John Lewis has selected five new retail technology startups for its JLAB accelerator programme, including a smart grocery shopping app, a new addressing system and a platform which uses AI to predict footfall.

Now in its fourth year, JLAB has become the UK's largest retail technology accelerators, with Waitrose joining John Lewis for the first time this year, in a move designed to broaden access and opportunities for UK and international startups.

Female-led startups will be strongly represented in this year's programme, with three of the five companies in this year's cohort launched by women. The finalists were chosen from more than 300 applications, following a successful pitch to senior John Lewis and Waitrose executives.

The finalists will spend 12 weeks working from the head offices of both Waitrose and John Lewis, developing their ideas while gaining access to John Lewis and Waitrose resources, as well as insight from specialist mentors. At the end of the 12-week programme, each team will have an opportunity to pitch for up to £100,000 in funding in exchange for equity, from a combined fund of £200,000.

The JLAB 2017 finalists are as follows:

• Mucho – a smart grocery shopping app which provides daily personalised recipes and enables you to order ingredients when you need them

• Exaactly - an intelligent addressing system that enables customers to mark any location for delivery, empowering them to get orders anywhere. First time, every time

• WeFiFo – This digital social hub connects home chefs, supper club hosts and professional chefs with paying guests

• BB1 – a data analytics solution that uses customer behaviour to help businesses optimise their ways of working, monitoring an assortment of variables such as customer footfall

• Journifi - linking online and in-store shopping by providing customers with personalised in-store experiences - such as tailored personal shopper sessions - based on their online behaviour and tastes

Paul Coby, chief information officer at the John Lewis Partnership, said: “We’re incredibly excited to welcome a fresh wave of innovators into JLAB this year, and we look forward to helping them fast track their fresh ideas into the lives of our customers.

“With Waitrose on board, JLAB now offers unrivalled expertise across two of the country’s leading retailers and this has sparked a record number of applications this year. We look forward to supporting and nurturing our five finalists as they shape and develop their products under the guidance of the John Lewis Partnership.”

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