ad:Tech and Unilever in startup sustainability hack

STARTUPS WITH a penchant for sustainability are invited to participate in a specially arranged hackathon at ad:tech London for a chance to impress and partner with Unilever. 

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As the headline sponsor of ad:tech London Future Media & Technology Summit, Unilever is set to engage with startups across the conference in a variety of initiatives including the hack. The Unilever Foundry brief reads:

 

In a data driven, always-on world, how can we bring the idea of Sustainable Living to life in a way that’s interesting and relevant to everyday living? What is the role of data to enable this and how can we influence daily habits through data so that people want to live more sustainably?

 

The hack will run as part of the event on 21-22nd October and established startups are invited to join and tap into the expertise and data sources of Unilever that will be made available exclusively to participants. Company marketing, sustainability, IT and consumer research experts will be on-hand during the conference to provide one-on-one mentorship and advice for startups during the event.

 

Winners may be invited to participate in a paid pilot with Unilever, with US$50,000 made available to help develop and test their idea. One winner will also walk away from the event with £5,000 ($8,000) in prize money.

 

Unilever’s ambitions for the hackathon range from reducing the environmental footprint of our daily shower, through to tackling the waste from sachets sold in developing & emerging countries such as India.

 

Marc Mathieu, SVP Global Marketing comments: “Startups are pioneering the future and offer new, innovative ways to connect with consumers. In a data-driven world, we need a network of partners who can help to source, distil and share this data with people in a way that enables them to make small behaviour changes that results in a more sustainable future.“

 

Separately, and as part of Unilever’s involvement in ad:tech London, innovative marketing and media tech startups will pitch to a panel of leading brand, agency and Venture Capital decision makers for the chance to be crowned The Next Big Thing.

 

In this new move, Unilever becomes the first consumer brand to partner the conference and exhibition which this year celebrates its 10th birthday with a ‘Digital Decade: Past, Present, Future theme’.