Amazon Industrial Innovation Fund

Innovation Challenge

At Amazon, we start with the customer and work backwards.

Our goal is to surprise and delight customers with every shipment that arrives at their doorsteps.

In order to accomplish this, our shipments must arrive to customers quickly, safely and in the expected condition.

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What is this challenge?

We are launching Amazon Industrial Innovation Fund’s Innovation Challenge program calling for novel technologies that can solve tough problems for Amazon Operations.

Amazon and Plug and Play are sourcing startups that are working to improve inventory visibility at high speeds.

What we are looking for:

This challenge program is focused on technology that improves “Packaging Visibility”.

This type of technology ensures the accuracy of inbound product data, improves quality assurance upon delivery at our customers' doorsteps, facilitates seamless product verification for returns, and advances our sustainability goals by minimizing excess air space in deliveries.

  • Visibility or Imaging Systems

    Solutions capable of seeing through packaging to discern the specific products within.

  • Package Attribute Detection

    Solutions capable of identifying packaging features, such as shrink film, cut out windows, perforations, and hang tabs.

  • Package Issue Detection

    Solutions designed to detect potential issues, including liquid leaks, damaged product/packaging, wrong items, and fraudulent items.

  • Package Characteristic Detection

    Dunnage application and detection, multi-item bundling, void space detection, and non-wood alternatives.

As Amazon works to improve delivery speeds and product selection, it becomes increasingly important to know details about our inventory at every stage of the process.

From ocean container to customer door, we need to follow our products throughout the supply chain. Ideally, we’d like to know what’s inside a box without even opening it.

Challenge Dates

  • April 11, 2024
    Application Portal Opens
  • June 21, 2024
    Application Portal Closes
  • Summer 2024
    Challenge Exhibition

———

“Building upon our history of developing academic-led challenges, such as the Amazon Robotics Challenge, we’re excited to introduce the Innovation Challenge.

While we previously invited university teams from around the world to develop autonomous robotic systems for warehouse automation tasks, we are now tapping into industry itself by working directly with the roboticists, scientists, and engineers at companies that are already actively working to solve these problems. The Challenge offers us another opportunity to support start-ups internationally while playing an important role in helping companies learn about Amazon and opportunities to work with Amazon to address Amazon’s technology and logistics needs.”

— Franziska Bossart

Head of the Amazon Industrial Innovation Fund

Amazon Bubbles.002

Interested in applying?
Please do not share any sensitive business or other confidential information.

Apply Here

Amazon

"In 2023, Amazon delivered to Prime members at the fastest speeds ever globally, with more than 7 billion units arriving the same or next day, including more than 4 billion in the U.S. and more than 2 billion in Europe...

Amazon focused on inventory placement around the world and worked to stock more of the products our customers want locally, and we expanded our capacity to place these products in the fulfillment centers in each respective region to allow for improved efficiency. This allows us to maintain the broad selection of products available and enhances our ability to fulfill a customer’s entire order at one time from the Amazon location closest to them."

About Amazon

Plug and Play Supply Chain

Rethinking Supply Chain & Logistics

We match large corporations with the brightest startups to drive change in supply chain & logistics.

Meet startups, discover the latest trends, attend unique events, and become more innovative from the core.

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