Dive Brief:
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Target Corp. is accepting applications and nominations for a new startup accelerator dedicated to wellness-focused retail businesses.
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Founders of the 10 startups selected for the Takeoff program will spend a week in May in Target’s native Minneapolis to network, meet with mentors and “talk all things retail,” culminating in a July 25 “demo day” for participants to pitch their products and solutions to leaders in retail. Target is accepting Takeoff applications until the end of this month.
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Target previously partnered with incubator Techstars for its Techstars Retail program, which had its first retail technology accelerator at Target’s Minneapolis campus last year and last month opened the application process for a second round.
Dive Insight:
Target recently shuttered its mysterious “Goldfish” tech project and has otherwise shaken up its tech operations, but it’s sticking with incubator TechStars for a series of startup accelerators dedicated to retail. Last summer, 10 Target + Techstars startups — which spanned a range of technologies including machine learning, crimefighting wearables, supply-chain solutions and employee scheduling services — worked with Target executives as well as visiting business and tech gurus to drill down into what they need to keep or throw out as they develop and scale their ideas. Three months of intensive effort culminated in a “Demo Day” at the end of September.
But the startups weren’t the only ones getting an…