43 tech start-ups and SMEs are today coming together with five of the world’s leading motor industry brands, for the second annual cross-industry initiative to help shape the future of transport and mobility. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders’ (SMMT) Future Mobility Challenge, held this year at Plexal Innovation Centre at Here East in London, drives cross-sector collaboration between large and small businesses, with successful candidates securing new partnerships, mentorship and investment after an engaging day of pitching new initiatives to leading brands in the automotive sector.
Senior representatives from some of the biggest names in the automotive sector, will hear pitches from 43 ambitious start-ups and SMEs from nine different countries. The candidates were shortlisted from 136 Challenge entries and were invited to pitch innovative mobility solutions to representatives from Ford Mobility, Bosch, Toyota, and new participants this year – Honda and Volvo Car UK.
Last year’s participating automotive heavyweights – Ford Mobility, Bosch, Toyota, Jaguar Land Rover and BMW – ended up in discussion with 18 (39%) of the participating candidates with a view to partner or invest in their ideas. This year will see new ideas pitched ranging from data solutions to digital applications for shared mobility, fleets and new subscription models, and from new cyber security solutions to AI in future vehicles. All innovations that could one day redefine the future of mobility and, indeed, the automotive sector.
David Skipp, Director of Partnerships & Innovation, Ford Mobility, said:
“The Ford Mobility team built several valuable connections at the 2018 SMMT Future Mobility Challenge, and we’re looking forward to this year’s event. We are always keen to meet innovators in the mobility space who are interested to collaborate with us to change the way the world moves.”
Paul Craven, General Manager of Consumer Channel Development for Toyota (GB) said,
“Toyota is continuously evolving and innovating as we transition to a true mobility company. We therefore fully support the SMMT at this Future Mobility Challenge event, and value the relationships we have developed from last year. We understand the benefit of forming partnerships with start-up businesses that are developing both immediate and future automotive solutions, but may be finding it difficult to gain a foothold in the industry.”
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SOURCE: SMMT
