The Toyota Mobility Foundation has announced the ten semi-finalists for its Sustainable Cities Challenge in Venice, Italy. Developed in collaboration with the City of Venice, Challenge Works, and World Resources Institute, the Challenge sought global innovators to present solutions to increase the use of existing low and zero-carbon transport modes in Italy’s “City of Water”.
As part of the two-stage, three-year $9 million global Challenge , Sustainable Cities Challenge, Venice launched in June 2024, attracting 126 innovator entries from around the world. Detroit, Michigan and Varanasi, India round out the list of three selected cities, each awarding $3 million in grants.
The semi-finalists are:
- Betterpoints Ltd – BetterPoints is a behavior change technology company that encourages eco-friendly behavior, such as active transport and public transit, while helping organisations achieve net-zero goals.
- Bikeloop AS – Bikeloop is a cutting-edge green tech mobility company specialising in creating smart, secure, and sustainable bicycle parking systems. Their solution will provide a comprehensive system for smart and secure bike parking integrated with value-added services, ensuring a safer and more convenient experience for cyclists in Venice.
- Factual Consulting SL – Factual is an innovation and strategy consulting firm committed to transforming mobility. They will use their platform RIDEAL, a digital tool to manage multiple mobility incentive programmes and mobility budgets, to leverage Venice to nudge more sustainable mobility choices.
- HCE s.r.l. – HCE is a web agency that has been designing and developing cutting-edge projects for international brands and agencies for more than 20 years. Their solution will foster behavioural change, especially in home-to-work commuting, by integrating two approaches: supporting and facilitating sustainable mobility promoters’ initiatives and raising awareness among citizens.
- Instant System SAS – Instant System is a leading Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) provider, empowering over 100 cities and regions worldwide. Their MaaS platform integrates an intermodal trip planner with journey recognition, covering public transport, biking, and shared mobility. The platform provides a gamified mobility profile, nudging behaviour change by simplifying access to Venice’s diverse mobility options.
- Ioki GmbH – ioki is the leading European tech-company for digital mobility and they offer data-based transport planning and innovative platform solutions. They will use a tailored approach to understand the mobility needs of Venice’s population to encourage a shift toward sustainable travel behaviours.
- Kooling Technologies Limited – Kooling is a London-based, deep tech company focusing on addressing urban mobility challenges. Their tool, Every Street, combines insight on individual mobility choices and aims to talk to people’s hearts and understand the individual experience to breakdown urban mobility perceptions that creates value for citizens and visitors.
- My House Geek Pty Ltd – Bike Party is a digital platform for organising group bicycle rides and measuring the usage of a city’s active transport infrastructure. They work with cities and communities to form group bicycle rides around key destinations such as schools, universities, business precincts and public transport infrastructure to forge community connections and increase active transport participation.
- Nudgd AB – Nudgd is a startup dedicated to driving sustainable behaviour change through innovative digital nudging solutions. The Smart Nudges platform integrates behavioural science with digital tools to encourage sustainable mobility habits. Through personalised, timely nudges embedded in apps, websites, and digital signage, it motivates individuals to choose low-carbon transport modes.
- UrbanTide Limited – UrbanTide helps organisations unlock the value of their data, through their uMove platform which integrates diverse datasets and delivers AI-driven analysis to support scalable, data-driven solutions for sustainable transport and behaviour change.
The Challenge evaluated entries based on their potential to change citizen behaviour by increasing active mobility, public transport use and usage of shared mobility.
Semi-finalists will each receive a $50,000 implementation grant to help teams refine and localise their solutions to drive the use and adoption of existing low and zero-carbon transport modes in Venice.
With these 10 semi-finalists now selected, we are excited to join forces with global innovators to explore sustainable transport solutions for the people of Venice. We understand that changing established behaviours and daily habits, especially in transportation, can be challenging. However, even small changes made by many can significantly reduce carbon emissions and enhance the livability of our cities. We hope that the outcome of this Challenge will inspire other cities worldwide to adopt similar practices, helping them overcome their own challenges on the path to a sustainable future,
said Monica Perez Lobo, Director at Toyota Mobility Foundation Europe.
Announcing the ten semi-finalists for Venice’s Sustainable Cities Challenge is a significant milestone. Sustainable transport solutions are about more than technology – they’re about understanding and meeting the needs of residents who benefit from these systems. This Challenge gives innovators the chance to test their ideas in a real-world context, exploring what truly impacts how people engage with transport in cities,
said Kathy Nothstine, Director of Cities and Societies at Challenge Works
With the selection of these ten semi-finalists, it’s exciting to see how innovators from around the world will respond to the Challenge and develop solutions to make Venice a more sustainable city. The resulting innovations will directly benefit the people of Venice, and we hope these solutions can be applied to other cities worldwide, improving urban mobility on a broader scale,
said Ben Welle,Director of Integrated Transport and Innovation at WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities
The Sustainable Cities Challenge is funded by the Toyota Mobility Foundation and has been designed in collaboration with Challenge Works and the World Resources Institute. Challenge Works is a global leader in the design and delivery of open innovation challenges that mobilise innovative thinkers to solve pressing problems and unlock change. World Resources Institute is a global research organisation which works with partners to develop practical solutions that improve people’s lives and ensure that nature can thrive.
SOURCE: Toyota
