URBAN-X, a leading accelerator for startups reimagining city life announced its sixth cohort of companies. URBAN-X is part of the Innovation and Brand Strategy practice at MINI and partners with venture firm, Urban Us. The seven startups were selected from a competitive group of hundreds of applicants from across the globe and are building solutions to some of our cities most pressing issues.
Each company selected will participate in a 20-week intensive accelerator program to help develop hardware, software or IoT products and successful go-to-market strategies. Companies have access to hands-on assistance from URBAN-X’s expansive network of global experts – including world-class engineers and designers from BMW, software developers, policy experts, marketing and sales leaders, UX/UI designers and communications experts. Cohort 06 is also the first class to receive a $150,000 investment per company, up from $100,000 in previous cohorts.
The program will culminate in a Demo Day during Climate Week NYC in September 2019, where teams will present their solutions to an audience of investors, policymakers, customers and more. Following demo day, the companies are introduced to investors at investor days beginning in New York and the Bay Area.
Cohort 06 includes the following startups:
- 3AM Innovation: Situational tracking during emergencies to improve on-scene awareness for first responders.
- Cove.Tool: Automated building performance modeling to save time and money for early stage design.
- Evolve Energy: Reducing carbon emissions while saving costs via renewable energy, real time pricing and home IOT.
- Food For All: Tackling food waste by partnering with popular restaurants and offering quality meals for as little as $4.
- Hubbster: Building stronger communities by transforming public spaces into social experiences.
- Pi Variables: Enhancing road safety and traffic guidance via innovative hardware, software and design-focused solutions.
- Varuna: A cloud-based platform that provides analytics and insights to improve water quality by optimizing utility operations.
MINI launched URBAN-X in 2016 as part of their Innovation and Brand Strategy practice focused on improving city life. URBAN-X engages with the brightest minds solving some of the most complex issues people living in cities face today, like mobility, energy consumption, infrastructure, housing, food waste, water and more. The accelerator now has 44 companies in the portfolio, with 85% of companies having gone on to raise their next round of capital.