ASOS and Telefonica’s Wayra launch Fashion Tech startup accelerator

Fashion Tech startups in the UK have until 23rd of May to apply for the ASOS and Wayra accelerator programme.

Launched today, the eight month programme is offering £34,000 in direct investment, dedicated acceleration services, intensive mentoring and office space to a select number of innovative startups in the fashion sector.

Speaking about the launch, Cliff Cohen, ASOS CIO, said: “ASOS has always been known as a digital leader and this partnership will help us continue to serve the needs of our customers as they evolve. There are specific areas where we would like to accelerate innovation, but we are also excited to hear what ideas come back from the startups themselves.

“The potential here, for ASOS, our customers and the companies we end up working with, is huge and Wayra UK is the perfect partner to work with on this search,” he added.

Selected startups will go through to the semi finals, due to take place on 26th May. The final is scheduled to take place at Wayra’s UK academy on 2nd June.

“To see ASOS – arguably one of Britain’s biggest startup success stories – itself embrace open innovation in this way is truly inspiring and shows why the UK has evolved into one of the world’s best startup ecosystems. ASOS is the perfect co-investor for anyone interested in e-commerce, adtech and fashion tech,” said Gary Stewart, director at Wayra UK and Telefónica Open Future UK.

Throughout the programme, startups will potentially receive access to Telefonica’s customer base – estimated at 300 million people.