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Use technology to help revolutionize the Retail Industry

We’re looking for startups that can help our corporate retail partners solve their warehousing, workload, sales, and other retail challenges.

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Our business partners:

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Scale your Retail Technology with StartSmart CEE’s Acceleration Program

Develop your retail technology with the support of an MIT-affiliated startup accelerator and Poland’s biggest corporate retail chains. 

 

Get connected to a partner that’s looking for a startup just like yours to solve their retail challenges. Get valuable feedback, access a wealth of resources and data, and test-drive your idea in real-life scenarios. 

 

Develop your proof of concept, polish your innovation, and go from a growing startup to a fully operational business. 

 

Leverage the expertise that came from 300+ success stories and become our next successful retail tech startup.

Apply now

Why join our Retail Tech Acceleration Program?

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Get an Edge over Other Startups

Get access to resources, know-how, and guidance from an established corporate partner. Scale faster and get to market before your competitors.

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Understand Real Challenges

Join networking and brainstorming sessions and get a better look at the issues experienced by your target audience.

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Avoid Costly Mistakes

Get guidance from experienced business professionals. Avoid costly business mistakes and save time and money you can invest in scaling.

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Access R&D Support

Accelerate development by testing your innovation in a test environment created by one of our corporate partners.

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Give Your Brand a Visibility Boost

Work with established, well-known corporate partners and Increase your brand’s visibility.

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Commercialize Your Idea

Get a chance to get your first high-value client even before you finish the accelerator.

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Get up to €90,000 Non-Equity Grant

Receive funding for testing and technology development, in partnership with our corporate sponsors. *This grant is available for a limited number of startups meeting the formal requirements.

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Join StartSmart CEE (formerly MIT Enterprise Forum CEE) Alumni Club

Become a member of an exclusive startup ecosystem that connects tech startup entrepreneurs, investors, and service providers. Access alumni-only offers and networking events.

Our Corporate Partners

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Rossmann

Rossmann has been operating in Poland since 1993, establishing a formidable reputation as an industry leader. With a steadfast commitment to offering a diverse range of high-quality products and exceptional service, their 17,000-strong team operates across more than 1,800 drugstores, 4 distribution centers, and an independent IT center. This extensive network enables Rossmann to serve over 9.3 million customers, offering a selection of more than 24,000 products.

How can we improve the customer shopping experience by integrating both online and offline solutions?
How can we achieve dedicated, personalized shopping experiences by using rich content?
How can we make self-service checkout easier by using tools like vision analytics?

Who should apply?

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You’re Developing a Retail Tech Innovation

We’re looking for innovative ideas that fit the industry needs of our Startup Acceleration Program.

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You Can Solve Our Partner’s Problem

During each round, we partner with established businesses looking for innovative startups to help them solve their key business challenges.

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You Have a Verified Idea

Our accelerator requires all applicants to have market traction or at least a functioning prototype of their innovation.

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You’re Ready to Commercialize Your Innovation

One of the goals of the Startup Acceleration Program is to commercialize your idea – usually, with the help of your corporate partner.

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Recruitment is closed!

Recruitment for the Autumn 2024 edition is closed, subscribe to our newsletter to get notified about the start of the next Acceleration and other opportunities.

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    Use Retail Tech to Help Other Businesses Become More Competitive

    Retail Technology is crucial in helping reduce inefficiencies, building better processes, and making businesses more competitive. 

     

    At StartSmart CEE (formerly MIT Enterprise Forum CEE), we’re working with the leading Polish and international retail companies looking for innovative, agile startups that can help them solve their retail challenges. 

     

    If you believe your startup can leverage modern technology to address one of our partner’s retail challenges – apply today to Poland’s only MIT-affiliated Retail Tech Startup Accelerator.

    Apply now

    Application Guide

    Learn detailed information about application requirements, key dates & deadlines, as well as necessary documents. Start the application process, join StartSmart CEE (formerly MIT Enterprise Forum CEE) Startup Accelerator, and scale your innovation!

    Download Application Guide Download

    Rules & Regulations

    Learn the eligibility criteria for StartSmart CEE (formerly MIT Enterprise Forum CEE) Accelerator Programs. Discover the formal regulations and rules your startup must comply with to apply.

    Check the Regulations Document Check out

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    Cream Finance Poland and Ender Turing The Startup: Ender Turing Story of the Ender Turing starts with research on the topics they later used to build their product. Co-founders were researching everything… Read more
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    Scale your Retail Tech Innovation with StartSmart CEE Acceleration Program

    Over the last few years, we helped 300+ startups reach their business goals. 

     

    Apply to one of our Acceleration Program today and become our next success story.

    Apply now