Selecting the Startups That Will Power the Next Generation of Commerce
A limited number of high-caliber startups will be selected.
As VTEX accelerates its strategic expansion across Europe — strengthening its footprint with a Western Europe Customer Experience hub in Spain and deepening its presence in the region’s digital commerce ecosystem — the company is entering a new phase of collaboration and innovation.
In this context, Bcombinator is launching the VTEX Retail Tech Award, a one-time strategic call designed to identify and integrate the most promising retail and commerce technology startups across Iberia and Western Europe.
This is a focused initiative created specifically for this project and only a small group of startups will be chosen to participate.
In partnership with VTEX, the commerce suite of choice for bold CIOs and CEOs, this initiative is built around one clear principle:
Meaningful integration and enterprise validation.
Selected startups won’t just join a program.
They will build and test their solutions inside a real global commerce ecosystem.
The next wave of commerce innovation won’t come from isolated startups.
It will emerge from structured collaboration between:
● Ambitious founders
● Global commerce infrastructure
● Enterprise clients ready to adopt new technology
This award was created to make that collaboration happen.
Not in theory.
In execution.
The Strategic Partner: VTEX
VTEX powers global brands and retailers with an AI-first unified commerce solution.
Through this initiative, selected startups gain:
● Access to VTEX technical infrastructure (VTEX IO / APIs)
● Direct interaction with product and engineering teams
● Exposure to enterprise clients
The success metric is simple:
A VTEX client actively adopting your solution.
We are selecting startups that can extend or add value to commerce infrastructure across four key areas:
● Marketplace integrations
● Retail media & adtech
● Cross-border solutions
● Growth tools
● Checkout & payments innovation
● Embedded fintech / BNPL
● Personalization & dynamic pricing
● Conversational commerce
● GenAI applied to e-commerce
● Tracking & last-mile
● Returns & reverse logistics
● Fulfillment automation
● WMS 2.0
● Post-sales CX
● AI engines
● Data & decision systems
● Modular commerce extensions
If your solution clearly fits one of these pillars, we want to hear from you.
We are targeting companies that are:
● Live and in production
● Already serving real paying customers
● SaaS or API-first
● Technically ready to integrate within 30–45 days
● Based in Iberia or Western Europe
● Focused on measurable impact in commerce
● Experience working with enterprise clients is a plus.
One startup will receive the official VTEX Retail Tech Award and a €15,000 cash prize.
Selected startups will enter a structured pilot phase:
● 30–45 days technical integration
● 45–60 days validation and go-to-market
You will:
● Integrate into the VTEX environment
● Refine use case and pricing
● Develop a demo-ready MVP
● Present to enterprise clients
This is about building something real.
Through Bcombinator and VTEX, selected startups receive:
● Warm introductions to selected enterprise clients
● Commercial validation opportunities
● Real adoption potential
One validated pilot used by multiple clients creates more value than several theoretical partnerships.
Startups that successfully validate may unlock:
● Partnership pathways
● Revenue-sharing agreements
● VTEX App Store publication
● Strategic investment
● Potential M&A discussions
Everything is performance-driven.
Selected startups will move through three structured stages:
Selection → Integration → Enterprise Validation
The integration and pilot phase runs in a focused 90-day cycle, combining technical implementation and commercial validation.
The full program spans approximately 6–9 months, from selection to final enterprise validation and award announcement.
The process is structured, fast-moving and performance-driven.
A limited number of high-caliber startups will be selected.
Applications close on March 31, 2026.
If your startup is ready for enterprise integration and real market validation, this is your moment.
Apply here:https://www.bcombinator.com/retail-tech-awards
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