Volkswagen’s start-up program entered its fifth round today in Dresden. Five startups will work together with the Transparent Factory and the Volkswagen Group for six months. The launch of a new class of the “Future Mobility Incubator” took place virtually for the first time. The dates for the presentation in the Transparent Factory are currently being planned. The founders now have until the end of November to push their concepts forward with the support of specialist departments in Wolfsburg, Berlin and Dresden.
“The Future Mobility Incubator is an important project for Volkswagen to anchor fresh and innovative ideas in the Group. It enables us to promote innovation even in challenging global times,” says Reinhard de Vries, Managing Director of Technology and Logistics at Volkswagen Sachsen.
And these are the startups of Class #5 and their concepts:
DENKweit is a spin-off company of the Fraunhofer Gesellschaft based in Halle/Saale. They combine innovative sensor technology with self-developed, machine-learning algorithms for data evaluation. In the automotive environment, batteries for electric vehicles can thus be qualitatively tested down to the individual cell.
VRENDEX from Chemnitz digitally maps physical vehicle prototypes and products, for example for training employees. The company uses Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR) and 360° technologies. Partner at Volkswagen: The Volkswagen Educational Institute based in Zwickau.
Sustify from Berlin is a web-based learning app for factories in Asia. It helps to ensure that global supply chains remain legally compliant. The goal: to sensitize workers in a playful way that they know, understand and comply with defined social and environmental standards for health and fire protection. The special thing: The app is also aimed at illiterate people.
The London company ev.energy wants to make the charging of purely electric vehicles more environmentally friendly, cheaper and easier. This is made possible by a software that keeps an eye on the energy market and thus finds the cheapest time for charging green electricity. As part of the Future Mobility Incubator, a pilot project is planned with Elli, a subsidiary of Volkswagen.
The use of smartphones while driving is a major safety risk. This is what KarChing is aiming at. The US start-up from Chicago works with insurance companies and focuses primarily on young novice drivers. Prudent, safe and smartphone free driving is rewarded with a social platform.
The fifth start-up run will also be carried out in cooperation with the state capital Dresden in the proven form. “The successful model Future Mobility Incubator will once again focus the attention of founders and investors on the high-tech location Dresden. The concepts of the new class sound promising and will make mobility and cities smarter. This is exactly where we want to go,” says Dr. Robert Franke, Head of the Office of Economic Development. “We will continue to work on locating successful projects in Dresden as well.
The incubator in Dresden is aimed specifically at start-ups and founders from the fields of mobility, industry & logistics 4.0 and sustainability. Part of the incubator programme is a financial support of up to 15,000 euros per start-up. The incubator has been in existence since August 2017. Within the framework of the start-up programme, the Transparent Factory offers the following support, among others:
- Contact to experts, developers and decision-makers of the Volkswagen Group
- Project Management
- Proximity to the start-up scene as well as financial and personnel support from the state capital Dresden, e.g. in the case of the desire to settle
