Fusion by Diageo: The start-ups helping us shape the future of socialising

Now in its second year, we’re pleased to announce the new cohort that will be looking at ‘Reimagining the Consumer Experience’. Together with Diageo, the programme participants will develop solutions that:

• Elevate Cultural Events and Spaces – Consumers increasingly seek richer experiences beyond the ordinary, with 62% of millennials likely to spend a little extra to make one moment or day more special or enjoyable (Diageo, Distilled 2025). This challenge will seek to drive growth by recruiting new consumers in cultural events and spaces.
• Unlock Seamless and Secure Retail Experiences - Today’s consumers expect engaging and accessible product discovery and convenient purchase solutions while retailers require a more theft-secure environment than ever before.
• Empower Consumers with the Facts, Tools and Support to Make Informed Drink Choices - Consumers want trustworthy and accessible information as well as personalised guidance to empower them to make balanced decisions that fit their lifestyle.

The second edition received a number of high quality applications from innovative start-ups all over the world, and the team have whittled this down to 12 participants, who are currently in the ideation phase of the programme. Over the past four weeks, participants have had access to Diageo’s industry expertise and consumer insights, alongside external speakers, and coaching, to help develop consumer-focused, digital concepts.

And now for the main event… introducing our 2025 cohort!

Empower Consumers with the Facts, Tools and Support to Make Informed Drink Choices

• Sunnyside: Leading app for building healthier drinking habits
• Knope: A portable, single-use test detecting 12 drink-spiking drugs in beverages in as little as one minute, enabling consumers to say Knope to drink spiking
• Aircards: A global production studio dedicated to immersive storytelling

Unlock Seamless and Secure Retail Experiences

• Trigo: Redefining the future of retail with cutting-edge Computer Vision AI and data-driven solutions
• Staxel: Robotic stores with AI conversational shopping assistants
• Sekura: Leading developer of theft prevention devices for retail merchandise
• PulpaTronics: Develops fully recyclable paper-based and metal-free RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tags

Elevate Cultural Events and Spaces

• LineLeap: Gets you to the fun, faster. 1M+ people use the app at 500+ bars & venues to skip long lines, pay for cover, get event tickets & more
• Tended Bar: Automated beverage dispensing system specializing in custom cocktails at the touch of a button
• Fever: Global live-entertainment discovery platform powered by cutting edge new technology
• Gratis Intelligence: A digital solution automating in-venue sampling, personalizing consumer experiences, and capturing verified insights
• Togather: Platform connecting live event hosts with curated suppliers

Fusion allows us to further embrace a ‘test and learn’ entrepreneurial mindset, looking beyond our own walls to help build our expertise and innovate for existing and new consumers, helping create long-term sustainable growth for Diageo.

The next stage of the programme will see a selection of the participants go through to our ‘Refine’ phase, allowing for further testing and validation, in addition to creating pilot plans.

Watch this space…..we can’t wait to see how our cohort will help us reimagine the consumer experience!