This year’s joint SAP.iO Foundries’ virtual startup programme to focus on driving a resilient supply chain will be under the collaborative partnership of SAP and Accenture.
12 tech startups from across the globe, including Singapore’s Portcast, have been selected to join one of the largest SAP.iO accelerator programmes hosted by SAP.iO Foundries Munich and Telaviv. As tech startups that specialise in the field of supply chain and logistics, the cohort will be developing innovative technologies that would enhance supply chain operations by harnessing SAP and Accenture technologies and expertise.
“A resilient supply chain, with risk strategies in place, predicts, responds, and recovers from unanticipated events by either returning to its original state or morphing into a state that is even better at profitably meeting customers’ needs. It is about using the right tools to make the right business decisions, even under pressure,” said Jan Gilg, President and Chief Product Officer SAP S/4HANA.
SAP has been at the forefront of supply chain innovations since the pandemic disrupted the world and forced businesses across all industries to step into unchartered territory and face unprecedented global supply chain challenges. Planning as a service with the SAP Integrated Business Planning for Supply Chain solution and Qualtrics Supply Continuity Pulse solution are some of the free offerings that the German software giant launched during the onset of the COVID-19 health crisis in 2020.
SAP and Accenture Supporting Supply Chain-Oriented Startups
Sharing a common goal, longstanding partners SAP and Accenture have been driving innovation across various industries worldwide harnessing both of the companies’ market-leading technologies and services. Part of SAP and Accenture’s series of initiatives is supporting tech startups to scale innovation and business growth through the SAP.iO programme. In 2021, the two multinationals teamed up for two SAP.iO programmes centred on sustainability – the SAP.iO Foundries North America cohorts for sustainable solutions in the consumer and retail industry and the joint programme by SAP.iO Foundries Berlin and Munich for innovative solutions that would deliver environmental and societal impact.
This year, SAP and Accenture are once again joining forces to help startups advance their innovation and expand market presence under the joint virtual accelerator programme of the SAP.iO Foundries Munich and Tel Aviv themed “Resilient Supply Chain”. The 12 tech startups from four supply chain domains have been selected by a jury of experts from SAP and Accenture, SAP partners and SAP customers.
Under the domain of Business Planning & Resiliency are tech startups Bringoz, Craft.co, numi solutions GmbH, and Tacto. MIXMOVE AS and Portcast are tagged under the Transportation Management domain.
Five tech startups are categorised under the Warehouse and Fulfillment domain namely, CognitOps Inc., Logidot, Magazino Gmbh,Picavi Gmbh, and Verity. Lastly, startup Milkman Technologies represent the Last-Mile Delivery domain.
For 14 weeks, the supply chain cohort will have the opportunity to learn from SAP experts through curated mentorship, have access to SAP technology and application programming interfaces (APIs) as well as collaborate with SAP and Accenture customers.
Singapore’s Logistics Tech Startup
Singaporean tech startup PortCast, one of the 12 SAP.iO supply chain cohort, offers logistics companies a software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform that enhances demand forecasting and real-time vessel and container tracking to help them achieve better profitability, the total cost of operations and enable decarbonisation. Led by Founders Nidhi Gupta and Dr. Lingxiao Xia, who have extensive logistics backgrounds and deep tech research and PhDs, PortCast is backed by a group of data scientists, software engineers, and logistics domain experts as well as tech investment firms.
In September 2021, the logistics tech startup has raised US$3.2 million in a pre-series A round from early-stage venture capital firm Newtown Partners, Wavemaker Partners, TMV, Innoport, and SGInnovate. The new investment is focussed on expanding the company’s global footprint by doubling its manpower and transitioning to a prescriptive AI approach from predictive AI.
“We believe that companies with predictive visibility on cargo movements have a significantly higher preparedness to downstream planning and customer service,” Nidhi Gupta, CEO and co-founder of Portcast, earlier stated.
