IKEA is inviting 20 growth-stage start-ups from across the world including India and Sweden to join its start-up program called IKEA Bootcamp. Through the three months long, semi-remote program slated from March 25 to June 18 2019, IKEA aims to find partners that can help address the big challenges of future – ‘affordability for the many people’, ‘connecting with and being accessible for people across the world’, and ‘enabling a positive impact on the planet, the people and society’.
IKEA Bootcamp is a startup program run by IKEA, in collaboration with Rainmaking. The program first kicked off in 2017 where ten startups were invited to join the program, and work closely together with IKEA and Rainmaking to accelerate their start-up.
The selected and promising start-ups would receive potential partnership or investment from IKEA, access to its resources, channels and leading expertise in the retail sector and strategic support from its 400+ stores across 50 markets. They would also receive financial support, office space and accommodation for on-site pilot events at Älmhult.
Throughout the three months program, the growth-stage start-ups would be managing their day-to-day business while co-creating with IKEA and the latter will continuously explore whether to progress ahead with the collaborations. That means, the start-ups will only dedicate a full three months, if there is a likelihood of partnering with IKEA. The Bootcamp will result in Demo Day as the “big finale” where progress and next steps with IKEA will be presented.
This year the IKEA Bootcamp will be a collaboration between IKEA Range & Supply, focusing on product and supply chain development, where the main focus will be on retail transformation for the future. The program will enable the selected start-ups to develop by applying Rainmaking’s knowledge and experience with accelerators, in the context of the IKEA values and vision.
Eligibility: The program is open to all growth-stage start-ups offers a market-tested solution that addresses one or more of IKEA`s three ‘Big Challenges’ of being truly affordable for the many people, reaching and interacting with the many, and enabling a positive impact on the planet, people and society.
Please Visit http://ikeabootcamp.rainmaking.io/ and send in your application no later than 31 December, 2018. The selections of applications would take place on February 26-28, 2019. For FAQs, please visit http://ikeabootcamp.rainmaking.io/faq/
About IKEA and IKEA India:
The IKEA vision is to create a better everyday life for the many people and we offer well-designed, functional and affordable, high-quality home furnishing, produced with care for people and the environment. There are currently 423 stores in 50 countries with a sales volume of 38.3 billion euros. 936 million customers visited IKEA stores in FY17 and more than 2.3 billion people visited IKEA online. Our 194,000 co-workers from all over the world are the inner strength of IKEA, sharing fundamental humanistic values of togetherness, humbleness, simplicity, cost-consciousness and common sense.
The IKEA Group is the first major single brand retailer to get FDI approval and plans to open several stores and multiple touch points across the main cities in India. The first IKEA India store will open in Hyderabad this year, followed by the Navi Mumbai store in 2019. IKEA has four land sites in the states of Telangana, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Delhi/NCR and continues to look for more in other major cities.
