FDBusiness.com

Nestlé is strengthening its digital innovation presence in Silicon Valley to enhance partnerships with start-ups and leading technology companies, and further develop relationships with consumers by providing them with innovative online experiences and services.

In spring 2016, an enlarged Nestlé digital team – with additional staff drawn from the company’s marketing and technology groups – will move into a new office co-located with swissnex, as part of a coordinated Swiss presence within the ‘Swiss House’ at Pier 17 in San Francisco Bay.

“Two years ago we successfully established a Silicon Valley Innovation Outpost and we look to build and expand on that effort through this engagement with swissnex,” says Patrice Bula, Nestlé Executive Vice President and Global Head of Marketing. “We are committed to working more closely with major technology platforms and start-ups for possible collaborations to help us engage with consumers in more meaningful ways.”

Nestlé will also rotate both marketing and technology talent through the centre on short-term assignments to focus on technology trends, tools and development methods, and open innovation models to solve business problems.

Christian Simm, founder and CEO of swissnex San Francisco, says: “In a bigger space with a one-in-a-kind visibility at Pier 17, we will create more impact for our partners by building a truly collaborative ecosystem, working with a vibrant community of creative minds, and sharing unique insights into disruptive innovation and trends in Switzerland and the US.”