As of today, European sustainable mobility startups can apply to become the European champions of tomorrow.
Paris, 13 December, 2018 – Applications for the second edition of the European Startup Prize for Mobility are now open via the website startupprize.eu until 21 January next year. This announcement came as part of the opening event held on Thursday 13 December at the Ministry of Ecological Transition and Solidarity in Paris. The event was attended by more than 300 people from the European world of mobility, including Mrs Elisabeth Borne, Minister Attached to the Ministre d’État, Minister for the Ecological and Inclusive Transition, Responsible for Transports. Applications are free and are open to all startups in the mobility and transport sector within the European Union wishing to develop on a European level.
“The need for safer, more sustainable and more inclusive mobility, is a major issue for our modern societies. We created the European Startup Prize for Mobility as a response to the global challenges of mobility, with the belief that Europe must be the continent of innovation and talent for a better quality of life for all”, explains Karima Delli, President of the Committee on Transport and Tourism of the European Parliament, at the head of the initiative.
Co-founded by the Boston Consulting Group and Via ID, the European Startup Prize for Mobility aims to promote European technology startups to envision and develop innovative solutions in the field of sustainable mobility. In the long run, the objective of the prize is to help the most innovative startups to develop on the European market.
“The revolution across the mobility sector is promising but demanding. It requires close cooperation between all the actors of the ecosystem, both public and private, from the largest groups to startups. After launching Mobility Nation in 2017, BCG maintains its commitment for a strong mobility ecosystem with the European Startup Prize for Mobility to support future leaders in their European development”, explains Joël Hazan, Associate Director of the Boston Consulting Group, Fellow of the BCG Henderson Institute, and co-founder of the European Startup Prize for Mobility.
“In co-founding the EUSPM, our mission was to create the European leaders of tomorrow. We are convinced that the best solutions to the challenges we face are those that find their motivation closest to the ground, anywhere in Europe”, explains Jean-François Dhinaux, Director of Strategy at Via ID, startups accelerator in the new mobility sector.
Today’s call for participation in the project will be followed by a rigorous selection process lasting several months. In selecting the most suitable candidates, a team of experts will consider criteria such as market demand, structure of the team, the European vision of the project, and its ecological benefit.
The ten best startups selected will be unveiled during a major event in Brussels on 11 April, 2019.
After this ceremony, they will have the opportunity to participate in a tour of five large European cities later in 2019, where they will be meeting potential customers, investors, business incubators, and local partners at various ‘tech’ events.
In addition to the tour, four “super winners” will be selected to receive support to help them develop their activities in Europe and beyond. Some of these will be commercial and legal plans from the Boston Consulting Group and other legal and commercial partners of the project.
Last year, 500 startups participated in the first edition of the European Startup Prize for Mobility. One of the winners, Whim by Maas Global, notes: “The EUSPM had a booster effect on our immediate visibility, which was extended in Europe and beyond’’. ‘’Furthermore, the prize served as an excellent entry to the European market”, adds Cocolis, another winner of the first edition.
About the European Startup Prize for Mobility
Created to support the startups that develop innovations in the field of sustainable mobility, the European Startup Prize for Mobility is a major public-private initiative launched by Karima Delli, President of the Committee on Transport and Tourism of the European Parliament, and co-founded by the Boston Consulting Group and Via ID. Supported by both the European Parliament and the European Commission, as well as by influential partners such as ADP, GRDF, Europcar Mobility Group and the RATP, the program rewards the best of European innovations in the field of sustainable mobility by providing them with visibility, a network of qualified contacts, and the skills necessary to their development.