Scaleup X is a new programme launched by Tomorrow Street that fosters scaleups and their solutions meeting the innovation priorities of Vodafone. Kenneth Graham, CEO of Tomorrow Street, tells us more about the programme and its impact.
Can you share some insights regarding Tomorrow Street’s new strategy, and how the Scaleup X programme fits into it?
Tomorrow Street’s core focus has always been, and will continue to be, to embed and scale innovative tech from young companies across Vodafone’s global footprint and to attract the tech companies and the tech talent we partner with to Luxembourg.
We have been transforming the way we operate over the last 3 years to grow and accelerate our impact, and Scaleup X is the latest stage of our transformation journey. It will accelerate the process from scouting to scaling and, by standardising our operations, ensure we have a robust and scalable platform for the future.
What type of companies is the SCALEUP X programme designed to support, and what specific criteria are used in the selection process?
We focus on scaleups that are post-series A with proven products, high potential for growth and great teams. We talked to over 100 leaders and experts across Vodafone earlier this year to understand their latest innovation asks, and have selected 20 scaleups that can address those asks covering a wide range of tech areas, for example, cybersecurity, data analytics, and customer engagement. Many of them have solutions powered by the latest AI technologies.
Could you elaborate on the primary goals and aims that the Vodafone Group hopes to achieve through its involvement in the SCALEUP X programme?
Vodafone has three big priorities right now: the first one is to accelerate digital transformation, the second is to improve customer experience and the third is to grow business, which includes new products and propositions.
Scaleup X aligns with these goals and has drawn in an impressive range of scaleups that provide leading-edge innovation to support the three priorities and allow Vodafone to differentiate itself.
How does Tomorrow Street plan to foster collaboration and innovation among scaleups and corporations within the SCALEUP X ecosystem, and what unique advantages does this programme offer to participating companies?
Tomorrow Street’s Scaleup X programme aims to link technology scaleups with Vodafone decision-makers to identify and integrate future strategic suppliers for the Group. The programme is designed to give innovative companies an accelerated pathway into Vodafone.
The programme starts with coaching and preparing scaleups for an introduction to Vodafone so they are well-informed about the business and their needs. We then introduce the companies to Vodafone leaders and experts to explore where their tech can support the digitisation and protection of Vodafone, improve customer experience or enable new customer products and services. The final phase is in-person events in London and Luxembourg that are designed to deepen the engagement with Vodafone stakeholders and their teams and progress towards securing business deals and partnerships. The Luxembourg event of course provides an opportunity to introduce the companies to Luxembourg. We worked with Luxinnovation to align on the same dates as the Venture Days programme so the companies can feel the connectivity and energy of the Luxembourg ecosystem.
Our programme also involves a number of corporate partners, including Accenture, Salesforce, Celfocus and Prodapt. They support the programme because the scaleups present new opportunities for their business to engage and support Vodafone, and in some cases, the Vodafone teams may need a larger company to support the scaleups. Tomorrow Street seeks first to identify the right partners to meet Vodafone’s needs but also aims to foster an ecosystem of innovative companies in Luxembourg.
Can you share a notable use case or success story from a company that has benefited from participating in the program?
This is the first year we have run the programme. Prior to this programme, we have scaled a number of young tech companies in multiple countries and their teams have joined us here in Luxembourg – for example, Sitetracker is deployed in multiple Vodafone markets and has a team of 6 on the ground in Luxembourg. As mentioned earlier, Scaleup X allows us to accelerate our model in line with Vodafone’s new direction and focus.
We selected the 20 companies for Scaleup X over the summer and we are delighted with the progress they are making in Vodafone with Proofs of Concept already secured and scaleups already participating in Vodafone procurement processes. We are excited about the weeks ahead when we will make the face-to-face introductions in Luxembourg and London and are very confident that new business partnerships will be formed with Vodafone and Tomorrow Street.
For more information about the programme and the selected scaleups, see here.
