As a member of the SAP global startup program SAP.iO Foundry Tokyo, SAP Japan has recently decided to support six startups in line with the theme of “Sustainable Enterprise.”
As part of SAP.iO — which aims to accelerate and scale startup innovation while also fostering employee initiatives — new collaborations and products are developed for German enterprise software giant SAP. Organisations from every geographies, industries, and line of businesses come together at SAP.iO to improve the way businesses run their operations. As of 2017, the global startup support program of SAP has assisted more than 400 external startups and internal ventures in accelerating their growth, while also providing access to thousands of SAP customers to cutting-edge technologies.
Last November, six international tech firms were accepted into SAP.iO’s sustainability startup program where they could leverage next-generation technologies to help organisations in the Asia-Pacific and Japan region reach their goals of preserving socially responsible supply chains, combatting climate action, and transitioning to a circular economy.
In Japan, SAP.iO began in 2019 as a “practical” program that connects companies with the transformative needs of the Japanese industry while also encouraging co-creation with startups. To date, the initiative has completed five cohort programs, with a sixth on the way. (InsideSAP Asia often references articles from websites in other languages to bring you as much information as possible.)
Hirofumi Suzuki, President and Representative Director at SAP Japan Co., Ltd., shared in a statement on LinkedIn:
“I am pleased to share with you that we selected six startups to participate in the first half of the FY 2022 cohort program of the SAP.iO Foundry Tokyo, SAP’s global startup support program in Japan.”
“For this year’s program, we were looking for B2B startup companies to work with SAP Japan under the theme of “Sustainable Enterprise”. Congratulations to the six companies that were successfully selected,” Suzuki further said.
Accelerating Innovation Through the SAP Global Startup Initiative
Astamuse Co., Ltd., Babel Co., Ltd., Eitoss Co., Ltd., Latona, Inc., Pirika Co., Ltd., and Sutainacraft, Inc. will officially participate in SAP.iO Foundry Tokyo. Mentors, who will primarily be product specialists and significant individuals from SAP’s sales teams, will provide guidance to the six companies. The cohort program, which will be conducted over the course of the next 13 weeks, will cover the topics listed below:
- Sharing knowledge and experience to contribute to business-to-business (B2B) strategy
- Integrating SAP products using APIs
- Developing joint proposals to solve issues faced by SAP enterprise customers
Meanwhile, this week also saw last-mile delivery software company Milkman Technologies being chosen for SAP.iO’s startup program for resilient supply chains. The firm was selected by a panel involving SAP and Accenture professionals, as well as SAP partners and customers. Launched by SAP.iO Foundries in Munich and Tel Aviv, the initiative is primarily focused on building a resilient supply chain by harnessing partnerships with innovative startups that incorporate their advanced technologies with SAP product lines.
Furthermore, Milkman Technologies is the only organisation operating in the last mile category. For the duration of its participation in the program, the company intends to broaden the scope of the SAP Digital Supply Chain portfolio by offering improved order visibility and earlier shopper involvement. This is in addition to contributing to a better customer experience through automated governance of the last mile.
Thrilled to be announcing the news, Milkman Technologies Chief Executive Officer Antonio Perini, Milkman Technologies CEO, remarked:
“I am very excited for this opportunity to integrate the Milkman Home Delivery Platform with the SAP Digital Supply Chain portfolio. Thanks to SAP experts, partners, and customers for selecting our innovation in the last mile category for organisations with direct-to-consumer (D2C) operations.”
