General fields of interest

Automated shopping experience

How can we develop autonomous shopping solutions to make them even more accessible and easy for consumers?

AI has transformed the retail experience forever. In fact, AI is projected to account for $27.24 billion in the retail market by 2025 and 10,000 stores are forecasted to implement autonomous checkouts by 2024. The use of these newest technologies has allowed retailers to create autonomous stores with self-checkout options. More than just cutting operational costs, it’s making the process much more convenient.

Current retail market leaders are researching and testing innovations to improve their solutions. There is an active need to make stores cheaper to run, while also making them more accessible and convenient for customers.

This is why Żabka Polska, and Coca-Cola HBC Poland and Baltics, are searching for startups that will help them develop new experiences for customers. Can you make autonomous stores more intuitive, safe and self-sufficient? Our partner’s goals are to move beyond core functionalities, seeking solutions that will:

• create value for the local community and help them become part of future cities or rural infrastructure
• create an extensive ecosystem of modern, convenient consumer services based on large data sets
• allow users to enter the autonomous shop using intuitive access forms
• increase the customer’s sense of security in the shop through response mechanisms, alongside the avoidance of theft and vandalism
• influence consumers’ shopping path

By participating in the MIT Enterprise Forum CEE acceleration program, you have the opportunity to become a business partner of current market leaders. Are you ready to face the challenge? Take the opportunity to boost your startup and sign up for our Acceleration Program! 

AI in Sales Reporting

How can we implement AI in Sales Analysis to increase the number of transactions?

According to Salesforce, sales leaders believe that AI will grow faster than any other technology. The same report proved that highly-performing sales teams are about 5 times more likely to use AI than underperforming ones. Forward-looking companies are catching on to this fact. Artificial intelligence is helping both lead volumes and overall sales performance. It automates and augments a huge part of the sales process, making it more efficient. 

Companies are likewise constantly increasing their marketing budgets. In 2020, about 70% of businesses in North America did exactly that. A large part is typically allocated for MarTech (marketing technology). Spending on AI-based MarTech solutions is projected to reach $52.2B by the end of 2021.

This is why, when it comes to AI in Sales Reporting, Żabka Polska, and Coca-Cola HBC Poland and Baltics, are looking for innovators. Together, our partners are searching the MarTech field for solutions that will:

• gain insights into data and generate easy-to-read conclusions for category managers in sales, pricing and marketing
• create price and promotions simulations, based on AI
• drive sales/engagement in the e-commerce channel
• use AI in retail to increase sales of beverages
• develop intelligent retail solutions for the store of tomorrow
• provide other means and processes that nonetheless strive to increase transactions.

By participating in the MIT Enterprise Forum CEE acceleration program, you have the opportunity to become a business partner of current market leaders. Are you ready to face the challenge? Take the opportunity to boost your startup and sign up for our Acceleration Program!

Sustainable packaging and business

What solutions can we implement to work toward a World Without Waste?

To do their best to avoid an environmental crisis, responsible market leaders are paying attention to sustainable development. Companies are actively looking for solutions to decrease their impact on the environment. Let’s create a better future for all of us!

In 2018, Coca-Cola launched an ambitious environmental program to help them work toward a World Without Waste. The company is aiming to collect and recycle a bottle or can — regardless of where it comes from — for every one they sell by 2030 as a part of their goal. 

Coca‑Cola HBC Poland and Baltics is seeking innovative ideas that will help in the field of waste management, sustainability and packaging innovation. They’re seeking startups that will:

• engage consumers to build together the World Without Waste
• know how to innovative methods to clean/segregate the returnable PET (polyethylene terephthalate) into re-processing of PET
• improve efficiency in waste collection and segregation
• innovate packaging processes through new sustainable materials, certified by the food standard agency,
• find possibilities in areas where wind generators cannot be used and explore alternative clean energy.

By participating in the MIT Enterprise Forum CEE acceleration program, you have the opportunity to become a business partner of current market leaders. Are you ready to face the challenge? Take the opportunity to boost your startup and sign up for our Acceleration Program!

Biogas efficiency

How can we make biogas production more efficient?

Currently, more and more companies are aiming for sustainable development in every aspect of their business. One such solution for reducing their environmental impact is using biogas as a source of energy. 

The United States produces more than 70 million tons of organic waste each year. When managed poorly, it can pose a serious threat to the environment and public health. However, when decomposing, organic waste generates a large amount of methane. It’s a powerful greenhouse gas that’s less harmful to the atmosphere than carbon dioxide. Using such organic waste to generate energy reduces the damage of both air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. 

MCX Group is aiming for sustainable development in every aspect of their business. That’s why they’re looking for innovative startups that will:

• improve efficiency/yield in the biogas production process
• ensure the stability of production and improve the quality of biogas produced from different source materials (such as waste from the agri-food industry) using economically justified technologies
• automatize biogas production processes from source material (waste) collection to efficient fermentation
• improve the potential impact of biogas plants on the local environment
• help local farmers deal with drought by taking advantage of biogas plants

By participating in the MIT Enterprise Forum CEE acceleration program, you have the opportunity to become a business partner of current market leaders. Are you ready to face the challenge? Take the opportunity to boost your startup and sign up for our Acceleration Program!

Wind farms

How can we make the energy production process more efficient and environmentally friendly?

The Global Wind Energy Council biennial outlook showed scenarios where the wind could supply as much as 20% of the world’s electricity. This would both create 2.4 million new jobs and reduce CO2 emissions by more than 3.3 billion tonnes per year.

“Now that the Paris Agreement is coming into force, countries need to get serious about what they committed to last December. Meeting the Paris targets means a completely decarbonized electricity supply well before 2050, and wind power will play the major role in getting us there”, said Steve Sawyer, Secretary-General of Global Wind Energy Council.

MCX Group is aiming for sustainable development in every aspect of their business. That’s why they’re looking for innovative startups that will:

• make energy production processes more efficient and environmentally friendly
• implement AI, machine learning and Big Data processing to benefit the management of wind farms and other energy sources
• generate savings or increase wind farm efficiency using information systems, such as smart metering, remote meter reading and smart systems/grids
• develop software for automatic meter reading (electricity, gas, heating, water etc) covering AMI (Advanced Metering Infrastructure) technology and functionalities to enable data and smart utilities management
• develop new micro grid and energy storage solutions.

By participating in the MIT Enterprise Forum CEE acceleration program, you have the opportunity to become a business partner of current market leaders. Are you ready to face the challenge? Take the opportunity to boost your startup and sign up for our Acceleration Program! 

Solar energy

How can we increase the efficiency of solar energy production?

Solar energy is the cheapest and most efficient source of energy in the world. The amount of sunlight striking the Earth in 1.5 hours is enough to handle the entire world’s energy consumption for a year! It would be a shame not to use it. 

According to The Guardian, 55% of the world’s new renewable energy is now solar. It’s a huge, constantly growing market. What’s more, the US alone is predicted to install 4 million PV panels in 2023. Solar panels have a long life, with many of the first operational solar panels still in use after 30 or 40 years. Even then, 90-97% of a decommissioned panel’s materials can still be sold or recycled.  

This is why MCX Group is looking for innovative startups from the solar energy field that will:

• develop solar cells, based on new materials and other technologies, to enable energy generation from solar sources,
• improve the efficiency of solar energy generation and improve other operational characteristics of conventional solar cells.

By participating in the MIT Enterprise Forum CEE acceleration program, you have the opportunity to become a business partner of current market leaders. Are you ready to face the challenge? Take the opportunity to boost your startup and sign up for our Acceleration Program!

Better construction materials

How can we maximize the efficiency of the construction process, while also decreasing its environmental impact?

Through the years, the construction industry has been implementing a series of building material innovations. However, despite the growth of the industry, the market leaders are often struggling to keep up with demand while maintaining production efficiency. 

What’s more, according to research by Bimhow, the construction sector contributes to 23 percent of the world’s air pollution, as well as 50 percent of its climatic change, 40 percent of its drinking water pollution and 50 percent of its landfill waste.

To address those challenges, construction companies are looking for solutions that will maximize efficiency and, at the same time, decrease their environmental impact by using CO2-neutral construction materials. They want to create materials that are stronger, self-sustaining and better for the environment.   

That is why JD Group is looking for solutions that will: 

• improve currently used building materials, increasing their functional properties and improving joining technologies
• innovate material and construction solutions, reducing electricity losses
• maximize the efficiency of the construction process by the production of materials with high thermal insulation parameters
• develop new advanced composites and nanocomposites with enhanced parameters, in particular: construction and insulation parameters, as well as increased resistance to ageing processes
• improve and stabilize the quality parameters of fly ash

By participating in the MIT Enterprise Forum CEE acceleration program, you have the opportunity to become a business partner of current market leaders. Are you ready to face the challenge? Take the opportunity to boost your startup and sign up for our Acceleration Program!

Drug discovery and development

How can we discover new drugs and make the drug discovery process more efficient?

Drug discovery is a 4-step process through which new potential medicines are identified. It’s crucial for the medical industry that new drugs are discovered. In 2021, around 5,100 pharmaceutical companies have active research and development (R&D) pipelines. Yet drug discovery remains a long, complex and expensive undertaking.

In the US, it takes 12-15 years for a new drug to get approved. In 2020, the average R&D cost to develop a pharmaceutical compound was about 2.5 billion dollars. Current pharma market leaders are seeking solutions to make the drug discovery process cheaper and quicker. That’s why our partner Adamed is looking for innovative startups that will: 

• develop technologies that will improve drug discovery and development processes (including clinical trials)
• find a novel indication for a known substance that would be patentable, ensuring the product will not face generic competition
• create novel therapeutic moieties

By participating in the MIT Enterprise Forum CEE acceleration program, you have the opportunity to become a business partner of current market leaders. Are you ready to face the challenge? Take the opportunity to boost your startup and sign up for our Acceleration Program!

Drugs manufacturing & dosage form-related technologies

What can we do to improve the drugs manufacturing process and find the ideal drug dosage form?

The drug market has changed significantly over the last 10 years, especially regarding medication. The industry is changing because of the influence of new, enhanced drug products. This innovation enabled products with the same drug substance to deliver significant benefits, cutting costs and increasing production efficiency. 

All of these improvements are translating into a rapid change of dosage forms we use to deliver drugs to patients. The drive to deliver the best possible drugs means that we need to find an ideal dosage form. Of course, there is no such thing as a universal perfect dosage, as it depends on the personal needs of the patient and the API. However, drugs should have broad applicability.

Because of this, Adamed is looking for innovators from the fields of drugs manufacturing & dosage form-related technologies to help with:

• offering new dosage forms
• targeting an innovative dosage form to a new, otherwise unreachable patient population
• rendering a competitive advantage in terms of launch times for new drugs

By participating in the MIT Enterprise Forum CEE acceleration program, you have the opportunity to become a business partner of current market leaders. Are you ready to face the challenge? Take the opportunity to boost your startup and sign up for our Acceleration Program!

Telehealth

What solutions can we implement in the fields of telecare, remote patient monitoring, diagnosis and prevention?

The pandemic of COVID-19 has forced many healthcare providers to use solutions that allow physical separation. During the first quarter of 2020, the number of telehealth visits increased by 50%. 

The telehealth revolution has greatly expanded the resources we can use and caused the repurposing of some existing technologies. This has allowed medics to monitor their patients even when the latter were isolated at home. 

Already, about 97% of healthcare leaders have expanded their telehealth access since the COVID-19 outbreak. The popular use of those solutions has opened new possibilities that can be beneficial even after the pandemic. 

That’s why our Partners PZU and Adamed are looking for highly scalable (without dedicated hardware) medical solutions that will: 

• improve self-diagnostics, with an emphasis on remote usability
• remotely monitor patients with chronic diseases
• proactively address the needs of elderly patients
• make the diagnostic and therapy process faster, simpler and more efficient.

By participating in the MIT Enterprise Forum CEE acceleration program, you have the opportunity to become a business partner of current market leaders. Are you ready to face the challenge? Take the opportunity to boost your startup and sign up for our Acceleration Program!

Car driver’s support

How can we support car drivers in all aspects of their daily life?

For most people, it’s easy to get used to driving and simply forget how dangerous it can be. Drivers tend to get very complacent about their driving skills. Such routines often lead to bad habits that can be disastrous. Although the statistics of fatal accidents have improved over the years, driving still remains the most dangerous thing most of us do every day.  

According to NHTSA, ⅔ of motorists will be involved in an injury accident during their life. This proves that there is still room for improvement when it comes to driver safety and education. This is why PZU is looking for innovative startups that will help with:

• driver education,
• driver safety,
• car servicing,
• any other aspects of a driver’s life. 

By participating in the MIT Enterprise Forum CEE acceleration program, you have the opportunity to become a business partner of current market leaders. Are you ready to face the challenge? Take the opportunity to boost your startup and sign up for our Acceleration Program!

HEALTH

Human medicinal products (novel drugs – small molecules and biomolecules, value added generics, novel indication for known substances, biosimilars, biobetters, advanced therapy medicinal products)

• Drug delivery and dosage forms technologies
• Technologies improving patients’ compliance
• Technologies supporting drug discovery and development process (including clinical trials)
• New therapeutic targets
• API manufacturing technologies
• Specialized nutrition foods and dietary supplements
• Digital therapeutics
• Bioinformatics
• Medical simulation
• Telemedicine technologies, including diagnosis and therapy
• Adverse events and complications monitoring
• Diagnostic imaging technologies as well as diagnostics based on other detection techniques (primarily for Point of Care)
• Point of Care in vitro diagnostics (IVD)
• Actionable biomarkers
• Advanced materials technologies in medicine, including hybrid materials incorporating cells and tissues
• Synthetic biology in medicine
• Regenerative medicine technologies
• Sensors with applicability in med-tech space

We believe that known molecules may feature clinically important benefits that can be extracted through novel indications, dosage forms, drug delivery technologies or the new routes of administration, and translated into value-added medicinal products. We are also convinced that utilization of these and other innovative technologies can improve patients’ adherence. Yet, we understand that some medical needs require identifying novel active substances and developing innovative drugs. We’re fully supportive of teams with such ambitious efforts.

MARTECH

Future store – INTELLIGENT RETAIL SOLUTIONS

• How to drive sales/engagement in e-commerce channel? Food aggregators, e-shops
• How to engage consumers more?
• How to improve merchandising?
• How to increase sale of specific products?
• How to connect e-sport with customer activations?
• How to influence consumers’ shopping path?
• How to remotely administer replenishment?
• How to remotely administer promo actions in reference to sell out in real time?
• How to use AI in retail to increase sales of beverages?

SUSTAINABILITY

• How to close a packaging loop and give them second life?
• How to engage consumers to build together World Without Waste? We want to collect and recycle 100 proc. equivalent of packaging put into consumer.
• It’s your turn – decide if the bottle you bought will be thrown to yellow been. How to engage consumers in the process of taking sustainable decisions
• Innovative methods to clean / segregate the returnable PET into re-processing of PET
• How to establish production of biogas from waste water from sludge created in biological wastewater plant
• Heat recovery projects in manufacturing plants where pasteurization, boilers, coolers are used – innovative approaches
• Innovative programs of behavioral based approach to savings across organization – to make people think about little steps
• Innovative technology of chemical processing of returned PET, which breaks polymers into monomers and allows to receive back food grade PET material, close or same as virgin
• Clean energy generation – possibilities in areas where the wind generators cannot be used, alternative ways to receive clean energy (not only certificates)

BIOGAS PLANTS

• How to improve efficiency/yield in biogas production process?
• How to ensure the stability of production and how to improve the quality of biogas produced from different source materials (waste from agri-food industry): using economically justified technologies for pre-treatment of “difficult” substrates, i.e. those requiring grinding, thermal or thermal-pressure treatment, using economically justified technologies for the removal / binding of excess ammonium nitrogen in fermentation chambers, using installations for measuring dry matter, protein, fat or carbohydrate content in the flow?
• How to automatize the biogas production process from source material (waste) collection to efficient fermentation?
• How to improve the potential impact of biogas plants on the local environment using effective biological or chemical agents for odor neutralization and using appropriate method of receiving and storing odorous substrates?
• How to help the local farmers to deal with the drought by taking advantage of biogas plants?
Innovative solutions for heat usage produced in biogas plants,
• How to manage the biogas substrates based on optimal usage of the warehouse space

SOLAR AND WIND FARMS

• Solar cells based on new materials and other technologies allowing for energy generation from solar sources,
• New technologies allowing for improving efficiency of energy generation and other operational characteristics of conventional solar cells,
• Solar inverter solutions to increase efficiency and reliability of PV system
• Innovative approach to Predictive Maintenance for wind farms

ENERGY MARKET

• How to generate savings or be more efficient using information systems – smart metering, remote meter reading, smart systems / grids?
• Developing software for automatic meter reading (electricity, gas, heating, water) covering AMI (Advanced Metering Infrastructure) technology, functionalities to allow to use data for smart utilities management,
• Automation and optimization of processes of electricity and heat generation, storage, trading, and distribution,
• Developing AI systems, machine learning, Big Data processing in the context of biogas plants, wind farms, and other energy sources management,
• Smart self-learning software for securing computer and industrial networks, and workstations (PCs, laptops, smartphones) in the context of distributed energy and industrial systems management,
• Micro mobility and EV solution for masses,
• Micro grid and energy storage solutions,
• Forecasting renewable energy production based on customer demand and electricity prices

SMART CITY SOLUTIONS

• Using telecommunications / IT solutions to increase effectiveness of companies,
• Using technology to improve data-based strategic management of the city,
• Using technology to help local administrations in making cities smarter,
• More efficient utilization of public spaces [parking lots, squares, etc.],
• Road space examination and diagnosis using innovative technologies,
• Using sharing economy solutions and apps,
• Creation of ICT platforms to meet the residents’ needs in a sustainable manner,
• Using ICT solutions in e-services and on-line tools for knowledge management,
• Smart software for building automation – energy management optimization,
• How to use IoT and related technology to achieve lower energy consumption, lower costs, better quality of life, security?
• Wireless communication technologies collecting data from various sensors,
• Data collecting, storing, and processing technologies,
• Public space reservation systems (parking lots, halls, parks)
• Ecosystem of plants and insects in an urban space
• Collection points of reusable packing

HEALTH

How to effectively introduce and maintain new electronic forms of communication with patients, including e-prescribing, e-diagnosing, telemedicine?
• How to improving citizens health and welfare conditions through electronic platforms of data gathering and exchange using machine learning mechanisms and / or other optimization techniques?
• How automation of communication with patients and facilitating access to effective medical care through mobile solutions?
• How Improving quality of diagnosis and drugs distribution through automation and software solutions?
• How secure and effective introduce new methods of medical data storing, managing, and distributing?
• Effective and deployable mechanism for help handle „lockdown” and pandemic situation,
• Elderly focused services for better lives and hospitality, long term and remote applications,
• Scalable health care solutions for aging adults,
• New and affordable way to help people with chronic diseases,
• Health solution in area of diagnostic and help in telemedicine,
• Genome-based therapy and personalized medicine,
• Monitoring systems of the key health parameters of the chronically ill and the elderly

CYBERSECURITY

• Open source intelligence software and techniques (OSINT),
• Identity management including security in privacy data,
• Infrastructure hardening and securing,
• Data access management and monitoring,
• IoT security and discovery,
• KYC processes and new ways of authentication and authorization (face recognition / biometrics ),
• Security and management solution for IoT area,
• Solution for cloud security – platform agnostic,
• Supporting cloud migration and service orchestration for multi-platform solution,
• Automation services/application in area of security,
• Handling news and information prioritization / verification using AI,
• Using AI in the development of SOC processes

MACHINE LEARNING / DEEP LEARNING / AI

• Voice data classification/ recognition/ grama,
• Free text data analysis and classification,
• Image/ Streaming data processing and recognition,
• Data modeling and classification (finance trends, predictive maintenance, forecasts in energy area etc.),
• Environmental perception and behavioural modelling,
• Timeseries based analysis and modelling and classification,
• Data conversion into text data
• Fact analysis aiming at prediction of the potential resolution in administrative proceedings.

ROBOTICS

• Drones, automations,
• Microsensors, optical solutions,
• On- the- edge computing/ steering/ data flows,
• Timeseries based on edge processing,

BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGIES

• Payments area: usage of the blockchain in payment/banking industry,
• Smart Contracts practical usage,
• Practical use cases for usage of blockchain networks (industry, fintech, energytech, health data etc.),
• Distributed apps,

SMART PAYMENTS

• Developing (or significant improvement of already existing) innovative products and services allowing for cashless payments using existing and or new technologies: PSD2 payment solutions, cryptocurrency payment systems,
• Increasing security of electronic money circulation in order to minimize events related to cybercrime and fraud: Cryptocurrency as a secure value carrier, increasing security of transactions employing smart contracts,
• Mobile and secure solutions for payments and cashless payments acceptance: currency-agnostic payment system, seamless payment services using i.e. beacons,
• Developing innovative projects of payment system universalization in a local community, i.e. city: seamless payment services using i.e. beacons, context-based identity pay-by-plate and pay-by-token solutions, autonomous retail shops,
• Developing smart payments model with secure and universal access.