PMI Open Innovation Challenge

Accelerating our Ecosystem to design a Smoke-Free Future

This challenge is open to pan Asian startups with focus on Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, India, Singapore and Hong Kong.

Create a Smoke-Free Future...

Philip Morris International (PMI) built the world's most successful cigarette company. Now, they have made a bold decision to commit our future going smoke-free.
 
With emerging technological advances and a combination of expertise and innovation, they have been able to develop the future of tobacco products. It is the burning of tobacco that generates smoke and the vast majority of harmful toxicants generally associated with smoking-related diseases. Smoke-free products, backed by science, offer a promising way to reduce the risk of harm for those who would otherwise continue to smoke. This is why, for over a decade, they have been working on, and investing in, the research and development of smoke-free products that do not burn tobacco and therefore are potentially much less harmful than smoking.

...and Build Together the Eco-System for Tomorrow

The PMI Open Innovation Challenge is an ideation competition that Philip Morris Asia Limited (PMAL), PMI’s affiliate in Hong Kong, developed in partnership with PMI corporate venture capital fund - PM Equity Partner. The purpose of the challenge is to create potential short-term collaborations and long term partnerships with start-up businesses across Asia in order to accelerate PMI’s eco-system to create a smoke-free future.
 
Through this challenge, we invite the best start-ups of different stages and sectors to propose their ideas to potentially win a cash contribution and be considered for equity investment or contractual partnerships and to realize or improve their products with PMI.
 
YOUR OBJECTIVE:

How, as a startup, can you make an impact on improving the eco-system and thereby contributing to PMI's value chain or vision for smoke-free future?

We are interested in technologies that improve our understanding of and access to different consumer segments through consumer-centric data insights, innovative credit facilities, retailer financing options, etc.

Choose one category to ideate!

SUPPLY CHAIN

Innovative solutions aimed to help us build towards a sustainable supply chain
 
 

FINTECH

Innovative solutions to provide access to effective financial products to a wide range of customers
 

Timeline

Rewards

  • 1st
  • 2nd
  • Top 5
  • Top 15

1st

USD 30,000 Cash Contribution
 
(Category Agnostic)

2nd

USD 20,000 Cash Contribution
 
(Category Agnostic)

Top 5

Consideration for equity investment
 
(At the discretion PMAL and their partner, PM Equity Partners)

Top 15

Receive mentoring and networking opportunities with the PMAL and eligible for short-term collaboration opportunities

GRAND FINALE

December, 2019
 
Top 5 startups will be selected to present their ideas in front of the PMI jury in Hong Kong within the first week of December, 2019.
The Challenge Rules set out the terms and conditions governing the participation in PMI Open Innovation Challenge