Netherlands. Two U.S. companies, Apellix of Jacksonville, Florida, and SAS Nanotechnologies LLC of Newark, Delaware, received AkzoNobel's Paint the Future innovation award, following a five-month international challenge and a commitment to working with both companies to develop sustainable solutions and businesses.
Apellix developed an autonomous robot that cleans and paints surfaces, while SAS Nanotechnologies will work through a joint collaboration agreement with its self-healing microcapsules as an anticorrosive pigment.
"We are very excited to continue our journey of collaboration with the winners of the Paint the Future awards," says Klaas Kruithof, Chief Technology Officer of AkzoNobel and President of the Paint the Future Jury, who adds that "we will drive innovation in paints and coatings beyond expectations."
Jamie Branch, mechanical engineer at Apellix, said: "We are very excited to be chosen. AkzoNobel is working towards innovation and we are really excited to partner with them," while Sumadh Surwade, founder and CEO of SAS Nanotechnologies says that after working on his project after three years, "partnering with a company like AkzoNobel will only accelerate our success."
The challenge, conducted in collaboration with KPMG, received 160 submissions from around the world. Of these, 21 startups were invited to Amsterdam to accelerate their solutions before making their final presentation to the jury. All participants gained access to industry knowledge, experience and contacts that will help them promote their ideas.
