Fluidra is a Spanish multinational company specializing in sustainable water solutions, mainly in the swimming pool and wellness sector. Based in Sant Cugat del Vallès (Barcelona), the company designs, manufactures and markets products for residential and commercial swimming pools. Innovation is part of Fluidra’s DNA and has been key to its growth and competitiveness. We spoke with Pere Camprovin, Head of Open Innovation at Fluidra (pictured, left) to learn about its innovation strategy.
Why did Fluidra decide to commit to open innovation?
Over a decade ago, we launched Fluidra Accelera, an acceleration model to leverage external ideas from inventors and startups. We learned how to collaborate with entrepreneurs and manage investments in innovative projects, but we discovered that many of these initiatives were not aligned with our strategy. That’s why we evolved towards Fluidra Lab, a model focused on strategic objectives and specific business needs, ensuring real impact.
What innovative projects have emerged from Fluidra Lab?
Since 2020, Fluidra Lab has been driving key projects. For example, we are driving a pilot with Efficpool, a Catalan startup specializing in innovative regenerative filters, to validate the technology, and with which we currently have a commercial agreement. We also acquired a patent for a technology that improves underwater communication in wireless robots, which is already integrated into one of our cleaning robots.
Why do they bet on Corporate Venture Capital?
Corporate Venture Capital is a strategic tool for exploring areas with high potential and higher risk. The Fluidra Ventures fund, launched last year and endowed with 20 million euros, allows us to invest in startups, analyze their evolution from the inside and decide whether it is viable to integrate them into Fluidra in the future. More than an immediate financial return, we seek strategic opportunities that complement our business and strengthen our competitiveness in the sector.
What are the first results of the fund?
In the first months of the fund, we have invested in three startups. One is Coral Smartpool, a startup that offers a drowning prevention system through the use of artificial intelligence applied to images (Computer Vision), a technology that we believe can offer new opportunities in the swimming pool market. Another startup that we have invested in is Ecotropy Datapool, a technology that creates digital twins for commercial swimming pools, which optimizes the use of key resources such as energy and water and, therefore, improves sustainability.
Is the evolution from Corporate Venturing to Corporate Venture Capital natural for established companies?
Yes, it is a natural evolution for Fluidra. It allows us to explore new business areas without losing any agility or capacity for innovation. The Corporate Venture Capital fund is a new tool to become strategic partners of startups with great potential in our market and, thus, to be able to access emerging technologies and disruptive business models, which allows us to adapt quickly to market changes and take advantage of opportunities outside our traditional business.
You have also launched an internal entrepreneurship program for years…
Fluidra has more than 7,000 employees in 45 countries. The intrapreneurship program was created with the aim of fostering a culture of innovation in the organization. We are now in our seventh edition, and a total of 300 employees from different countries have participated. At the beginning, the goal was to help employees understand what it means to innovate and how they could contribute new ideas. Currently, under the name Fluidra Innovation Booster, the program has become more scalable, agile and with greater strategic alignment, with an online platform for presenting ideas, which allows us to capture efficiency and innovation proposals more easily.
Which partners do you collaborate with to strengthen your innovation ecosystem?
We collaborate with a network of strategic partners, such as startups, technology companies and specialized consultants. These partners provide knowledge and technologies that complement our internal capabilities. As an example, we are part of INDPULS, an association with other Catalan industrial companies, which allows us to share knowledge and strengthen strategies. We have also collaborated with Aleix Valls from Liquid Lab, who has helped us drive the transformation; and with SDLI who helps us with the intrapreneurship program and provides us with the virtual platform to manage it.
What role has general management played in the innovation strategy?
The general management has been fundamental to our innovation strategy. Their support is reflected in the creation of a specific council for Fluidra Lab, which includes, among others, the Executive President, the CEO and the CFO, and to which we report directly every quarter. In addition, we have worked closely with middle management to ensure that innovation is translated into concrete projects with real impact. Collaboration between all levels of the company is key to the effective execution of our strategy.
