Venture Café Teams Up with Ahold Delhaize USA Services Company to Host New Supply Chain Immersion Program
Flexible 10-week program will provide free training and mentorship to help accelerate market validation and product-market fit for retail supply chain solutions
BOSTON, June 19, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Venture Café, a non-profit focused on growing inclusive entrepreneurship in New England, announced today that it has teamed up with Retail Business Services (RBS), the services company of Ahold Delhaize USA, to launch a new supply chain immersion program. The 10-week program is designed for early-stage entrepreneurs focused on building a next-generation products or services to solve problems in the retail supply chain. Entrepreneurs/teams can apply at http://www.vencaf.org/supplychainseed.
"We're excited to partner with Venture Café on this innovative program to support early stage entrepreneurs," said Andre Shaw, SVP of Demand Management for Retail Business Services. "We're constantly evaluating new and emerging technologies and their applications for our business. We look forward to engaging with start-ups who share our interest in creating the supply chain of the future."
The Supply Chain Seed Program, powered by Retail Business Services, an Ahold Delhaize USA company, will combine the best of Venture Café's programming prowess with exclusive access to supply chain executives. Five entrepreneurs/teams will be selected to participate in the program and will receive workshop training, industry mentorship, startup coaching, and tour Retail Business Services' new information technology office, which includes the company's innovation lab, Propulsion Labs. The program will culminate in the Supply Chain Innovation conference held at Venture Café Cambridge where the program participants will demo their solutions and pitch a panel of investors.
Venture Café has launched a number of new programs during 2019 to address gaps in the Greater Boston startup ecosystem like the Supply Chain Seed Program, including weekly networking and light programming for nine years, and has built a community that attracts 25,000 participants annually.
"We are now turning our attention to launching low barrier programs that educate and diversify the community," said Chandra Briggman, Director of Venture Café Cambridge & Providence and head of the new Seed Program series. "It's important that we help aspiring entrepreneurs learn the fundamentals of how to launch successfully, while also reaching a broader demographic with the resources accessible via our platform.".
Applications are open until July 1, 2019 with programming taking place July 11—September 19, 2019.
About Venture Café Cambridge
Venture Café Cambridge is the Kendall Square-based site of the Venture Café Foundation. It is best known for its flagship Café Night programming held weekly on Thursday where it educates and connects local entrepreneurs, investors, and enterprises to catalyze innovation and entrepreneurship in the Greater Boston area. It is an essential stop for entrepreneurs and innovators who have open access to office hours, training, conferences and a variety of networking opportunities. Founded in 2010 in Cambridge, MA, Venture Café has grown into a global network of sites designed to forge relationships within innovation communities around the world. Venture Café Cambridge is operated by the Venture Café Foundation, a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization focused on entrepreneurship and innovation-based economic development, with a mission that every person with an idea should feel empowered to become a successful entrepreneur. The Venture Café Foundation operates District Hall, the Roxbury Innovation Center, Venture Café Providence, District Hall Providence, and Starthub.org. For more information, visit at http://www.vencaf.org.
About Retail Business Services
Retail Business Services is the services company of Ahold Delhaize USA, currently providing services to six East Coast grocery brands, including Food Lion, Giant Food, GIANT/MARTIN'S, Hannaford and Stop & Shop, as well as the country's largest online grocery retailer, Peapod. Retail Business Services leverages the scale of the local brands to drive synergies and provides industry-leading expertise, insights, and analytics to local brands to support their strategies. For more information, visit http://www.retailbusinessservices.com.
SOURCE Venture Café Foundation
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