MC Sonae Corporate Online Session – Retail Innovation Pilot Opportunities

The MC Sonae Corporate Online Session forms part of the Investment Readiness Programme (IRP) under the European Partnership on Innovative SMEs, co-funded by the European Union through Horizon Europe.

This online session provides startups, SMEs, innovators, and technology companies with the opportunity to learn how they can collaborate with MC Sonae, Portugal's leading food retailer, through retail-focused pilot projects.

Event Details

• Date: Thursday, 10 September 2026
• Time: 15:00 – 15:45 SAST
• Venue: Online
• Format: Corporate Information Session
• Speaker: Carlos Vieira – Innovation Specialist, Labs & AI Transformation, MC Sonae

Who Should Attend?

This session is suitable for:

• Technology startups
• Innovative SMEs
• Scale-ups
• Research organisations
• Technology developers
• Companies with innovative retail solutions
• Businesses with technologies developed for other industries that could be adapted for the retail sector

Opportunity Focus

MC Sonae is seeking innovative solutions that can transform and improve the grocery retail industry.

Areas of interest include technologies that can:

• Enhance the customer shopping experience
• Improve operational efficiency
• Optimise retail value chains
• Introduce disruptive retail technologies
• Enable digital transformation across retail operations
• Support pilot projects with innovative technology providers

About MC Sonae

MC Sonae is the market leader in food retail in Portugal, operating several well-established retail brands, including:

• Continente (Hypermarkets)
• Continente Modelo (Supermarkets)
• Continente Bom Dia (Convenience supermarkets)
• Meu Super
• Bagga
• Go Natural
• Note!
• Wells
• Arenal

The organisation actively collaborates with:

• Startups
• SMEs
• Research institutions
• Innovation centres
• Technology partners

to identify disruptive solutions that improve retail operations and customer experiences.

Why Attend?

Participants will have the opportunity to:

• Learn about MC Sonae's innovation priorities.
• Understand how pilot projects with MC Sonae are structured.
• Explore collaboration opportunities within one of Europe's leading retail organisations.
• Discover how innovative technologies can be applied within the grocery retail sector.
• Position their solutions for potential future partnerships and commercial opportunities.

Funding Programme

This session is delivered as part of the Investment Readiness Programme (IRP), an initiative under the European Partnership on Innovative SMEs, co-funded by the European Union through Horizon Europe.

Click HERE to visit the official website.