On June 18, 2022, Lemon Learning won the VivaTech Startup Challenge award sponsored by SAP.iO at the sixth edition of Viva Technology, taking first place in the Future of Work category.
What are the VivaTech Startup Challenges?
The VivaTech Startup Challenges are open innovation competitions held as part of Viva Technology, one of Europe's largest gatherings of startups and technology leaders. Corporate sponsors and public partners submit real business problems, and startups compete by presenting solutions evaluated by an expert jury.
According to the official VivaTech Startup Challenges page, these competitions are designed to connect innovation-driven startups with the strategic needs of major organizations. Winners gain visibility with enterprise decision-makers, access to the sponsor's ecosystem, and industry recognition.
Judging criteria for the VivaTech Startup Challenge awards typically include:
The relevance of the product or solution to the challenge theme
The potential impact of the proposed solution
The broader market opportunity for the solution
How SAP.iO Uses VivaTech to Find Startup Partners
SAP.iO (SAP's startup accelerator and investment arm) has sponsored multiple challenge categories at VivaTech. At the 2022 edition, SAP.iO presented two challenge tracks for startups: Future of Work and Future of Retail and Consumer Products.
Future of Work
The Future of Work challenge recognizes startups that help customers increase the value of their workforce by developing, managing, engaging, and empowering people. Solutions in this category address real operational needs around employee experience, digital enablement, and organizational performance.
Future of Retail and Consumer Products
The Future of Retail and Consumer Products challenge recognizes companies helping businesses grow sustainably and profitably by transforming purchasing experiences and exceeding evolving consumer expectations. Entries in this category typically focus on commerce technology, supply chain innovation, and consumer engagement.
What is SAP.iO?
SAP.iO is the startup accelerator program created by SAP SE, the German enterprise software company. Its mission is to help startups build, grow, and scale solutions that integrate with or extend SAP's core product portfolio, spanning areas such as finance, human resources (HR), procurement, and supply chain management.
Since its founding in 2017, SAP.iO has supported hundreds of startups across industries and geographies, connecting them with SAP customers and partners. Participating startups gain technical resources, mentorship, and direct access to SAP's global customer base. The partnership between SAP.iO and VivaTech's challenge format allows the accelerator to identify and publicly validate emerging solutions against live enterprise needs.
What is Viva Technology?
Viva Technology (commonly known as VivaTech) is a major European technology and innovation event held annually in Paris. It brings together startups, investors, and corporate leaders to showcase emerging technologies and explore partnerships. The event serves as a platform for startups to gain recognition and for large organizations to source innovation through structured competitions such as the Startup Challenges.
The sixth edition of VivaTech ran from June 15 to 18, 2022. Editions since then have continued to grow the Startup Challenges program, with sponsors including major corporations across sectors such as telecommunications, energy, and enterprise software.
Why Lemon Learning Won the Future of Work Category
Lemon Learning is a Digital Adoption Platform (DAP) that delivers in-application guidance to help employees learn and use enterprise software in the flow of their daily work. At VivaTech 2022, SAP.iO selected Lemon Learning as the winner of its Future of Work challenge on the strength of three factors: the direct relevance of in-application learning to workforce enablement, the scalability of the platform across enterprise software environments, and the demonstrable market demand for tools that reduce software adoption friction.
The win reflects a broader shift in how large organizations think about employee productivity. Rather than relying solely on classroom training or static documentation, companies are increasingly turning to embedded digital guidance to accelerate software adoption and reduce the time it takes for employees to become productive in new or updated tools.
"Permanent change is not a sequence of projects. It does not work, because it is not about moving from state A to state B; with permanent change there is no state A and state B."
This perspective captures the challenge that the Future of Work category is designed to address: organizations need continuous, embedded support for their people, not one-off training events. Lemon Learning's approach of delivering contextual guidance directly inside enterprise applications positions it squarely within this need.
Lemon Learning's Track Record of Industry Recognition
The SAP.iO VivaTech award was not an isolated recognition. Lemon Learning has received validation from multiple independent industry bodies. For context on other awards the company has received, see the writeup on the Innovative Solution Award and the recognition received for the Culture and Innovation Award at DIMS 2022.
Each of these recognitions reflects independent validation of Lemon Learning's core value proposition: that enterprise software adoption improves when employees receive contextual, in-application guidance at the moment they need it, rather than relying on training that happens outside the flow of work.
SAP Environments and the Role of Digital Adoption
SAP products are among the most widely deployed enterprise software platforms in the world. They are also among the most complex to adopt, particularly for frontline employees who use them for specific tasks rather than as power users. SAP.iO's decision to sponsor a Future of Work challenge at VivaTech reflects SAP's awareness that the value of its software depends heavily on whether employees can use it effectively.
A Digital Adoption Platform layered on top of SAP applications can deliver step-by-step walkthroughs, contextual tooltips, and in-application alerts without requiring employees to leave their workflow to consult external documentation. For organizations managing large-scale SAP deployments, this approach directly reduces support ticket volume, accelerates onboarding, and sustains adoption through updates and change initiatives.
For a direct comparison of how Lemon Learning functions in an SAP environment, the article on Lemon Learning versus SAP Enable Now covers the differences in approach and capability in detail.
Organizations looking to explore how a DAP can support their workforce in SAP or any other enterprise application can review Lemon Learning's learning and development solution or request a live demonstration.
The VivaTech Startup Challenges are open innovation competitions organized at Viva Technology, Europe's major startup and tech event. Leading corporations and public partners present real business problems, and startups compete by pitching solutions that are judged on relevance, market potential, and the strength of the proposed solution.
What is SAP.iO and how does it support startups?+
SAP.iO is SAP's startup accelerator and investment arm. It was created to help startups build, grow, and scale solutions that integrate with or extend SAP products. Since 2017, SAP.iO has supported startups across multiple industries and countries, connecting them with SAP customers and partners.
What is the Future of Work challenge at VivaTech?+
The Future of Work challenge is one of the SAP.iO-sponsored categories at the VivaTech Startup Challenges. It recognizes startups that help organizations increase workforce value by developing, managing, engaging, and empowering employees, particularly through digital tools.
What does winning a VivaTech Startup Challenge award mean for a startup?+
Winning a VivaTech Startup Challenge award signals that an independent jury of corporate sponsors and industry experts has validated a startup's solution on criteria including product relevance, solution potential, and market opportunity. It provides visibility with major enterprise clients and strengthens the startup's credibility in its category.
