AD Stretch Launches Cohort 3 with Focus on Energy Storage, Customer Experience & Sustainability

AD Stretch Accelerator, powered by Avery Dennison, is a non-dilutive startup accelerator focused on customer engagement, sustainability, and materials innovation. You get the chance to join a unique community of like-minded disruptors and tap into valuable resources to rapidly grow your innovative solution.

Scale Up with Avery Dennison – an 88-year-old Startup!

Over the last 80+ years, Avery Dennison has grown from one bright idea into a global Fortune 500® corporation that continues to advance quality and innovation in materials science and solutions that elevate brands with consumers, optimize customers’ processes and products, and enable more intelligent and productive supply chains.

Its products—including labels, radio-frequency identification (RFID) solutions, tapes and fasteners, medical adhesives, and more—are on or in countless objects that people see and use daily. With 30,000+ employees across 50+ countries, Avery Dennison runs over 100 operations on six continents.

AD Stretch Seeks Innovation in Energy Storage Materials, Maximizing Consumer Experiences & Sustainable Packaging for this Third Cohort

AD Stretch Accelerator is looking for innovators and founders who would collaborate to address real business problems and create impactful solutions across the following challenge areas:

Theme 1: Next-generation Energy Storage Materials

Challenge 1: Improve the Performance of Batteries

AD Stretch is interested in materials (including coatings, substrates, and additives) that improve battery performance with a view of the migration from current to future technologies. The solutions should improve energy density and efficiency or incorporate materials that provide functional improvements to battery materials, including safety. Some examples of potential solutions include:

• Activable high-shear adhesives
• Insulation improvements through next-gen compounds
• Coatings to improve fire retardancy
• Products that aid in the transition to solid-state batteries or fuel cells

Challenge 2: Optimize Costs for Energy Storage

AD Stretch is looking for materials that can improve the costs of production of current and future technologies in energy storage. An area of interest is multi-functional materials that can combine properties such as insulation and flame retardancy. Some examples of potential solutions include:

• Alternative material to replace 1+ materials used today
• Method/material to speed up the current film/tape coating manufacturing process, e.g., changing the solvent-based electrode coating process to dry coating processes

Theme 2: Maximizing Consumer Experiences

Challenge 3: Enhancing Physical and Digital Retail Experiences

AD Stretch is looking for solutions to help brands elevate their consumer retail experience in-store and through e-commerce. This may include enabling product customization at the point of sale or digital retail technologies. Some examples of potential solutions include:

• Technologies that allow customization of color, graphics, fit, performance, and waste reduction in the supply chain, after the product has been produced but before the point of sale (single unit or multiples); e.g., Nike By You
• Software-as-a-Service that helps manage the supply chain to enable product customization (e.g., Where a user can order the addition of ‘name block & numbers’ to a sports jersey)
• Technologies that remove/reduce friction and make it easier for a consumer to research and evaluate products before making purchasing decisions, connect with like-minded consumers, or find, fill, and pay their orders seamlessly

Challenge 4: Brand Protection

AD Stretch seeks solutions that will allow apparel and footwear brands to authenticate their products, reliably and for the life of the product (without using a separate app). A key goal here is to help consumers seamlessly authenticate their purchase and create strong engagement with the product. Some examples of potential solutions include:

• Authentication technologies that can be applied/integrated using market-available printing technologies
• Solutions that enable the integration of digital triggers into textile or other mediums that can be permanently attached to a garment
• Authentication solutions that can be covert (where the consumer can’t see it) or overt (the consumer can see and authenticate it)
• serialization, just not being able to be copied
• Authentication solutions for resale from one consumer to another and incorporate a feature for DPP (Digital Product Passport)

Theme 3: Sustainable Packaging

Challenge 5: Enabling Packaging Reuse

AD Stretch is looking for solutions that can help expand packaging reuse solutions and build a circular economy in consumer goods, with a particular interest in solving challenges with reverse logistics, packaging traceability, big data and AI, process automation, end-of-life management, and recycling. Some examples of potential solutions include:

• Solutions to manage reusable supply chains
• Solutions for reverse logistics of reusable packaging, including packaging return, sorting, transportation of packaging
• Reuse solutions for sports and music events
• EOL Recycling solutions for metal-based digital triggers like RFID, NFC, or BLE
• AI/Data-powered solutions to forecast demand and increase the return rate
• Alternative decoration and packaging solutions that enable packaging reuse
• Washing solution for reusable packaging
• Quality inspection for reusable packaging

Win Big with the AD Stretch Accelerator!

AD Stretch partners with entrepreneurs in many ways, including minority equity investments, joint development agreements, non-recurring engineering projects, reseller relationships, and other forms of strategic technical and commercial partnerships. Discover all the benefits of joining the program:

• Pilot Funding: a unique opportunity to experiment with a paid pilot project.
• Rapid Growth: expand your customer base and scale up with a globally recognized leader.
• Material Science Mastery: leverage Avery Dennison’s vast experience in material science leadership to revolutionize your products and solutions.
• Global Network: access a unique network of industry experts and mentors who can turn your startup into a global phenomenon.
• Demo Day: showcase your progress to industry partners, investors, and media in the highly anticipated AD Stretch Demo Days.

Further, AD Stretch does not take equity. The pilots will be funded as per the agreement between you and your program lead. The program will provide you with networks, support, and guidance, and AD Stretch will make introductions to help with your funding and scaling goals.

“Being part of AD Stretch has opened doors to many markets much faster than we could have done ourselves. The project’s champions and mentors were instrumental in Cellr successfully running pilots across different segments. We truly learned what it takes to stand on a global stage with a purpose. Scaling up with a brand like Avery Dennison is a game changer, and we are very excited to see where this journey goes next”, says Chris Braine, CEO and co-founder of program participant, Cellr.

Should Your Company Apply for AD Stretch?

AD Stretch is looking to work with startups (from pre-seed stage to series C), that are already in the market or have sales traction in the market. Earlier-stage companies may also apply and will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

If your startup does not fit the challenge areas, but you are working on something that will be useful for Avery Dennison, you may also apply and it will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Timeline & Important Dates for the AD Stretch Accelerator

Applications are now open – submit your application today!

• Applications Deadline: November 17, 2023
• Startup Selection: January 2024
• Pilot Phase: January to August 2024
• Demo Day: September 2024

Get a glimpse into the latest AD Stretch Demo Day from LATAM 2023

In just 18 months, the AD Stretch accelerator program has grown from launch mode to a thriving program that fielded over 500 applications from over 35 countries and created pilot programs for 14 startup businesses.

Ready to scale your innovative business with Avery Dennison? Explore more about the AD Stretch Accelerator & apply today!

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