Safelite AutoGlass Parent Company Launches Global Start-up Accelerator
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Start-ups and entrepreneurs with ideas to shape the service industry are invited to apply for a global initiative called “Drive: the start-up accelerator from Belron®” alongside investor L Marks. Belron is the parent company of U.S.-based Safelite AutoGlass® and is the world’s leading vehicle glass repair and replacement service provider.
Drive is a 12-week start-up accelerator running from May to July 2016, designed to fast track the growth of start-ups that can improve Belron-owned operations and their approach to delivering an exceptional customer experience. Each team involved in the program will be partnered with one of Belron’s participating countries – the U.S., Canada, Spain, France and Germany – with whom they will get an unparalleled opportunity to trial their products and solutions on a global scale.
Categories of innovation i nclude:
Knowledge and Insight: any product or service that can help Belron-owned companies such as Safelite understand its customers and market better.
Improving Service and the Customer Experience: exciting innovations that can help
Belron supercharge its customer service, to make it really easy for customers to engage with its brands throughout their service experience.
Improving Productivity and Efficiency: ideas that can help Belron increase the productivity of its people, particularly our technicians or contact center representatives, or can allow it to deliver better service for its customers in a more efficient way.
Delivering Additional Services: innovations that will allow Belron to expand the services it provides to customers beyond its current offering.
Engagement with Field Employees: products or services that help Belron-operated companies to better engage with its technicians when they are out on the road or working in branches.
Each team will receive:
- The chance to trial their product in a ready-made international market.
- Access to expert mentoring from Belron senior leadership as well as experienced entrepreneurs.
- Dedicated office space at Belron’s U.K. premises just outside London.
- Sponsored visits to Belron’s international operation in the U.S., Canada, Spain, France or Germany.
- Access to investment from a fund of £200,000.
- The chance to attend the ‘Best of Belron 2016’ event in Lisbon, Portugal in May.
- A prize of £100,000 for the winning team.
Applications are due March 27, 2016.
“At Safelite, we’re proud of the innovations we’ve designed to improve the customer experience for those needing auto glass service,” said Safelite President & CEO Tom Feeney. “But there is also a unique opportunity to learn how entrepreneurs think and approach problem solving, which will challenge us to think and act differently. And by giving these startups unparalleled access to our brands around the world, along with education and investment support, we can help them accelerate their businesses too.”
About Belron
Belron is the world’s leading vehicle glass repair and replacement group. We operate worldwide, employing 26,500 people in 34 countries across five continents. We focus on building strong brands in the countries we operate. These include Carglass®, Safelite®, Autoglass®, Lebeau®, O’Brien®, and Smith&Smith®. You can find out more about Belron at www.belron.com.
About L Marks
L Marks are an investor and innovation partner who run corporate accelerator programs that bring together the corporate and startup worlds. L Marks help corporates to harness the disruption coming from the startup world to innovate and future-proof their business, as well as helping startups get the funding, mentoring and the validation they need to grow their business. L Marks are partners in JLAB with John Lewis, WHLabs with William Hill and Last Mile Labs with DPD.
About Safelite AutoGlass
Safelite AutoGlass® is the nation’s largest provider of vehicle glass repair and replacement services with 6,500 MobileGlassShops™ and company stores in all 50 states. Last year, more than 5.4 million customers chose Safelite for its 24/7 national contact centers, advanced online scheduling, superior repair and replacement systems, and the industry’s only nationwide lifetime guarantee. Founded in 1947, the Columbus, Ohio-based company employs approximately 12,000 people across the United States. For more information, visit Safelite.com, or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.