September 10, 2018

Accenture Renews Agreement with The New York Fashion Tech Lab to Support Women-Led Innovation Program for 2019

NEW YORK; Sept.10, 2018 – Accenture (NYSE: ACN) has, for the second consecutive year, been named the exclusive management and technology consulting partner for the New York Fashion Tech Lab (NYFTL) program. Founded in 2014 by Springboard Enterprises with the support of iconic fashion industry brands and retailers, the NYFTL focuses on women-led emerging tech companies that have developed innovations at the intersection of fashion, retail and technology.

Under the agreement, Accenture will participate in selecting the start-ups that will join the 2019 program and will then work closely with each company to refine their solutions; develop customized retail strategies; create a plan for scaling their business and reducing time to market; and identify uses cases to drive value for retailers.

“Retail’s future depends on innovation, and we believe that technology start-ups are critical to giving brands new capabilities that keep them at the cutting edge of retail – and at the forefront of customers’ minds,” said Jill Standish, senior managing director at Accenture and head of its Retail practice. “NYFTL’s program provides a fantastic platform to quickly validate emerging technologies and measure their impact. It also plays an important role in empowering the next generation of female leadership in the industry.”

Manhattan-based Headliner Labs is one of the 2018 Lab companies that has worked closely with Accenture’s specialists through the 2018 NYFTL program. The start-up – a leading chat marketing platform for retail and e-commerce companies – specializes in the development and integration of artificial-intelligence-powered chatbots for e-commerce, rolling out a product that can increase direct-to-consumer sales by up to 63 percent while increasing brand engagement.

“NYFTL provides an unparalleled platform in which we can more rapidly connect with decision makers at major retailers,” said Caroline Stern Klatt, co-founder and CEO of Headliner Labs. “We’ve already benefitted from tapping into Accenture’s expertise to refine our go-to-market strategy, as well as the opportunity to learn from their incredible teams and industry experts. We’re thrilled to consider Accenture a partner as we scale and grow in the retail industry.”

Kay Koplovitz, co-founder of the NYFTL and chairman of Springboard Enterprises, said, "We started NY Fashion Tech Lab to bring new technologies into the fashion and retail industry during a critical point in retail’s resurgence. Accenture is playing an important mentorship and activation role as we look to redefine the parameters of innovation and identify new ways to connect with today’s digitally savvy consumer while supporting talented women entrepreneurs.”

For more information on the 2018 NYFTL and the upcoming 2019 open call for lab company applications, visit www.nyftlab.com.

About Accenture
Accenture is a leading global professional services company, providing a broad range of services and solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations. Combining unmatched experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries and all business functions – underpinned by the world’s largest delivery network – Accenture works at the intersection of business and technology to help clients improve their performance and create sustainable value for their stakeholders. With 449,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries, Accenture drives innovation to improve the way the world works and lives. Visit us at www.accenture.com.

About Springboard Enterprises (NYFTL CoFounding & Producing Partner)
Since 2000, Springboard Enterprises (http://www.sb.co) has served as a global resource hub of influencers, investors and innovators engaged in helping women entrepreneurs build transformational businesses. Springboard sources, coaches, showcases and supports women-led growth companies seeking investment of financial and human capital for product development and expansion. The 718 Springboard portfolio companies have raised more than $8.3 billion, created tens of thousands of new jobs, and generate billions of dollars in annual revenues. 84% of Springboard companies are growing as independent or merged entities, including 17 IPOs and many that are the technology engines of publicly traded companies.

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Contact:

Aleks Vujanic
Accenture
+44 7500 974 814
aleks.vujanic@accenture.com

NYFT Lab Contact:
Ryan M. Wallace, Communications
+1 917.442.2305
ryan@nyftlab.com