ERTICO – ITS Europe will be highlighting how startups are changing the face of mobility and transportation at the upcoming 13th ITS European Congress that is taking place in Eindhoven, Netherlands, on June 3-6.
Idea-driven and powered by entrepreneurial enthusiasm, startups are disrupting the transportation industry, from the way people move around cities, to how goods are delivered. Hoping to channel this disruptive energy, at the upcoming ITS European Congress in Eindhoven there will be a special host topic on ‘Startups, disruption and future workforce’ that will examine how ITS industry stakeholders can integrate startups and give them the support they need to reach their full innovative potential.
The topic will examine the impact on transport and mobility of emerging technologies, and investigate how innovative approaches such as ridesharing are changing the way companies look at value chains.
Startups are also the focus of a number of activities by ERTICO – ITS Europe, which is targeting increased collaboration with this sector in an effort to ensure that their disruptive potential is tapped to offer mobility that is safer, cleaner and more sustainable and social.
One such activity that will be presented at the Eindhoven Congress is the ERTICO Startup Initiative, which will offer startups the opportunity to benefit from ERTICO’s network of partners and to work with European leaders in smart mobility on a number of focus areas, such as connected and automated driving, clean mobility, transport and logistics, and urban mobility.
As part of the Initiative, startups will be able to gain exposure and benefit from matchmaking opportunities with private and public stakeholders within the ERTICO network. The initiative will also offer them the possibility to gain easy market access to customer relationships and to liaise with established brands in the automotive and smart mobility sector, while benefitting from marketing support and visibility through ERTICO’s events and partnerships.
With guidance from ERTICO partners on innovation management, idea enrichment, and product and service definition, along with other support, startups will be able to broaden their scope and take their ideas to the next level.
The ITS European Congress will also contain a Startup Zone, offering startups a place to meet with decision-makers, governments, companies and investors and to connect with leading experts in the fields of future mobility, logistics and smart cities.
In the zone, there will be space for around 50 startups working in the areas of Mobility as a Service, vehicle automation, smartphone apps, last-mile solutions, or any innovative smart mobility solution, to pitch their ideas to companies and experts with the experience needed to take them further.
“We are constantly looking for new innovations in smart mobility, the next disruptors of our sector,” said Marije de Vreeze, ITS Netherlands manager at the Connekt smart transport network. “By adding this topic to the Congress agenda, we are taking startups, disruption and the future workforce seriously and invite all new innovators to connect with us during the ITS European Congress,”
ERTICO – ITS Europe’s CEO, Jacob Bangsgaard, added, “With the Startup Initiative, ERTICO aims to create a mechanism for startups to receive the guidance they need to really make a difference in the ITS field.”
