Press Release 21st September 2022

BILLA's start-up innovation dinner offers Founder:innen an exclusive stage

With the Start-up Innovation Dinner, BILLA once again brings founders and their ideas before the curtain and thus supports young entrepreneurship in Austria. The new format offers an insight into the around 250 start-up products currently available at BILLA and BILLA PLUS and at the same time creates a symbiosis of the tasty world of innovations.

Six people stand together in a warmly lit wine store, each wearing lanyards. Bottles of wine are displayed on shelves in the background. They appear to be attending an event, with a mix of formal and casual attire.

From left: Hans Unterdorfer (Head of Corporate Clients at Erste Bank Oesterreich), Marloes Voermans (Co-Founder & Managing Director Clever Clover), Tina Weinreich (Marketing Manager at Erste Bank), Heinrich Prokop (CEO Clever Clover), Markus Kuntke (Head of Trend and Innovation at REWE International AG) and Marcel Haraszti (Member of the Management Board of REWE International AG) at the first Start-up Innovation Dinner at the BILLA Corso wine bar in Vienna's Ringstraßen Galerien. / Copyright: BILLA / Harson, Reproduction for PR purposes free of charge

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At a glance

Completely new format in food retailing puts young founders and their products in the spotlight
First exclusive get-together yesterday evening at the BILLA Corso wine bar in Vienna's Ringstraßen Galerien - samples from the start-up range of BILLA and BILLA PLUS were served
Among others, host Marcel Haraszti, CEO of REWE International AG, Hans Unterdorfer, CEO of Erste Bank Austria and Heinrich Prokop, CEO of Clever Clover were present.

In addition, the exclusive get-together invites people to exchange ideas and gives visibility to young entrepreneurial spirit. Markus Kuntke, Head of Trend and Innovation at REWE International AG, developed the concept with his team and thus more than lives up to his role as Europe's only innovation manager in food retailing.

The first edition successfully took place yesterday evening in the noble ambience of the BILLA Corso wine bar in Vienna's Ringstraßen Galerien. The selected guests, who were welcomed by Marcel Haraszti, Member of the Management Board of REWE International AG, included Hans Unterdorfer, Member of the Management Board of Erste Bank Oesterreich responsible for corporate customers, Heinrich Prokop, CEO Clever Clover, Marloes Voermans, Co-Founder & Managing Director Clever Clover, Birgit Polster, Founder and Start-up Specialist at Erste Bank, Nadina Ruedl, Founder Pflanzerei, Alexander Gänsdorfer and Adel Hafizovic, both Co-Founder NEOH, and Philip Lanz, Founder ayoka. At the beginning, the ayoka welcome drink ensured a good mood, after which the guests enjoyed a three-course meal and stimulating conversations.

However, supporting start-ups has been an integral part of our vision for years and is essential for the future development of the food range.

Marcel Haraszti Executive board member REWE International AG

Marcel Haraszti sums up: "I am pleased that we have created a new platform for aspiring entrepreneurs with the Start-up Innovation Dinner. However, supporting start-ups has been an integral part of our vision for years and is essential for the future development of the food range. That is why we are the only food retailer in Europe to have an innovation manager in our team, already offer a stage for around 250 start-up products at BILLA and BILLA PLUS and support founders on their way to success together with our cooperation partners Erste Bank and Clever Clover. In doing so, we also draw on our Europe-wide REWE network, which can enable listings in up to 17 countries."

Hans Unterdorfer, Head of Corporate Clients at Erste Bank Oesterreich emphasises: "The first Start-up Innovation Dinner was not only outstanding in culinary terms - new synergies and ideas were created through exciting and stimulating exchanges. At Erste Bank, we specialise in supporting start-ups in the areas of financing, product certification, contracts and negotiations with purchasing, and together with REWE and Clever Clover, we provide comprehensive advice on the path to listing in food retail."

Heinrich Prokop, CEO Clever Clover: "I am convinced that there should be more such evenings full of inspiration on a cognitive as well as culinary level. Cooperations between Clever Clover, REWE and Erste Bank in the start-up sector deliver enormous added value every time for young entrepreneurs in our country and beyond. Our goal is to share our expertise in supply chain, positioning and internationalisation with founders and support them in a meaningful way.

Salmon without fish, meat loaf made from plants and sweet desserts without sugar

Guests at last night's event were served samples of product highlights from the start-up range of BILLA and BILLA PLUS in three courses. The first course was a convincing plant-based BettaF!sh sandwich with plant-based Revo salmon rose refined with roasted Erzberg stollen mushrooms. The main course surprised with plant-based Gustl Leverkäs creations from the Pflanzerei as well as Karma Food Curry and an equally plant-based slice of BettaF!sh pizza. The dessert consisted of the NEOH chocolate cake, which contains no sugar but is still sweet, fibre-rich Flocke Balls and mucki Protein Ayran in the finest mango flavour, and rounded off the evening successfully.