A Nature is selecting beauty and personal care startups from across Latin America for the fourth edition of the Natura Innovation Challenge (NIC), its equity-free acceleration program. Seven to ten companies will be chosen for a journey of mentoring, testing and proof of concept to validate their solutions in real contexts. Registration closes until June 28th.
The initiative comes at a time when the company is strongly committed to innovation: in 2025, the Nature invested R$1.4 billion in sector projects, 40% more than in the previous year. The value encompasses technology, R&D and open innovation projects.
“We operate under the premise that the speed of the market and the emergence of new technologies occur abruptly. In this scenario, open innovation is our main facilitator for accessing emerging technologies to be connected with disruptive solutions at the same speed at which they become reality”, says José Manuel Silva, Vice-President of New Business at Nature.
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In an interview with Startupsthe executive adds that collaborations with startups reduce uncertainties, shorten learning cycles and optimize time-to-market, allowing our portfolio to absorb new technologies more quickly.
“Our proposal is a win-win-win relationship as participating businesses evolve their strategy while exploring ways of collaborating with Natura. Natura strengthens its innovation ecosystem by connecting with different market perspectives; and consumers remain at the center of building increasingly relevant solutions”, he says.
Beyond startups
This is the first time that NIC opens space for independent brands, digital natives, communities and platforms — and not just technology-based startups. The program is structured into two tracks: Product Co-creation, focused on the conceptual validation of proposals aligned with sector trends; and Brand Collabs, aimed at startups that want to test new activation formats using Natura’s strength and channels.
In previous editions, the program selected nine startups from more than 260 registered, focusing on the future of direct selling. The projects tested hyperpersonalization and digital influence solutions with Natura and Avon’s network of beauty consultants.
The big difference for the selected companies is access to Natura’s R&D center — one of the largest in the southern hemisphere, with more than 140 researchers and 350 patents. Furthermore, the program offers personalized strategic diagnosis, co-creation of products and services alongside R&D and marketing professionals, and the possibility of opening new distribution channels within the company’s ecosystem.
Small businesses, brands and startups from all over Latin America that have already overcome the ideation phase can participate. In other words, with launched products or services, clear brand identity and an active relationship with your audience. For BeautyTechs, FemTechs and digital services companies, it is necessary to have a structured commercial operation and an active customer base.
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Diversity of gender, race and regional representation will also be considered as selection criteria, in line with the public commitments of the Nature. The program counts on the consultancy EloGroup as an execution partner.
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