Adidas launches incubator to promote start-up brands

Adidas is dedicating efforts to help 13 young companies grow. The sportswear brand launched an incubator called Station A last week, totaling to a 1-million-euro investment. The brand selected 13 emerging brands out of an applicant pool of 400 to mentor using the incubator program.

Adidas will help its 13 selected companies to build traction and build their brand concepts in a way that can successfully promote sales.

As well as helping the start-ups selected to build traction, the firm hopes to learn from them and implement elements of their concepts with an open-source mind-set in order to ultimately build their own sales.

The companies selected each fit into one of three areas that Adidas believe to be strategically important: an improved digital consumer experience, leveraging the supply chain through digital means, and health.

Adidas' 13 selected startups include Hero, a service that connects online shoppers with store associates, and French AI company Vekia, which allows clients to manage global supply chains and optimize inventory.

“My expectation is that we challenge each other,” Adidas senior vice president of digital Scott Zalaznik told WWD. “What I hope for every one of the 13 is that you can see that this was a pivotal moment for your company.”