Logistics startup Synple won an Accenture Innovation Award on Friday night. The jury praised the collaboration platform for road hauliers for its "simple but pioneering model".
Accenture presents annual Innovation Awards to the most innovative companies in various sectors. In the travel, transport and logistics category, 130 companies managed to qualify. Synple was in the final with five other parties, who presented their innovation in front of a large audience last Friday. The pitch was followed by questions from the audience and from the jury about the business model, future prospects and innovative differentiation from other initiatives.
'Synple is promising'
The jury, consisted of a delegation of travel, transport, logistics and innovation experts, including Mattijs ten Brink (ceo Transavia and jury chairman), Onno Benninga (director at Google) and Martin Gussinklo (planning director at FedEx Express). Synple was said toscore highly on the points of 'impact on the world', 'scalable business model', 'social innovation' and 'technical innovation'. "Particularly promising is the simple and applicable horizontal collaboration model, which is concretely applied by Synple," said Mattijs ten Brink, ceo Transavia, during the award ceremony.
Synple receives 25,000 euros for consultancy from Accenture. The startup says it will use this amount to help transport companies innovate further.
Collaboration platform for hauliers
Synple's platform allows transporters to combine freights and exchange rides, with one in four trucks reportedly travelling empty on the road. Synple aims to reduce this 'empty driving' by 50 per cent. Like digital transport platforms such as Uberfreight, Convoy and Saloodo, Synple uses smart technology to match freight and capacity. "What's unique about Synple is that it can make real-time smart combinations of trips between carriers," the startup says.
Earlier this year, Synple received an investment sum of 1.1 million euros from Mainport Innovation Fund II and Newion. With the amount, Synple plans to expand to the rest of Europe. "With our investment partners, we will realise this growth in the coming years and accelerate it even further. We want to serve all of Europe soon."
