pereira Pinto, VP of Technology Solutions Africa, AB InBev, said at the launch event, “Anheuser-Busch InBev is excited to select the next batch of startups for the Beer Garage Accelerator 2022. n its debut year, 2021, this accelerator was a huge success, receiving more than 300 submissions. “The final 2021 Cohort challenged how we think about running our operations. We are looking forward to an even bigger year in 2022,” Pinto added.
AB InBev’s Vice President of Technology Solutions Africa, Guilherme Pereira Pinto, stated at the unveiling ceremony, “Anheuser-Busch InBev is thrilled to choose the next cohort of businesses for the Beer Garage Accelerator 2022. In its debut year, 2021, this accelerator was a huge success, receiving more than 300 submissions. The final 2021 Cohort presented a challenge to our operational philosophy. We anticipate 2022 to be an even more successful year.
Neural Sense, Quilt.ai, and Tripplo were the three startups selected for the proof of concept. Neural sense is a neuromarketing company that conducts market research based on neuroscience. Quilt.ai is a rapid and scalable technology platform for obtaining human insights from big data signals. Tripplo is an automated software platform designed to streamline logistics and transportation.
In addition, the Beer Garage Accelerator helps AB InBev identify solutions to its business problems while also expanding the brand’s global reach through collaboration with innovative entrepreneurs.
