Bringing an ‘outside-in’ perspective to Unilever

Co-creating the future of Unilever, powered by partnerships

We bring an ‘outside-in’ perspective to help teams across Unilever address big challenges and enhance their longer-term strategies through collaboration with start-ups/scale-ups and innovation experts.

By using our knowledge of new technologies and our connections across the global ecosystem of innovators, academics, investors and government bodies, we identify, test and validate the potential of new solutions.

 

Our story

From achieving net zero and tackling plastic waste to regenerating nature and maximising the benefits of AI, we believe that collective action is crucial to unlock new ideas at speed. Since 2014 we have forged over 400 strategic collaborations between Unilever’s business groups and organisations in the entrepreneurial ecosystem.

 

How we work

Our proven innovation process turns opportunity into reality. This is how we make it happen:

1. Collaboration strategy

We co-create the future with Unilever leaders, aligning with their strategic priorities and understanding their challenges, establishing a clear framework for collaborating with the external ecosystem.

2. Ecosystem access

By cultivating relationships with the external innovation ecosystem, the Foundry bridges the enterprise and ecosystem, translating needs from both sides, demonstrating collaboration methods, and managing value creation through start-up/scale-up partnerships.

3. Validation

We establish a process for assessing, testing and determining the potential value of new solutions, building a bespoke integration pathway into the business.

 

Once new solutions have been stress-tested and validated, we scale them back to the business, ensuring they make a last-long impact. Finally, to make sure we are always at the forefront of innovation and technologies, we perform ongoing market monitoring on relevant future growth opportunities, growing and managing a portfolio of partnerships, commercial agreements and technologies for Unilever.

 

How are we different?

The Foundry is all about collaborations. We partner with start-ups and scale-ups to solve real world challenges and generate new value for all.

We do not take equity, IP or expect a share of an entrepreneur's venture. We provide non-dilutive capital in the form of pilots, co-research and co-development. We exist purely to make innovation happen at scale.