MC Sonae: Scouting and PoCs Driving Open Innovation in Retail

When Portuguese retail giant MC Sonae—market leader in food retail and distribution—set out to ramp up innovation and experimentation in its services and processes, the company realized it needed more than just a connector to new technologies. It needed a partner that could turn ideas into real outcomes and help those solutions mature enough to scale.

In 2023, the national Test Beds program, part of Portugal’s Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), became a key enabler for this mission—offering a realistic and controlled environment to validate emerging solutions. But to actually bring it to life and make it work, MC Sonae knew it would need an experienced open innovation partner to accelerate digital transformation and hands-on experimentation.

That’s where CESAR came in. Chosen as MC Sonae’s Innovation Hub, CESAR took on the role of curating startups and creating a dynamic space for piloting, refining, and applying new technologies that could reshape the customer experience and retail operations.

From Idea to Impact: Tackling the Retail Transformation Challenge

With brands like Continente and Wells under its umbrella, MC Sonae had a big question to answer: How do we bring emerging technologies into daily operations while actually improving the customer experience?

Pushing innovation in areas like IoT, Big Data, AI, and connectivity became a priority. But the team kept hitting a wall: many promising solutions tested in labs or by suppliers struggled to reach market deployment with the speed needed.

MC Sonae needed a partner not only to scout solutions, but to help run practical experiments and tailor them to the real-world complexities of retail. Working with CESAR, they built a controlled but agile testing environment where startups could trial their technologies, helping de-risk innovation and speed up safe, effective deployment.

Bridging Retail and the Future: CESAR’s Differentiator

What really set CESAR apart in the Test Beds program was its integrated methodology and global innovation network—connecting MC Sonae with a diverse portfolio of mature and early-stage startups from Brazil, Portugal, and other global hubs. This expanded access meant startups could be tested both inside MC’s real operations and in controlled environments, enabling dozens of solutions to be piloted over the course of the project.

CESAR’s role as both facilitator and integrator proved essential. It provided the tools and agility MC Sonae needed to test new tech in real contexts—experimenting fast, learning from missteps, and iterating quickly. Quarterly pitch rounds organized by CESAR gave the company direct exposure to startups, allowing them to test, refine, and adjust solutions before moving to implementation.

Startup Journey: From Scouting to Real-World Impact

CESAR’s program went far beyond a typical startup selection process. Each batch included a curated pipeline of promising tech, followed by development and integration activities tailored to MC Sonae’s retail environment. From initial scouting to the final pitch, the goal was always the same: practical, scalable testing that could lead to real-world deployment.

Startups went through several key phases, most of them based in CESAR’s innovation labs. These labs played a crucial role in developing and validating the technologies. From identifying the most aligned solutions to monitoring PoCs, everything was run in a controlled lab setting.

In some cases, the technologies advanced from lab trials to live environments—like a pharmacy in Aveiro—after rigorous testing. CESAR’s lab infrastructure, enhanced with 5G connectivity provided through the Test Bed, created the perfect setup for real-time feedback and adjustments, which were critical for a successful validation process.

Hands-On with Disruptive Tech: From AI to Augmented Reality

Throughout the program, multiple cutting-edge technologies have been tested—and continue to be tested—paving the way for the future of retail.

Examples include smart chatbots, generative AI for personalized product recommendations, and augmented reality tools enhancing the in-store experience. Some solutions focused on customer engagement, while others improved internal efficiency—such as warehouse-to-store delivery robots and a holographic box that uses facial recognition to gauge customer reactions to product offers.

The impact has been substantial. These innovations are not only elevating the customer journey but are also helping MC Sonae make faster, more informed decisions about which technologies to scale across their operations.

Making Innovation Part of the Company’s DNA

One of the biggest wins from this partnership has been the cultural shift inside MC Sonae. While the company had worked with PoCs before, this time it was faster, more agile, and far more structured. Continuous feedback from startups, combined with CESAR’s agile methods, allowed MC Sonae to “fail fast,” learn even faster, and adapt quickly to an ever-evolving market.

With CESAR’s approach, internal teams that once struggled to implement changes at scale are now part of a living, breathing cycle of learning and iterating—essential to staying competitive in an increasingly digital and disruptive market.

As Paulo Reis, MC Sonae’s Digital R&D and Innovation Coordinator, puts it:

“The partnership with CESAR in the Test Beds program has been a powerful example of fast-paced experimentation and execution. Our ability to pilot technologies quickly—both in labs and real-world settings—has allowed us to shorten the time-to-value, fail fast, and adapt without wasting resources. This kind of pragmatic innovation has made the Test Bed program a critical lever for accelerating MC’s digital transformation.”

Looking Ahead: Expanding the Horizon of Corporate Innovation

With the success of the Test Beds collaboration, MC Sonae now sees CESAR as a strategic long-term partner. Trust in CESAR’s ability to bridge companies with the global innovation ecosystem continues to grow, and new projects are already in the works.

This partnership showcases how open innovation and agile experimentation can truly reshape how large companies approach technology—creating a future that’s faster, more adaptive, and genuinely transformative.

Ready to transform your business with real innovation?
CESAR is your ideal partner for accelerating open innovation. With a global network and deep expertise in design, technology, business, and venture building, we connect startups and enterprises to co-create solutions that drive real impact. Get in touch and find out how we can help take your innovation to the next level.