‘Fusion by Diageo’ – Presenting the future of celebration at the inaugural ‘Demo Day’

24 May 2024 Innovation
‘Fusion by Diageo’ – Presenting the future of celebration at the inaugural ‘Demo Day’

A Demo Day concluded the second phase of the inaugural ‘Fusion by Diageo’ programme, where the remaining cohort showcased their innovative new platforms to Diageo’s leadership team, with the ambition of being selected for the prestigious build stage.

A Demo Day concluded the second phase of the inaugural ‘Fusion by Diageo’ programme, where the remaining cohort showcased their innovative new platforms to Diageo’s leadership team, with the ambition of being selected for the prestigious build stage.

Inaugural ‘Fusion by Diageo’ hosted its Demo Day

On Tuesday, the inaugural ‘Fusion by Diageo’ hosted its Demo Day, inviting selected members of the programmes first cohort to demonstrate in person the products and platforms they have been working on.

Founded to help fuel Diageo’s ambition to ‘celebrate life, everyday, everywhere’, ‘Fusion by Diageo’ is the company’s new partnership lab, encouraging collaboration with growth-stage companies to develop digital products which can elevate consumer experiences.

In what was an engaging and incredibly insightful afternoon at Diageo’s Soho office, each company presented an early-stage concept of their product to Diageo’s team of marketers and innovators, welcoming questions, feedback, and advice. Attendees included Chief Marketing Officer Cristina Diezhandino and Chief Innovation Officer Mark Sandys.

Each concept that was presented followed the theme of the first Fusion by Diageo programme - ‘Celebrate at Home’. With consumers today increasingly creating havens within their homes that emulate the comforting experiences of the outside world, the cohort has been encouraged to work with technology including Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, and Augmented Reality, to transform how consumers socialise, discover, and unwind in their own spaces.

With the completion of Fusion’s Demo Day, Diageo’s Breakthrough Innovation team, as well as supporting partners Founders Intelligence, will start the exciting process of deciding which 3-5 participants will enter the post-programme phase, where Diageo will collaborate with the companies to co-develop, launch, and scale their products. The chosen companies will be announced in June.

Fusion’s Demo Day showcased why collaboration is so important when it comes to innovation – we were incredibly impressed with the creativity in the room and diversity of thought, these brilliant companies have dedicated 13-weeks to shape the future of celebration together with our teams. What is so exciting is that in the next stage some of the solutions showcased today will become reality, changing the way our consumers celebrate – watch this space.

Benjamin Lickfett
Global Head of Breakthrough Innovation - Digital
Benjamin Lickfett

Fusion’s Demo Day also marked an opportunity to say thank you to the entire Fusion team, who have advised, mentored, and assisted the cohort throughout what has been an insightful 13-week programme.

  1. Obsess – Next-gen immersive digital experience platform
  2. NINA – Connected IoT beverage pourer
  3. Innit – AI food intelligence platform for personalised recipes and nutritional info
  4. GATHAR – Platform for trusted private chefs and catered culinary experiences
  5. Superlogic – Blockchain-powered loyalty & rewards programme
  6. UneeQ – AI digital humans that interact in real-time with customers
  7. Tipple – Logistics platform enabling cross-border B2B and B2C commerce
  8. Archetype AI – AI for the physical world, leveraging real-time sensor data to understand physical behaviours and activities
Fusion by Diageo