URBAN-X has announced its fifth cohort of companies at a launch event hosted at the accelerator’s Brooklyn headquarters. 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 over 450 applicants from across the world, and are building solutions to address our cities most pressing issues.
Each company selected will participate in a 20-week intensive accelerator program and receive a $100,000 investment to help their businesses with their product or go-to-market strategy. 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 and UX/UI designers from the NYC startup ecosystem, graphic designers and communications and PR experts.
The program will culminate in a Demo Day in March 2019, where teams will present their solutions. Following demo day, the companies are introduced to investors at investor days beginning in New York and the Bay Area.
Cohort 05 includes the following startups:
- The Free Ride –The Free Ride is an all-electric, short-range, ridesharing company providing city-goers with free, sustainable transportation.
- Borrow –Borrow is bridging the gap between leasing, ownership and on-demand ridesharing by providing short term electric vehicle leasing.
- Thrilling – Thrilling is the first dedicated e-commerce platform for vintage and second-hand stores, reducing carbon, waste and water footprints.
- Treau – Treau is building advanced climate control systems to bring sustainable, comfortable, and efficient cooling and heating to buildings everywhere.
- GreenQ – GreenQ is creating truck-based waste analytics systems to improve logistics, diversion and recycling.
- Toggle –Toggle is building an automated process that utilizes software and industrial robotics to reduce costs and increase productivity of construction projects.
- Gearbuddy – GearBuddy uses IoT and machine learning to digitize every aspect of construction, including equipment like bulldozers and trucks, to make construction more efficient, effective and safer.
MINI launched URBAN-X in 2016 as part of their Innovation and Brand Strategy practice focused on improving city life and now has 37 companies in the portfolio. URBAN-X engages with the brightest minds solving some of the most complex issues people living in cities face today – from mobility and energy consumption, infrastructure, housing, food waste, water and more.
“Our startup companies are addressing some of the most critical issues that impact long-term sustainability of our cities today,” said Esther Bahne, MINI head of brand strategy & innovation. “By investing in URBAN-X, MINI is working to inspire entrepreneurship, design and collaboration with creative thinkers to create real solutions to real problems.”
“Cities have always explored how emerging technologies can help tackle our biggest challenges,” said URBAN-X Managing Director, Micah Kotch. “The startups in Cohort 05 are continuing that tradition with a new sense of urgency. We are excited to roll-up our sleeves with this new cohort and help them bring their solutions to scale.”
In 2017, Urban.Us Capital partnered with URBAN-X to help fund and develop the accelerator’s next generation of human-focused city innovation.
“Urban Us and MINI share a deep commitment to advancing the future of our cities through investment in and mentorship of early-stage urban technology companies,” said Mark Paris, co-founder of Urban Us. “Since partnering with MINI, we’ve seen incredible results from URBAN-X startups.100 percent of Cohort 03 companies have received follow-on funding, and we expect similar results from all the teams we invest in. We look forward to helping Cohort 05 startup founders achieve the same results.”
