Henkel Launches Henkel X in India

Henkel launched Henkel X in India on May 3, 2019 by organizing its first Henkel X - Show & Tell event at Mumbai. Henkel X is an agile, hyper-connected and entrepreneurial platform for collaboration and innovation. The ambition of this platform is to unite and accelerate Henkel’s entrepreneurial transformation across the three pillars: Ecosystem, Experience and Experimentation. This is done through various initiatives such as Henkel X – Show & Tell, Henkel X – Mentorship Club, Henkel X – Institute of Entrepreneurship, Henkel X – AccelerateHER, among others.

Henkel X - Show & Tell event provides an opportunity to start-ups to SHOWCASE their innovations and offerings and an industry thought leader is invited as the keynote speaker who TELLS and inspires the audience with his or her digital journey. The start-ups that participated in Show & Tell event in India were Ocean Insights, IndustryBuying.com and Chizel. The keynote address was delivered by Saurabh Jain, Vice President - Paytm, who heads Paytm – Build for India. He shared insights on how quick addressal of issues helps solve problems and increases acceptance. He also spoke on India’s transformation from Technology importers to technology exporters.

Speaking at the event, Shilip Kumar, President, Henkel India said, “The world is evolving at a rapid speed. This has necessitated organizations to change and adapt quickly, in order to continue growing and staying relevant. Henkel X is an innovative, collaborative platform that will help us evolve and offer our customers a better experience.”

Henkel has organized seven Show & Tell events since the first one which was held in February 2018 at Dusseldorf. During this time, it has engaged over 20 start-ups, of which 18 worked with Henkel to develop proof of concepts and 6 entered long term work agreements. Henkel believes that more than just funding, start-ups need time, data, guidance and subject matter expertise.

Today, businesses are evolving at a rapid pace, and this is made possible through technology.  However, at the core of this transformation is a cultural transformation and the willingness to accept change. Henkel understands that collaboration is the fastest way to evolve. Setting the event’s context, Dr. Rahmyn Kress, Chief Digital Officer at Henkel said, “Henkel is committed to drive a new, entrepreneurial digital culture so that we are able to respond to the accelerating technological changes.”

“Technology is an enabler. Using technology, we intend to build market places. In order to shape the future of Henkel and stimulate the industry, we work with the new generation of entrepreneurs and our network of mentors and business partners; thereby, leveraging each other’s core skills,” he added.

Henkel X brings together on one platform start-ups and mentors comprising angel investors, leaders from Fortune 500 c-suite, entrepreneurs who have built successful businesses and academicians; thereby, creating an ecosystem of unprecedented value.