Nestle S A : - Unleashing impactful innovations in pet care
February 28, 2020 at 08:04 am EST
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Nestle has launched Unleashed a new accelerator program in pet care.
The Nestle Purina program is part of the global initiative to accelerate innovation, addressing fast-changing consumer needs and major challenges linked to the future of food and nutrition. The program aims to identify and support dynamic and creative start-ups that integrate science and technologies into innovative products and services for pets.
Unleashed leverages Nestle Purina's Research and Development expertise and its commercial reach to foster the growth of selected start-ups. Starting in July 2020, the program gives start-ups access to pet health and nutrition expertise, proof of concept funding, as well as established commercial networks.
Dan Smith, Vice President, Research and Development, Nestle Purina said: 'Unleashed contributes to building an ecosystem in pet care where experts and innovators come together and help promote pet health and wellbeing, creating better lives for pets and the people who love them.'
'In addition to support, advice and funding to prove their concept, start-ups will have access to a wide range of competences at Nestle Purina, including training, learning and networking opportunities. We want to facilitate connections with our businesses to help the start-ups find synergies and inspiration.'
Unleashed is calling for start-ups with a creative mindset and promising technologies including in the areas of personalized nutrition, proactive health & wellness and sustainable solutions including packaging.
Start-ups will be evaluated for the relevance of their business idea, scalability and business model sustainability. They will be supported by a Nestle Purina multi-disciplinary team to help them validate their concepts within 6 months. Each selected start-up will receive funding up to CHF 50,000. Applications for the first call will close on the 31st of March 2020. The program is starting in Europe, Middle East and North Africa.
Unleashed is a spin-off from the global acceleration program that was kicked off last year with the creation of the Nestle R&D Accelerator in Lausanne, Switzerland, that was established with the objective of rapidly translating innovative ideas and concepts into new products and services across business categories. The Nestle R&D Accelerator provides scientists, students and start-ups access to Nestle R&D expertise and infrastructure.
Nestlé S.A. is the world's leading agri-food group. Net sales break down by category of products as follows:
- powdered and liquid beverages (26.7%): soluble coffees (Nescafé and Starbucks brands), coffee in capsules (Nespresso), chocolate drinks (Nesquik, Milo, etc.), tea drinks (Nestea), etc.;
- pet food (20.3%): brands such as Purina, Friskies, Felix, etc.;
- pharmaceutical, nutrition and well-being products (16.4%): nutritional supplements (Resource, Boost, Nutren, Optifast, Peptamen brands, etc.), infant and maternal nutrition products (NAN, illuma, Cerelac, Nido, Gerber), ketogenic beverages (BrainXpert), (Nesquick, Fitness, Cheerios, Lion, etc.), etc.;
- ready meals and seasoning products (12.5%): frozen and chilled dishes (Lean Cuisine, Hot Pockets and Stouffer's brands), soups (Maggi), etc.;
- dairy products and ice cream (11.8%): powdered milk, sweetened condensed milk, yoghurt and cream desserts, ice cream (Nido, Nesvita, Carnation, La Laitière, Coffee Mate, Nestlé Ice Cream, Dreyers, Häagen-Dazs, Extrême brands, etc.);
- chocolates, sweets and biscuits (8.7%): Kit Kat, Smarties, Cailler, Terrafertil, etc. brands;
- bottled waters (3.6%): Nestlé Pure Life, Vittel, Perrier, S. Pellegrino, etc. brands.
Net sales are distributed geographically as follows: Switzerland (1.2%), France (3.8%), the United Kingdom (3.8%), Germany (2.4%), Europe (12.8%), the United States and Canada (35%), China (5.9%), Asia and Oceania (21.4%) and Latin America (13.7%).
NESTLÉ S.A. 
