“XNode Pitching! 9” / The 9th Tech50 Pitch Competition: Retail Innovation Pitch has ended on a high note. Similar to previous pitching organized by XNode, these events were held with the objective of encouraging an active ecosystem of ideas and innovation. This time, XNode, together with Tech50, had the chance to host this event with the theme focused on retail innovation.
Jutian OAO Farm - a technology driven agriculture startup and Cloud & Apps that seized the top prize. The winners will be given an opportunity to work at XNode for two months for FREE.

MoHuanJia - a home décor VR/AR company coming in 2nd. The winners will be given an opportunity to work at XNode for one month for FREE.

Before the commencement of the event, we were honored to have Mr. Stephane Monsallier, Co-founder of La French Tech Shanghai, shedding light on the future of retail industries.

“Retail is not dead”, said Stephane. Customer’s quick-changing preference,low employees’ retention and intense competition are 3 of the key issues troubling retailers. Retailers need to adapt quickly to market changes and identify where customers gain a competitive edge over competitors.

Technology should be the last thing priority when it comes to retail innovation. Instead, the first thing that should come to mind is focusing towards improving the customer experience. To do so, he suggested that it is crucial for one to personally go through the entire shopping experience i.e. physically visiting the store and make a purchase. That way, one would be able to identify consumer pain points and brainstorm for more effective ideas.

It is crucial for retailers to be able to set benchmark of failure/success and measure the impacts of their strategic moves. By setting criteria for success and failure, this enables companies to know when to drop a project or move on to the next step.

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Startups

Jutian OAO Farm

With the help of IoT and blockchain technology, we created an agricultural supply management platform. Combining the model of community supported agriculture and and the idea of recycling cropstalk, we explore a standardised farming method to help increase yield for farmers.

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Cloud & Apps

Cloud & Apps is a tech company which focuses on helping traditional enterprises transform digitally. The company adopts a unique situational awareness technology to help businesses collect information on consumers’ behavior. While providing highly personalized services, the company also provide high-value operational insights and decision support.

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Mohuanjia

‍Mohuanjia is a online home decoration and retail application system service provider. They connect different online marketing platforms (such as Taobao and Tmall) through the combination 3D, AR/VR and WEBGL and several other techniques. It is an O2O new retail application system and solution provider.

WeCare WC

WeCare WC is transforming the status quo public facilities in China and Asia including restrooms, nursing rooms, family rooms and more. With a high presence in shopping malls, WeCare WC uses innovative advertising campaigns and on-site purchases through vending machines and mobile phones to boost retail opportunities for mall visitors. WeCare WC's attention to detail and hygiene will further drive and keep customers at the shopping malls.

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Homebar

HomeBar is a wine consumption platform which specialises in producing intelligent cocktail mixers, ready-to-drink bagged cocktails, alcoholic miniature bottle drinks and other innovative alcohol-related products. The company is committed in offering highly popular alcohol beverages among youth.

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Apex.Club

Apex.Club - A payment platform that also collates and compares membership perks and promotions. 1-Application scenarios: Upon scanning a merchant QR Code for payment, users will be provided a personalised list of membership perks, according to membership deals they have subscribed to. 2-Profit model: Membership, advertising, platform fee and revenue-sharing.

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Organizers

XNode | Startup Accelerator & Coworking Space：At XNode, we accelerate ideas and businesses by offering inspiring workspaces in Shanghai and fueling them with meaningful events. We help corporates engage with startups and embrace the entrepreneurial mindset.

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Tech50 is a professional incubation platform created by Shanghai Leading Investment Information Technology Co., Ltd. It adheres to the internationalized service concept and “Silicon Valley” style incubation strategy to assist every venture in realizing the dream.