Lowe’s establishes Bengaluru office to bring innovation from lab to market

BENGALURU: Lowe’s Innovation Labs (LIL) has opened LIL-Bangalore and unveiled its new facility in the heart of Bengaluru. The company says that the new lab will house tech-savvy startups that will participate in an intensive 16-week accelerator program and give them an opportunity to partner with Lowe’s and deploy their technology in the US LIL-Bangalore’s primary focus and priority technology areas include augmented and virtual reality, 3D printing and scanning, and robotics. LIL-Bangalore is expected to welcome its first round of accelerator startups later this year.

“Innovation and diversity of thought is at the core of what Lowe’s represents,” said Richard Maltsbarger, Chief Development Officer and President, International, Lowe’s Companies Inc. “Lowe’s Innovation Labs is revolutionizing the home improvement retail experience in the US, and we hope the tremendous talent and vibrant startup community in Bangalore will help us continue building a network of uncommon partners with whom we can co-develop technology.”

Lowe’s created LIL in 2014 to bring together uncommon partners with a commitment to get technology out of the lab and into the real world. Beginning with science fiction prototyping to craft a narrative for the future, LIL collaborates with startups and has introduced projects including the Lowe’s Holoroom, an augmented and virtual reality home improvement design tool, the OSHbot autonomous retail service robot and in-store and online 3D scanning and printing.

“Lowe’s Innovation Labs-Bangalore will provide an open space where startups can interact and rapidly bring customer experience solutions to life through cutting-edge technologies, once thought to be the realm of science fiction,” said Kyle Nel, executive director of LIL. “Bangalore is a dynamic community with world-class tech resources right in the heart of the city making it the perfect launching pad to expand our work in the US and take disruptive technology to the next level.”

LIL-Bangalore will also complement Lowe’s existing Bangalore Global In-house Center (GIC), which has been operating since 2014 and has grown to include more than 400 employees working on technology and analytics solutions.

“Opening Lowe’s Innovation Labs-Bangalore further strengthens our long-term commitment to India. We are confident that it will complement our efforts and further establish India as one of the innovation hubs for the company,” said Lalit Ahuja, acting Managing Director, Lowe’s India.