Czech reuse startup receives over €5 million from the EU

The Czech startup Miwa Technologies, which developed and operates technology minimizing packaging waste, has succeeded in the tough selection process of the European Innovation Council (EIC) in the "EIC Accelerator" programme and received significant funds for its further development. In 2022, Miwa received the €2,5 million subsidy to finance the completion of development of several new features. Now the startup has also concluded investment with the Luxembourg EIC Fund in the amount of €2,7 million, which aims to support the further growth of the company and the implementation of new installations in supermarkets across Europe.

Miwa's system enables customers in supermarkets to shop in reusable containers, and at the same time unlocks the entire supply chain thanks to smart reusable B2B capsules, which work in tandem with electronic dispensers. Data flows allow both effective management of the packaging pool as well as efficient operations of the system, such as the stock management.

Currently, this solution is used in Aldi in the UK, in Dutch Albert Heijn and several supermarkets in Czechia and Portugal. It allows customers in these stores to shop ecologically and significantly minimize packaging waste.

In order to finance commercial expansion in Europe and shift to serial production, Miwa is also opening the investment round of €7 million to private investors in the coming weeks. Thanks to the EIC Fund, nearly 40 percent of this sum are now confirmed.

"At the end of 2021, Miwa was installed at its first large retailer. One year later, in December 2022, Miwa was installed at four large retailers in nine supermarkets. For 2023 we have set the target to close the year with installations in a hundred stores in Europe. As of March 2023, about fifty locations, mainly in the German-speaking region, have been confirmed. The investment round should allow us to execute business and company growth for 2024 and 2025, thanks to which the Miwa solution should become much more accessible to consumers in Europe," says Ivana Sobolíková, who is in charge of investor relations and fundraising at Miwa.

The competition at the "EIC Accelerator" programme is very high – thousands of projects apply every year, but only about four percent of them succeed. Applicants have to go through a demanding three-round selection process, where the evaluation is carried out by experts and entrepreneurs in the given field. So far Miwa is the only startup from the food reusable packaging segment which has ever succeeded. It is also the first Czech company to have succeed in so called blended financing, which combines a subsidy and an investment.

The EIC accelerator supports SME companies to “develop and scale game changing innovations”. Miwa’s success in this programme also means recognition for the whole segment of reusable packaging innovators.

After all, the gradually changing legislation also speaks in favour of systems solving the problem of disposable packaging:

"We are at the beginning of a fundamental transformation of the entire packaging industry, as evidenced by the currently ongoing revision of the European directive on packaging and packaging waste or, for example, legislation at the level of individual member states, such as Germany or France. In France, for example, loi Antigaspillage requires large retailers to dedicate full fifth of their sales area for the sale of unpackaged goods in the upcoming years. Our technology is ready for implementation and to help retailers, brands and producers to realize this transformation," says Ivana Sobolíková.

More information about the EU “EIC Accelerator” programme:

The "EIC Accelerator" programme (formerly the SME instrument Horizon 2020) was introduced by the European Commission with the aim of supporting small and medium-sized enterprises in putting technological innovations into practice. The Commission's effort is to fill a certain gap in the market and support technological projects that have considerable potential but are still too risky for private investors – precisely because of their innovation and the fact that they often create new markets.

Previously, the European Commission only provided subsidies to such projects. From 2020, investment support was added through the EIC Fund, which does not aim at development, but at the full commercialization of innovations. For example, in the case of Miwa’s solution it finances its installation in other new supermarkets. Ideally, the EIC Accelerator complements investments from private investors. This is also the case with Miwa, which also has private investors from the previous investment round, including the Czech fund Tilia Impact Ventures.     

More about the Miwa system in the video HERE.