Driving Innovation at AB InBev’s Beer Garage
Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev), through its innovation hub, the Beer Garage, sought to expand its summer Incubator program in 2019. Located in Silicon Valley, the Beer Garage is dedicated to leveraging cutting-edge technology for the company’s growth. The program paired up interns and full-time employees to work on projects of critical importance to the business, from marketing to finance to the brewing process itself.
Designing a Structured Incubation Program
AngelHack designed an 11 week program where teams built prototypes leveraging cutting edge technology, ran pilots, and ultimately pitched their projects to company executives at a Demo Day
- Curriculum Development: AngelHack designed and implemented a hands-on curriculum tailored to the needs of AB InBev’s business
- Comprehensive Mentorship & Coaching: Teams were supported by AngelHack’s change management coaches to create detailed project plans, stakeholder engagement strategies, and communication plans. This helped guide teams from ideation to actionable business solutions.
- Extended Support with Catalyst Program: Nine of the 11 projects advanced to AngelHack’s newly developed Catalyst program. This 8-week extension ensured projects were fully integrated into AB InBev by securing necessary stakeholders, funding, and executive support.
Tangible Business Impact for AB InBev
The partnership between AngelHack and AB InBev resulted in notable successes for both talent acquisition and project integration:
- Talent Acquisition Success: AB InBev extended job offers to 10 interns, with a 100% acceptance rate.
- Business Impact: The projects emerging from the Incubator and Catalyst programs have already demonstrated early wins for AB InBev, including cost savings, enhanced marketing performance, and better risk management in finance.
It has been incredible to see what these groups are able to achieve with the dedicated time, resources, and support of the Incubator program. In just 11 weeks, projects went from being vague ideas to concrete products with measurable pilots.
– Patricio Pirni, VP of Innovation, AB InBev