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Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev) is one of the world's largest brewing companies, boasting a diverse portfolio of over 500 beer brands, including well-known names like Budweiser, Stella Artois, and Corona. Operating in more than 50 countries with products sold in over 150 countries, AB InBev's mission is to brew quality beer and create a future with "more cheers." The company fosters a culture of ownership, inclusion, and empowerment while also focusing on making a positive societal and environmental impact.
Before discovering FounderNest, AB InBev's team faced significant challenges in identifying startups that addressed specific pain points. Traditional scouting methods, including attending events and manual research, were time-intensive and not always fruitful. Although the team used platforms like CB Insights and Crunchbase, finding contact information and startups that directly addressed their needs remained a struggle.
"The opportunity cost of spending so much time reaching out to startups manually was high."
Even after identifying potential startups, gaining access to relevant contact information was difficult, requiring non-ideal outreach methods that slowed down their innovation pipeline.
AB InBev turned to FounderNest, drawn by its ability to streamline the time-consuming process of startup discovery and contact gathering. The team hoped FounderNest would not only reduce manual effort but also uncover startups that addressed their pain points more effectively while eliminating inherent biases.
Traditional methods like CB Insights and Crunchbase were still useful, but they lacked the efficiency and flexibility needed as AB InBev’s accelerator grew. FounderNest offered a solution that could scale with them, unlocking a vast database of startups with wide geographic coverage—an essential factor for AB InBev's global operations.
“The biggest factor for us was being able to use our time in other impactful ways outside of scouting efforts.”
Since implementing FounderNest, AB InBev’s team has sent over 2,000 emails to startups found through the platform, based on a total of over 3,500 startups identified. However, they faced some limitations in tracking applications, which made it difficult to quantify the precise impact.
Key results include:
Looking ahead, AB InBev envisions FounderNest continuing to play a vital role in future cohorts, particularly with potential improvements in application tracking and AI learning for trend identification.
“FounderNest has completely replaced Crunchbase and CB Insights in our team.”
