Digital Catapult launches supply chain & sustainability accelerators

UK innovation agency Digital Catapult has launched two accelerators to help support startups involved in the supply chain tracking and sustainability reporting ecosystems.

So far, the government-funded organisation has awarded around £500,000 spread across the two initiatives.

The supply chain project Seamless Trade Across Borders aims to enhance cross-border trade and is supported by defence firms Leonardo and BAE Systems, the International Chamber of Commerce, and UK telco BT Group.

In a statement, Digital Catapult said that it hoped the incubator would support the UK Government’s Electronic Trade Documents Act, which aims to modernise international trade by making electronic documents easier to use.

The government claims that the act could unlock £25 billion in economic growth. Over 60% of international trade transactions are expected to be digitalised within the next five years.

As part of this incubation, Digital Catapult matches industry partners with technology innovators to address international supply chain challenges, including achieving seamless cross-border trade.

Technology providers involved in the project include inventory tracker Kavida AI, eTEU, an industry tech body for the shipping industry, AI tool builder Linear Works, and Exabler, which produces an AI tool that helps facilitate cross-border trade. Each provider will receive up to £85,000 to develop their solutions.

Kavida AI has previously partnered with Digital Catapult and UK manufacturing SMEs to achieve national-scale visibility. Founder and CTO Sumit Sinha added that the new initiative aligned with its vision of developing AI agents that empower businesses to conduct seamless cross-border trade at scale.

The innovation agency’s second initiative, the Product Carbon Footprint Measurement project, hopes to drive advances in how carbon footprint data is measured and exchanged internationally. It is backed by FMCG giant Unilever, GS1 UK and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

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Two startups, Altruistiq and Siccar, will also join the programme. Both will receive up to £125,000 to develop solutions to improve the carbon management process using artificial intelligence (AI), distributed ledger technology, and advanced identification systems to improve reporting on Scope 3 emissions.

Both initiatives build on the success of the Digital Catapult’s Digital Supply Chain Hub, which is funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and has helped over 40 startups and SMEs to secure more than £3 million in funding

To learn more about the programme and how to collaborate with supply chain leaders, please visit https://hub.digitalsupplychainhub.uk.