Carozzi will open its doors to startups in the Sinergia program: it received more than 200 applications.

June 18, 2025

With the aim of generating synergies with the entrepreneurial ecosystem and finding innovative solutions for consumers, Carozzi launched its open innovation program “Sinergia” at the end of 2024, which seeks to connect the company with startups and scaleups that provide concrete solutions to challenges in the food industry.

In this context, on June 5, the 11 preselected ventures took part in Selection Day, where they gave their pitches and presented their proposed solutions to some of Carozzi Sinergia’s problems, with a view to working together.

In this regard, Pedro Fernández, corporate manager at Empresas Carozzi, explained to BioBioChile that “we received proposals from many startups in an open challenge we set out with problems in the food industry, not just ours, through ideas from different ventures, from which we received more than 200 applications. We have shortlisted 11, and today, each one will have time to present, answer questions, and thus we will select those that will work with us to pilot these projects.”

“Carozzi is going to invest in testing these solutions, using our facilities, our team, and our ability to support them and generate a real impact on the ecosystem, companies, and above all, these startups that are seeking to develop new technologies, more sustainable solutions, and resolve the issues we currently face as an industry globally,” he added.

The open innovation program is committed to collaborating with external actors, such as entrepreneurs and startups. In other words, Carozzi will open up its infrastructure, data, technical knowledge, and experience so that new ideas can grow and be tested in a real environment.

What kind of startups and scaleups are invited to participate in Carozzi’s Sinergia program?
Program participants are organized around four key areas where the company is seeking to transform itself and which also reflect global trends in the food sector.

On Selection Day, Licarayen Cona, customer success leader at Emma Energy, said that “it’s a tremendous opportunity, it’s also a great challenge to get to know other companies, which is also very enriching because we’re all involved in these dynamics.”

For his part, Martín Castro, commercial director at Kran Nanobubble, said that “it is an open innovation project that is different from what we have usually experienced, and I think it is very positive to be able to come here and face a corporation with a clear understanding of the internal processes at Carozzi and Agrozzi, and in this way be able to provide them with figures and concrete data on the impact we can effectively generate and whether that is replicable and scalable at a global level.”

In this regard, the areas that bring entrepreneurs together are:

-Optimization for Total Efficiency: solutions that streamline production processes, integrate emerging technologies, or improve operational decision-making. For example, innovations to make logistics more agile, transparent, and efficient.

-Sustainable Transformation of the Global Chain: initiatives that reduce the environmental impact of operations and enable a more resilient and green chain.

-Omnichannel and Connection with the Intermediary/Consumer Customer: projects that improve the consumer experience, develop attractive products, and generate new channels of interaction.

-Sustainability, intelligence, and circular efficiency: initiatives that help measure, diagnose, and manage carbon footprints, optimize water and energy use, and manage waste and losses in production processes. Examples include innovative solutions for preventive water use management.

In this way, those who apply to Sinergia—which would be maintained through annual calls for proposals—will be able to develop their proposals with Carozzi’s support: access to plants, data, specialized mentoring, and the possibility of scaling their solutions in conjunction with a large company. In return, Carozzi accelerates its transformation process, integrating new technologies and models that do not necessarily arise from within its organization.

José Manuel Muñoz, Carozzi’s innovation and digital transformation manager, explained that “we have been working with communities, SMEs, our partners, and suppliers for a long time, and we are gradually opening up to different stages, different levels of complexity, and different ecosystems.”

“The world of open innovation is extremely rich, with many existing programs. Carozzi now wants to join this initiative because we believe we have a lot of value, not only to capture but also to generate for the different stages. Chile is a huge seedbed for innovation, and there are startups that have proven this,” he added.

SOURCE: BioBio