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In Blog

Thoughts on Corporate Venture Capital

Out of many types of corporate open innovation, Corporate Venture Capital (CVC) is one of the most immediate ways to gain access to ground-breaking technologies and trends. Though not cheap, CVC can attract ecosystem’s attention, expose corporations to new business models and technological partnerships, and solve the issue of the “shrinking market share” – if done right. And all this in addition to investment-related perks, such as the possible financial returns.

Roughly speaking, we can distinguish between three main types of corporate open innovation*:

  • Business partnerships – they are either a result of scouting activities or systematic innovation programs, where the corporation invites relevant startups to apply. A few examples of such programs include CITI Accelerator, SAP.IO program, IBM Accelerator, The Builders by Coca-Cola and others.

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In Blog, Tel Aviv, Portfolio News

How GrowthSpace is Personalizing Professional Development

The world is moving faster, and technology is transforming how we do our jobs. It is clear that the way we work is changing rapidly. So… shouldn’t we also change how we train and develop our employees?

As large organizations continue to utilize outdated and generalized professional development methods in the effort to help their employees grow, studies have shown that 75% of HR staff find that their professional development programs are ineffective, and 60% of employees are dissatisfied with professional training they receive (Deloitte Workplace Survey 2018).

This is where GrowthSpace comes into the picture. GrowthSpace is an online one-on-one coaching platform that offers high-quality coaching for tech companies, at the cost of an average workshop. GrowthSpace’s tailor-made service pinpoints an employee’s greatest challenge, matches the employee with the perfect coach who has relevant, hands-on work experience from a similar organization, and creates a personalized 2-month coaching experience. Whether an employee is looking to become a first-time manager, achieve KPIs, or boost creativity, GrowthSpace has the right coach and the right program to meet his or her specific needs.

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In Article, Portfolio News

Artificial Intelligence Wades Through Murky MRO Inventory Data To Drive Down Costs with Better Business Decisions

The ability of artificial intelligence (AI) to improve visibility of ERP inventory data, as well as the implementation timeline for using AI on a daily basis, were among the top interests of participants during a recent webinar, “Taking Stock of AI Technology for Inventory Management.”

The webinar featured expert advice from CEO Paul Noble of Verusen, an innovator in materials inventory and data management technology, and Erik Green, practice lead, Materials & Equipment, at Accenture, a leading global professional services company.

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In Foundries, Article, Tel Aviv, Portfolio News

SAP.iO Foundry Opens a New Cycle in Israel

בשנת 2019 הכריזה ענקית התוכנה SAP על הרחבת פעילות SAP.iO Foundry לישראל. SAP.iO היא זרוע פעילות של החברה ובאמצעותה היא משקיעה ומפתחת שיתופי פעולה עם סטארטאפים ברחבי העולם. לקבוצה שתי פעילויות מרכזיות: SAP.iO Fund שבאמצעותה משקיעה החברה בסטארטאפים בתחילת דרכם, ו-SAP.iO Foundry שהיא תוכנית האצה בת 12 שבועות הפועלת במספר ערים בעולם ובהן: ניו-יורק, סן-פרנסיסקו, תל אביב, ברלין, טוקיו, פריז, מינכן וסינגפור. מטרת התוכנית היא להעניק תמיכה לסטארטאפים נבחרים על ידי הענקת גישה ללקוחות החברה ועל ידי ליווי של מנטורים עסקיים ומומחים טכנולוגים. מאז שהחלה התוכנית ב-2017 ועד היום השתתפו בה 165 חברות מכל העולם.

In Foundries, Paris, Featured

SAP.iO Foundry Paris à la Maddy Keynote avec 7 startups GreenTech

People mingling in conversation

La Maddy Keynote, sommet de l’innovation tricolore créé en 2015, tiendra sa 5ème édition les 30 et 31 janvier prochains au CENTQUATRE à Paris. À cette occasion, l’accélérateur d’SAP, SAP.iO Foundry Paris – l’un des principaux partenaires de l’événement – organisera un Démo-Day mettant à l’honneur plusieurs startups GreenTech & Entreprise Durable complémentaires des solutions SAP. Sept pitchs de startups feront suite à une table-ronde intitulée « Devenir une entreprise durable ». Après 3 mois d’accélération SAP.iO présentera ainsi les solutions innovantes, qui couplées avec SAP S/4HANA, améliorent la gestion des déchets, de l’énergie et des assets pour les clients B2B.

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In Inclusiveness, Global

Unleashing the power of Europe’s women entrepreneurs: Six ideas to drive big change

Focusing on gender diversity and developing entrepreneurial talent are among the top 10 priority areas identified in Innovate Europe: Competing for Global Innovation Leadership, a report published by Digital Europe, an initiative of the World Economic Forum to promote a pan-European approach to innovation.

At a workshop in Berlin in September 2019, over 30 European founders, investors and corporate leaders (both men and women) came together to explore the underlying underrepresentation of women as entrepreneurs and investors in Europe. The workshop was hosted jointly by the World Economic Forum and SAP. The workshop began with a panel representing the founder, investor, corporate and government perspectives, followed by a design-thinking activity in which participants were split into five idea teams, each challenged to develop one new solution leveraging their existing resources and expertise. After the workshop, the five teams continued collaboration via an online platform to further elaborate their ideas and document the first steps needed for implementation.

This paper builds on the workshop results and summarizes the big ideas that will be further explored for implementation.

Read the full report here

In Article, Tel Aviv, Press Coverage, Portfolio News

SAP Expands Innovation in Israel

In 2019, at the opening of SAP.iO Foundry Tel Aviv, Orna Kleinmann, Managing Director of SAP R&D Center in Israel , announced that “The SAP.iO Foundry, an in-residence acceleration program, will broaden the way SAP, a market leader in the enterprise application software arena, will cooperate with Israeli startups”.

For the companies that get accepted into the SAP.iO Foundry Tel-Aviv, it constitutes as a unique opportunity to enjoy access to resources such as technical experts and mentors, and support in connecting to SAP’s customers, all of which enable these companies to leverage their operations based on the newly gained insights. On our side, there is a unique capability generated to make the innovation that answers the biggest challenges of our customers accessible.

The six startups chosen for SAP.iO Foundry Tel Aviv’s first cohort:

EasySend helps companies in the financial industry improve customer experience and increase operational efficiency. EasySend’s simple cloud interface enables companies to create efficient digital processes for their customers.

ARpalus helps retailers and manufacturers with shelf and stock management in brick and mortar stores by collecting and processing data in real time at the sale points using artificial intelligence, image processing, and augmented reality technologies. 

GrowthSpace aims to replace traditional learning and development systems by creating 1Xmany, an online platform for employee and vendor instruction. Users have one-on-one training with coaches via video sessions suited to their career needs.

Outgage is a marketing SaaS company that provides a framework for campaign management using postal mail to bridge the gap between online and offline, to create a personalized brand experience and an efficient dialogue between a company and its customers.

Silverback provides e-commerce companies with an AI-driven platform for decision making in the online sales domain and displays within the best performing products and most competitive prices, and also performs sale-promotion automation.

YOUTILIGENT operates in the IoT industry using machine learning technologies. It enables vendors and service providers to make real time data-based decisions in order to improve the way they communicate with consumers, and aims to solve various challenges in the delivery, consumption, and maintenance industries using its Connected Customer Solution. 

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In Foundries, Press, New York, Portfolio News

Queen of Raw Named to Sustaining Voices 2020 with big brands

The sustainability conversation around textile waste often centers on heaps of consumers’ discarded clothing. But within the supply chain, there are billions of dollars’ worth of unused fabrics, sitting in mills, warehouses and factories, which are typically destined for landfills or incinerators.

New York-based startup Queen of Raw is saving these textiles for new uses through a marketplace that allows sellers and buyers to more easily move materials ranging from Italian wool and leather to cottons and performance fabrics. The increasingly global marketplace allows shoppers to search for materials nearby to their production facilities when possible, cutting back on the environmental impact of shipping textiles with geolocated matchmaking.

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In Press Release, Venture Studio, Global

Fostering an Open Innovation Ecosystem to Buoy HXM

The pace of innovation for human resources (HR) is at an all-time high. Businesses and HR leaders recognize that a motivated, productive, and engaged workforce is essential to compete and succeed in today’s market. However, the old ways of managing talent are simply not as effective as they once were.

Recognizing there are challenges that require specialized solutions, the SAP.iO program helps innovators both in and outside of SAP build products, find customers, and address industry challenges. These startups push traditional thinking and processes and leverage emerging technologies to drive employee- and people-first cultures.

SAP.iO Venture Studio encourages entrepreneurs specifically inside of SAP by funding employee-led innovations. For example, Brilliant Hire by SAP leverages a network of experts to recruit at scale and bring the best candidates to in-person interviews. The solution now integrates with SAP SuccessFactors Recruiting Management. FlexPay by SAP, which recently launched a beta program, allows employees to tap into their accrued earnings ahead of payday to cover unforeseen expenses and avoid costly late fees, overdraft fees and payday loans. Integrated into SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central and SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central Payroll, the solution also offers money budgeting and savings tools.

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In Article, Inclusiveness, Paris

SAP partenaire de l’association Les Déterminés pour soutenir l’entrepreneuriat dans les quartiers populaires et milieux ruraux

SAP France annonce que son accélérateur SAP.iO Foundry Paris accompagne la 12ème promotion de l’association Les Déterminés dont la mission consiste à développer l’entrepreneuriat dans les quartiers populaires et les milieux ruraux. Dans le cadre de ce partenariat, SAP.iO Foundry Paris s’engage à mettre à disposition ses locaux et l’expertise de ses collaborateurs pour accompagner les 20 entrepreneurs de sa nouvelle promotion, sélectionnés sur plus de 470 candidats.

Par cette collaboration, SAP entend contribuer au développement de la diversité dans l’entrepreneuriat et donner la possibilité à ses équipes de participer et s’engager dans une action avec un impact sociétal en ligne avec ses valeurs et l’initiative NoBoundaries de SAP.iO

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In Press, Tel Aviv

SAP to Expand Development Center Team in Israel

German software multinational SAP SE announced this month that it was expanding its R&D center in Israel and looking to recruit some 100 big data experts, software engineers, and team leaders over the coming year.


The recruitment drive is set to bolster the SAP-Gigya team at the R&D center which currently employs over 700 people including more than 100 from Gigya, the Israeli customer identity management firm SAP acquired in 2017 for $350 million.

SAP also runs a number of other operations in Israel. Last year, SAP announced the first foundry program by its venture capital arm SAP.iO in Tel Aviv with seven local startups.

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