By CRM staff
Toronto, Ontario — May 22, 2019 — Last week startup companies attended AkzoNobel’s Paint the Future in Amsterdam for the chance to collaborate with industry experts and partner with AkzoNobel on sustainable business opportunities.
AkzoNobel received 160 submissions from startups from all over the world sharing their ideas and creations.
AkzoNobel’s jury chose five startups and rewarded them with the Paint the Future Awards from AkzoNobel. Each of these awards comes with the intention from AkzoNobel to continue working with the recipients on sustainable business opportunities
“We’re very excited to continue our collaborative journey with the recipients of the Paint the Future awards,” says Klaas Kruithof, AkzoNobel’s chief technology officer and chairman of the Paint the Future jury. “Together with these startups, we’re going to drive innovation in paints and coatings beyond expectation, imagination and generations. With the power of an entire ecosystem behind us, big things are on the horizon.”
SAS Nanotechnologies from the U.S. focuses on smart coatings with self-healing microcapsules as anti-corrosive pigments and was one of the five to be acknowledged and given a joint development agreement.
“We’ve been working on this for close to three years now and partnering with a company like AkzoNobel will only accelerate our success,” says Dr. Sumadh Surwade, founder and CEO of SAS Nanotechnologies. “The conversations we’ve had and the input on our technology, it’s fantastic.”
QLayers was another startup from the Netherlands that was given a business agreement. The startup specializes as an automated printing head for coating large surfaces in any weather.
“We share the same customers with AkzoNobel, but by combining our application with AkzoNobel’s coatings we can generate more value. In a year we will almost be ready for our next step, to focus on our growth market: wind turbines,” said Josefien Groot, CEO of QLayers.
Interface Polymers was the third startup from the U.K. that was rewarded with a business agreement. Interface Polymers tunes surface functionality with di-block polymers. “This is something that can make or break a company – and winning this award is just the best thing for our team,” says Dr. Tim Clayfield of Interface Polymers. “We want to go out now and get more funding with the power of this agreement behind us.”
Apellix from the U.S. was given a joint development agreement, for its innovation of an autonomous drone. “We’re really touched to be selected. It speaks volumes that AkzoNobel is working toward innovation and we’re really excited to partner with them in their vision of success,” said Jamie Branch, a mechanical engineer at Apellix.
Alucha Recycling Technologies’ from the Netherlands was rewarded with a sourcing agreement because of its solution for turning waste into bio-oils and minerals. “It’s great that a cool, green company like us can help make the paint industry truly circular,” said Hans Cool the CFO of Alucha Recycling Technologies. “Thanks to AkzoNobel, we look forward to being the world’s first installation to produce circular mineral.”
In addition, KPMG awarded Octo from the Netherlands for its digital solutions for inspections with the KPMG Scale-up Track Award to help them grow their business.
“Our customer needed to know more about the degradation of their buildings to make smarter decisions about maintenance. I hope that within the year, we are expanding internationally but keeping the same Octo spirit!” Co-founders of Octo Marieke Dijksma and Tara Campagne.
