2019
Lior Weizman, Director, SAP.iO Foundry Tel-Aviv
Inbar Yacoby, Program Manager
Stephanie Horwitz, Value Creation Manager
SAP.iO Foundries is a network of connected innovation teams within SAP, with a mission to identify and turn selected startups into SAP's next generation of partners. SAP.iO Foundry teams are working closely with SAP’s industry and product groups to identify white spaces where SAP seeks new partners. The teams are then scouting globally for suitable early-stage startups to partner with and running acceleration
programs to effectively build joint value propositions that will bring new value, insights, and services to SAP clients.
SAP.iO Foundry Tel-Aviv was established in 2019 and joined the broader network of SAP.iO foundries in leading startup ecosystems around the world, including Munich, San Francisco, New York, Berlin, Paris, Singapore, Tokyo, Bangalore, and Shanghai. “Although our programs are virtual, the physical presence is important to us,” Says Lior Weizman, Director SAP.iO Foundry Tel-Aviv. “This way we can maintain a tight
relationship with the local players, screen for better deal-flow coming from leading VCs, and collaborate with other innovation centers, including those of our clients.”
Each of the 10 SAP.iO Foundries is running 2 startup programs a year, with different themes. That means that each of our foundries has a different internal SAP stakeholder for each program, depending on the theme. These SAP stakeholders are global product or industry teams that, together with SAP.iO, identify white spaces that they want to address together with new partners.
After scouting and selecting the startups, the Foundry teams conduct a 3-month program through which they build the foundation for long-term partnership with SAP. The program includes 3 main activities: Product integration with SAP; Partnership development which includes partnership agreement, meeting relevant SAP stakeholders and business development; and value creation, where the startups work with SAP to create joint sales material and communicate the new partnership.
Photo by Efrat Sa'ar