Amazon Awards €100,000 Grant to SME to Make Environmentally Friendly Apparel for Children
Amazon.com, Inc.
Petit Pli, the creator of "clothes that grow with your child," has been named the 2022 European Startup of the Year by Amazon Launchpad, the one-stop shop for unique and unexpected finds from startups.
Amazon hosted the 'Amazon Launchpad Innovation Week' in September to celebrate the Innovation Awards. The event featured a curated collection of forward-thinking products made by the UK-based winner and other European finalists, all of which are still available at the Innovation Week storefront.
Ryan Mario Yasin, Founder of Petit Pli, said:
"We want to be an innovation catalyst for the next generation and play a pivotal role in accelerating the move to a more sustainable fashion industry."
Petit Pli, which produces clothes that fit up to seven sizes out of recycled water bottles, has been awarded a €100,000 grant and a featured placement on Amazon Launchpad, as well as one year of free account management and support to sell on Amazon.
Thousands of applications were submitted across Europe for the competition. Following that, a group of experienced judges shortlisted 20 entrepreneurs with new products, with the runners-up receiving a featured placement.
“We want to be an innovation catalyst for the next generation and play a pivotal role in accelerating the move to a more sustainable fashion industry by leveraging innovation to show that more sustainable products need-not have trade-offs. Having recognition like this from a retailer like Amazon is great – we’re excited about the exposure and connection with other forward-thinking sellers on Amazon, and we’re also particularly fond of Amazon’s zero-emission last-mile deliveries. Petit Pli winning the 2022 Amazon Launchpad prize is a testament to the team’s persistence to not let good ideas die," Ryan Mario Yasin.
Xavier Flamand, VP of Amazon Launchpad, said:
"We’re delighted to announce Petit Pli as our Startup of the Year – offering parents an alternative option which is better for the people and planet.
“We are proud to celebrate pioneers who come up with clever concoctions to make the world a better, brighter place. Blending simple, obvious things in unexpected ways to create something new and exciting is at the heart of Amazon Launchpad. We’re a destination for innovative new products from small businesses. Amazon Launchpad has supported over 2,200 startups in Europe, and these awards demonstrate both our commitment to supporting emerging brands and how we love to delight our customers with new and innovative products.”
Amazon Launchpad was launched in 2015 and is now available in France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, and the Netherlands, as well as the United States, Canada, Mexico, India, and Australia. Since its inception, Amazon Launchpad has collaborated with over 200 of the world's premier venture capital firms, startup accelerators, and crowd-funding platforms to assist companies in launching industry-changing products.
Source: Amazon
