AkzoNobel springs for 2021 Paint the Future startup challenge in China

Forging an even stronger connection with startups in a key market, AkzoNobel will launch its next regional startup challenge in China in March 2021.

The challenge joins series of programmes for startups, academia, research institutes and suppliers to collaborate and test, launch and scale revolutionary solutions together with AkzoNobel.

“The difference between a good future and a great future for the paints and coatings industry lies in innovation and collaboration,” says Thierry Vanlancker, AkzoNobel’s CEO. “That’s what Paint the Future is all about. This collaborative innovation ecosystem helps us find and accelerate disruptive, creative ideas that will help take our products – and our future – to the next level.”

The company first kicked off Paint the Future in 2019 with an industry-first global startup challenge. In 2020, it staged the first regional startup challenge in Brazil. Now it’s preparing to stir things up with startups in China, a country renowned for technological innovation.