Alianza Team launches its new Open Innovation Portal

Alianza Team, a Colombian-based corporate group and an expert in lipids and fats and leader in the food sector, has announced the creation of a new Open Innovation Portal to foster collaboration between startups and industry, in doing so responding to the most important challenges of the sector, especially in the field of sustainability. This portal is aligned with the company's aim of 'nourishing a better tomorrow' through the development of innovative products and solutions to respond to new market and consumer needs.

The new open innovation platform was created by Albora, with the support of Eatable Adventures, one of the three most important food technology accelerators in the world. Startups that collaborate with the platform could benefit from an investment plan, access to Alianza Team's facilities that are equipped with the latest technologies, and its logistics network, as well as the know-how of the company's R&D team of professionals.

This is an opportunity to develop their innovative ideas and reach the market quickly, from the hand of one of the leading companies in open innovation in the food and beverage sector in Colombia and one of the 10 most innovative companies in Colombia according to the ANDI (National Business Association of Colombia), the most representative economic guild in that country. Alianza Team has obtained these recognitions thanks to the development of 21 families of patents and the trust placed in global startup investments in the foodtech sector for US$3 million.

The innovation platform will kick off with the 'Let's Raise The Bar' challenge. Its first challenge aims to find the most disruptive startups in the soap industry, in all sectors, to obtain a sustainable raw material that offers a good quality product for its consumers and whose production is friendly to the planet.

Entrepreneurs who participate in this challenge could be able to partner with Alianza Team for the development of new soap lines for future projects, or have the company’s collaboration for the design and manufacture of a specific product, optimizing costs and scaling through access to the company's technology. They could also be able to potentially access other markets and obtain an investment plan.

"Innovation is part of the DNA of our company, being a value that we seek to promote in all areas internally and in the development of the value chain externally. Our commitment with our Open Innovation Portal is to promote an innovative ecosystem that leverages the growth of all the actors that are part of the chain," said Maria Paula Rios, Vice President of Innovation and Digital Transformation of Alianza Team.

"We are proud to launch this new innovation milestone with Alianza Team, a leading company in the food industry and a pioneer in implementing innovative solutions to respond to and anticipate new market challenges," added Mila Valcárcel, Managing Partner of Eatable Adventures. "The collaboration between startups and industry offered by the open innovation model is key to develop and bring to market new products and proposals in a very fast and much more efficient way."