BORN Expands With Alkeon B2B Market Network Platform Transforming Commercial Models, Starting With the Trade Show Industry

BORN, announces the expansion of innovative B2B subsidiary Alkeon, the world's first global SaaS market-network combining content, community, and commerce to connect buyers and sellers through a best-in-class platform, powered by machine learning. The 2020 pandemic generated a tremendous and immediate need for companies of all categories to pivot at a moment’s notice, with over 10,000 global trade shows completely upended due to cancellations of physical events. BORN, a purpose driven lifestyle company dedicated to reimagining the discovery, transaction and connection of the B2B and B2C communities, found an opportune moment to quickly scale and enhance their technology solutions. The company formally established Alkeon, an enterprise dedicated to supporting the needs of companies who are adapting to the current and future landscapes and need the right partner to support them through the process.

Combining aesthetic and function to create designed technology, Alkeon is a market-network company that enables brands to create an always-on commercial model, digitally optimize their existing infrastructure, capture detailed audience insights and more. Starting with the immediate needs of the global trade show market, Alkeon represents over 15,000 buyers and 150,000 new products by the end of the year. The B2B solution has seen hyper growth and solidified contracts from some of the most influential global trade shows including Tranoï (part of GL Events), Cosmoprof, Brand Assembly, Reassemble, Esxence and Bridal Harrogate.

Founder and CEO of BORN, Jean-Christophe states, “We have seen gaps in the B2B and B2C supply chains for several years, with many aspects of both still operating with analogue systems that lack the benefits of full digital capabilities, audience intelligence and ways to expand and enhance traditional commercial models. The last year has made these gaps stark, leaving many companies in a position to innovate quickly in order to survive. The trade show audience was not only deeply disrupted, but is crucial for global commerce. The tech solutions that we’ve developed have implications for several industries, but we chose to focus on this important category that supports economies around the world. Longterm, businesses, including trade shows, will need a hybrid model that combines the best of technology with the great benefits of physical interaction. We’re creating the solutions for now and well into the future.”

Alkeon’s technology platform empowers trade shows to digitally transform their business, and expand their business internationally with buyers, agents, showrooms and distributors. Brands using BORN's Alkeon service can select a package that ranges from $99 a month to $15,000 a year with various offerings, including intelligent matchmaking, a suite of connection tools such as in-app messaging and video meetings, actionable insights about their business such as buyer engagement and trending product reports. Alkeon offers buyers best-in-class product discovery experience powered by machine learning, delivering personalized product recommendations, curated product lists, and the ability to save products.

“Early on, we asked ourselves the question, “Why can’t B2B be beautiful?”. So we set out with the goal to delight wholesale buyers with a refined, feature-rich product discovery and purchase experience typically reserved for direct-consumer experiences.” - Brendan Wypich, Chief Design & Product Officer.

The platform provides a sleek interface for each brand to present their story and products so that buyers can make quick and informed business decisions. Alkeon streamlines a brand’s workflows by providing full transparency and clear tracking of buyer order flows from initial interest through to purchase order all while staying in constant contact with the buyer. The result is a simplified wholesale buying process that future-proofs the brand’s operations while scaling their business footprint.

BORN began developing the Alkeon technology well before the pandemic hit. Alkeon offers a pleasing and educational discovery experience along with a seamless infrastructure. With quick expansion, BORN and Alkeon will chart the course for the future of retail and wholesale, using the best of the latest technology to learn and adapt, curate and personalize and allow for broader market access. The benefits of the technology have game-changing implications for tradeshows, showrooms, brands, media companies, press agents and buyers.

About BORN:

BORN specializes in digital, data-led solutions to digitize retail supply chains and reimagine discovery and transaction online. BORN owns Alkeon, a suite of B2B solutions and software products that digitize tradeshows and showrooms, as well as Born.com, a platform connecting thousands of luxury design-led brands with premium retailers. BORN is led by CEO Jean-Christophe Chopin, ex-founder of E*Trade EU and Verisign EU.

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