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Media release
World’s brightest startups join AkzoNobel’s Paint the Future bootcamp
November 2, 2021
The Paint the Future global startup challenge has invited 11 finalists to take part in a three-day bootcamp taking place in Amsterdam November 16-18. The startups and AkzoNobel experts will meet face-to-face to explore potential collaborations together.
The invited startups will follow a tailored program that includes customized expert sessions, exclusive presentations and plenty of opportunities to network with senior leadership and subject matter experts.
The jury-selected winners will be announced during the event’s closing ceremony. They will receive a prestigious Paint the Future award and a collaboration agreement to work together with AkzoNobel on sustainable business opportunities.
“Paint the Future bootcamps are full of energy and highly stimulating, and I’m really looking forward to meeting these motivated entrepreneurs in person,” says Klaas Kruithof, AkzoNobel’s Chief Technology Officer and Chair of the Paint the Future jury. “Collaborative innovation is a vital part of our People. Planet. Paint. approach to sustainable business. We’re excited to see how collaboration can transform the paints and coatings industry.”
The 11 startups attending the Paint the Future bootcamp in Amsterdam are:
GreenMantra Technologies |
Canada |
Up-cycling of polystyrene waste to styrene monomer/oligomers |
Halley Labs |
Israel |
Optimizing paint application through machine learning |
SolCold Ltd |
Israel |
Sustainable self-cooling coating |
Techstyle Materials |
US |
Coatings that regulate heat and moisture in buildings |
Graphite Innovation and Technologies |
Canada |
Anti-fouling coating specifically designed for propellers |
Repela Tech, LLC |
US |
Novel non-toxic fouling control |
Zinergy |
UK |
Thin film energy storage solution |
Advanced Material Development |
UK |
Temperature or mechanical responsive surfaces |
SIA Aerones |
Latvia |
Robotic solutions for paint application at height |
SprayVision |
Czech Republic |
Data-driven approach towards optimal paint spray application |
HausBots |
UK |
Crawling robot for inspection and application of paint |
“Our jury members have been specially selected to bring a wide range of expertise covering innovation, digital technology, business, science, marketing, investment and customer experience,” says Ally van der Boon, Paint the Future Program Manager. “With both internal and external experts involved, as well as a previous Paint the Future challenge winner, we’re going to get a multi-layered perspective on these solutions and the impact they could have on our industry.”
With this second global startup challenge, AkzoNobel is again expanding its collaborative innovation ecosystem after a previous global startup challenge in 2019 and regional startup challenges in Brazil (2020) and China (2021).
For more information on the 2021 global startup challenge, visit letspaintthefuture.com/global-challenge-2021/ and follow @letspaintfuture on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. To join the event as press, please reach out to the contact listed below.
About Paint the Future
Launched in 2019, Paint the Future is AkzoNobel’s global collaborative innovation ecosystem. It’s a bold initiative to accelerate, test, launch and scale ideas and solutions for the paints and coatings industry. Paint the Future runs a variety of programs to accelerate innovation. Initially open to startups, it was quickly expanded to embrace academia, research institutes and two large groups of suppliers. As the ecosystem continues to grow and build on the success of each program, it’s become the largest in the industry.
About AkzoNobel
We’ve been pioneering a world of possibilities to bring surfaces to life for well over 200 years. As experts in making coatings, there’s a good chance you’re only ever a few meters away from one of our products. Our world class portfolio of brands – including Dulux, International, Sikkens and Interpon – is trusted by customers around the globe. We’re active in more than 150 countries and have set our sights on becoming the global industry leader. It’s what you’d expect from the most sustainable paints company, which has been inventing the future for more than two centuries.
