What is Roca Group Ventures?
Roca Group Ventures is the Corporate Venture Capital (CVC) and Open Innovation platform of the Roca Group. Launched in 2022, it invests in innovative projects that anticipate new customer needs, boost the company’s digital transformation, and promote sustainability. The ultimate goal? To enhance the value proposition of Roca Group, a global leader in creating bathroom spaces. This platform is all about defining challenges both inside and outside the company to make a positive impact on customers and society alike. It creates open innovation challenges aimed at startups that bring value to Roca Group while pushing forward social and environmental missions.
Main Benefits and Key Figures
Roca Group Ventures focuses on early-stage startups with global ambitions, especially those ready to integrate their solutions into Roca Group’s ecosystem. Here are some key facts and figures:
- Investment tickets range from €0.5 million to €2 million per startup
- Plans to invest in 10-15 startups over the next three years
- Fund endowment of €25 million, fully backed by Roca Group’s own activity
- Focus on late seed and Series A startups with strategic fit
- Follow-on investment strategy to reinforce positions
- Special interest in startups with traction, especially water companies with over $10 million in annual revenues for strategic partnerships
Areas of Interest
The platform targets three main areas where innovation can make a real difference. First up, Smart Homes & Enhanced User Experience, which includes customizable products, multigenerational bathrooms and kitchens equipped with sensors, IoT connectivity, health and well-being features, hygiene improvements, omnichannel commerce, and better relationships with customers and distributors. Then there’s Sustainability & Water Efficiency, focusing on reducing energy consumption in factories, improving products to save water, optimizing logistics and packaging to cut carbon footprints, exploring sustainable materials and supply chains, and aiming for net zero goals. Lastly, Enhanced Productivity covers smart factories, new construction methods like robotics and 3D printing, process digitalization, secure collaborative workplaces, skill development, customer insights, and business analytics.
Investment Process
The investment journey at Roca Group Ventures is thorough and collaborative. It kicks off with Presentation & Validation, where the team meets startups to understand their products and checks for strategic fit with Roca’s business units. Next comes Analysis & Due Diligence, involving market potential assessment, competitor analysis, and validation of the value the startup and Roca can create together. Finally, Negotiation & Investment ensures that agreements maximize value and secure the success of all shareholders involved. The approach is hands-on, aiming to deliver value beyond just financial input.
Open Innovation and Collaboration
Roca Group Ventures embraces a cutting-edge, open innovation model. It’s not just about investing money; it’s about creating win-win opportunities where startups and Roca Group collaborate closely. Their venture client approach identifies real use cases that can turn into pilot projects, helping startups validate their solutions while generating new business and revenue streams for both parties. This dynamic collaboration fosters powerful solutions that align with the goals of both the corporate and the entrepreneurs involved.
Project Impact and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
- SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation – through water efficiency and purification technologies
- SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy – by reducing energy consumption in factories and facilities
- SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure – via smart factories and digital transformation
- SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities – through smart home innovations and sustainable materials
- SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production – by optimizing logistics and packaging
- SDG 13: Climate Action – targeting net zero emissions and carbon footprint reduction
About Roca Group
Founded in Barcelona in 1917, Roca Group is a world leader in designing, producing, and selling bathroom space products for architecture, construction, and interior design. With over a century of innovation, the family-owned company blends tradition with a passion for innovation and environmental respect. Sustainability is at the heart of all its activities, aiming to leave a better planet for future generations. Roca Group Ventures carries forward this legacy by investing in technologies and startups that align with these values and ambitions.
