The Lane Crawford Joyce Group is seeking applications for the next round of The Cage Ignition Program, fostering technology startups developing innovative solutions to enhance retail customer experience.
The 12-week program commences in May when two selected early-stage startups will participate in an intensive mentorship with The Lane Crawford Joyce Group executive team, exposure to an exclusive ecosystem of entrepreneurs, access to retail, digital and business strategy specialists and an introduction to the investor community with a proven track record.
This is the third year of the program. One of the previous participants, Katherine Pei, co-founder and CEO of AI chatbot enabling conversational commerce startup Whatsquare, describes The Cage Ignition Program as being like a mini-MBA for fashion tech startups.
“I’m so impressed by the people I met, the sessions I attended and the network I tapped into,” she said.
“It’s a wonderful program,” adds Ahmed, co-founder and chief product officer of QueueHop, a Y-Combinator funded company described as the ‘Amazon Go’ for fashion retailers, which has re-engineered traditional security tags into self-checkout smart tags that unlock upon payment.
“It is well-structured with clear objectives, and an awesome culture with direct retail feedback. We have learned so much and made so many meaningful connections throughout the journey,” he says.
Lane Crawford Joyce Group says The Cage Ignition Program offers early-stage startups:
- The opportunity to secure commercial agreements with one or more group companies under The Lane Crawford Joyce Group.
- Market testing opportunities across the five companies.
- Structured learning and tailored business guidance from an exclusive network of 150+ advisors.
- Dedicated mentors and direct access to key decision makers within The Lane Crawford Joyce Group ecosystem.
- Access to an exclusive community of global industry experts, investors, and entrepreneurs.
- 12 weeks of co-working and supporting infrastructure at no charge.
- HK$50,000 prize money without an equity stake.
Applications close on March 18. Applicants should contact thecage@lcjgroup.com or visit thecage.io
