Plug and Play is the world’s leading startup accelerator and open innovation platform that seeks to connect startup companies with corporations for business development and investment opportunities. 

Essity joined Plug and Play’s Health & Wellness innovation platform last year to gain access to the company’s global ecosystem of startups, focusing on technologies that would strengthen Essity’s feminine care and baby care products. The relationship has now expanded to include professional hygiene and incontinence products.

“Improving hygiene and well-being for people around the world is essential to creating a more sustainable world and to value creation,” said Georg Schmundt-Thomas, President Essity Global Hygiene Category. “We’ve launched many patented innovations that millions of people use every day and that are winning in the marketplace. By teaming up with Plug and Play, we will strengthen our opportunities to get access to startups with the right competencies, thus enabling us to accelerate future growth.”

Essity has been a pioneer in enabling new innovations in hygiene products. Essity’s Tork brand, the global professional hygiene category leader, is revolutionizing the facility cleaning industry with the award-winning Tork EasyCube®, a facility management software for data-driven cleaning. This software provides facility managers and cleaners with real-time information on cleaning needs so they can eliminate unnecessary work and investing more time where it is most needed. 

Essity’s TENA Identifi was the first incontinence product designed to electronically track a patient’s voiding patterns as they occur over a 72 hour time period, creating data that helps staff in assisted care facilities optimize individualized continence care by ensuring that the right products are being used, enhancing quality of life for residents.“Corporations must embrace innovation. Essity’s commitment to collaborate with startups amplifies the dedication they have to customer and consumer satisfaction and the improvement of the health and wellness industry,” says Saeed Amidi, Founder & CEO of Plug and Play. “We look forward to exploring their new focus areas and finding them the best startups in the space.”

Plug and Play’s Health & Wellness platform runs two 12-week programs per year, accepting 20 startups in each round. These startups, sourced specifically for the partners in the program, are connected with corporations and investors for mentorship, funding and business development opportunities.

About Plug and Play

Plug and Play is a global innovation platform. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, we have built accelerator programs, corporate innovation services, and an in-house VC to make technological advancement progress faster than ever before. Since inception in 2006, our programs have expanded worldwide to include a presence in 21 locations globally giving startups the necessary resources to succeed in Silicon Valley and beyond. With over 6,000 startups and 220 official corporate partners, we have created the ultimate startup ecosystem in many industries. Companies in our community have raised over $7 billion in funding, with successful portfolio exits including Danger, Dropbox, LendingClub, PayPal, SoundHound, and Zoosk. www.plugandplaytechcenter.com.