Startup Innovation Awards for Supply Chain

Now more than ever, retailers look to their supply chain organizations to be responsive, high performing, and able to deliver a best-in-class customer experience. It’s fertile ground for innovation on many fronts, and retailers are looking to new players for ideas on how to adapt and integrate components of leading trends into their organizations. How can your technology help improve retail supply chains?

Challenge Description 

RILA Startup Innovation Awards for Supply Chain is seeking new solutions that are dedicated to helping retailers innovate in these areas:

• Customer Experience - How can retailers optimize their omnichannel customer experience and what technology can improve their rapid fulfilment?
• Internal Operations - How can retailers optimize their supply chain recruitment processes, increase retention and manage their labor availability?
• Leveraging Data - How can retailers leverage big data and predictive/prescriptive analytics to offer a responsive, adaptive and flexible supply chain?
• Automation - How can retailers utilize automation through AI and machine learning to optimize DCs, store replenishment and solve the last mile challenge?
• Supply Chain Management - How can retailers improve inventory accuracy through better management, allocation and transportation tracking? What technologies can improve demand planning/forecasting and end-to-end supply chain visibility?

Award Winner Benefits 

Exposure to top retail executives. All entries will be reviewed by our panel of top retail supply chain executives. Subsequent finalists will pitch to an audience of over 1,500 retail supply chain executives at LINK2020, RILA’s Retail Supply Chain Conference, an unparalleled opportunity for visibility in front of the top decision makers in the industry, at the largest event of its kind. Finalists will also interact with retailer executives in the conference’s Expo Experience, for invaluable one-on-one discussions.

Media exposure. Retail and supply chain trade press will attend the conference and view finalist pitches. Additionally, RILA will arrange press interviews, press releases, blog posts, and a media campaign highlighting the finalists and subsequent winners. The participants will also be showcased on the RILA website. Winners will be highlighted via branding, videos, and other relevant collateral.

Submission Criteria

In order to be considered, your company must be a member of RILA's Startup Network and meet the following criteria:

     1.     Total revenue has not yet reached $50M
                AND
     2.     Total funding of $30M or less AND/OR Founded within the last five years

Attach and submit up to three slides with an overview of your innovative solution via the application form. 
Explicitly indicate how your technology, services, or products create smarter, more flexible, and higher performing retail supply chains, by addressing one or more of the five areas outlined above. Entries exceeding three slides will not be considered.

Address these points in your PowerPoint Presentation:

• Why is your solution innovative, game-changing, or disruptive?
• How does your solution address current or future needs?
• What area(s) of supply chain are affected by your solution?
• How can traditional retailers implement your solutions?
• What are the costs and returns?

PLEASE NOTE, submissions for the Link2020 Retail Supply Chain Conference are now closed.

Please note to participate in any RILA event as a non-retailer, you must be registered to exhibit or sponsor. For more information about exhibiting and sponsoring, contact Tripp Taylor, Vice President, Business Development at tripp.taylor@rila.org. ​​​