Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Cars
  3. News

MINI’s URBAN-X startup accelerator envisions a better life for city dwellers

By

2017 MINI Cooper S Convertible
2017 MINI Cooper S Convertible Image used with permission by copyright holder
MINI is rolling on new ground today as it announces the first nine companies that will participate in the company’s URBAN-X startup accelerator program. The automaker has partnered with HAX, a division of venture capital firm SOSV, to create a cohort of innovative startups with the goal of improving the quality of life in cities.

Over the course of three months, the URBAN-X participants will refine their visions and launch their products and services. Each company will preview their interpretation of a better city life during an invite-only Demo Day on June 7, 2016.

Recommended Videos

Here’s the rundown on URBAN-X’s first accelerator class:

  • Brooklyness: We make cycling in the city safer. Brooklyness.com; @brooklyness1
  • Buzzware: Supercharging network for commercial drones. Buzzware.co
  • CTY: Analytics for places @heycty
  • Farmshelf: Easy-to-use hydroponic urban farms for schools, apartment buildings, and under-utilized city spaces, Farmshelf.co; @farmshelfco
  • MindRider: Mapping mental experiences to find the best places. Mindriderhelmet.com; @mindriderhelmet
  • nello: The virtual doorman for your home. nello.io; @locumilabs
  • Industrial/Organic: Sustainable solutions for a changing world. Industrialorganic.co
  • SAMOCAT: The lightest and the most compact automated public transportation system. Samocat.fr; @SamocarSharing
  • stae: We’re modern civil engineering. Stae.co; @staehere

As you can tell from the descriptions, each of the startups is in a very early stage of defining its business model. One standout among them has to be MindRider; who doesn’t want to find the “best places,” via mental mapping? Who, we ask?!

We’ll see what comes from this venture over the next three months, but for now, it’s worth mentioning that MINI and HAX have joined forces to pair MINI’s design, engineering, and usability experience with HAX’s acceleration process, investing techniques, and rapid go-to-market strategy. The two organizations see dense urban dwellings as prime territory for innovation.

URBAN-X is already planning the kickoff of its next cohort in August of 2016. The startups will settle into a new 23,000 square foot space in Brooklyn this summer.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Miles Branman
Miles Branman
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Miles Branman doesn't need sustenance; he needs cars. While the gearhead gene wasn't strong in his own family, Miles…
Mercedes-Benz G580 first drive: old-school off-roader goes electric
2025 Mercedes-Benz G580 from three quarter view.

American car buyers mostly know Mercedes-Benz as a luxury brand. But for decades, the automaker has also produced the tough, rugged G-Class (also known as the Geländewagen or G-Wagen), an SUV not afraid to get its leather upholstery muddy. And now, this iconic Mercedes is going electric.

The 2025 Mercedes-Benz G580 with EQ Technology — the final name of the SUV previously known as the EQG — isn’t the first electric off-roader. The Rivian R1S and R1T and GMC Hummer EV have proven that electric powertrains and off-roading are a great combination. But the electric G-Wagen is different because it’s based on an internal-combustion model — and a very traditional one at that.

Read more
Honda believes hydrogen semi trucks will make the case for fuel cells
Honda hydrogen fuel-cell semi truck.

Honda remains committed to hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles, but the market for those vehicles remains limited. So Honda is looking at other uses for fuel cells -- including commercial trucks.

To show how that could work, Honda converted a semi truck to fuel-cell power, replacing its diesel engine with three fuel-cell modules. Together, the three modules produce a combined 321 horsepower, and can propel the truck to a top speed of 70 mph. There's enough onboard hydrogen storage capacity for a 400-mile range with a full load, Honda claims.

Read more
Mercedes-Benz G580 vs Rivian R2: Is the much cheaper Rivian actually better?
2025 Mercedes-Benz G580 from three quarter view.

Mercedes-Benz has finally taken the wraps off of the new "Mercedes-Benz G580 with EQ Technology." Yeah, it's a mouthful, but it's basically a new electric G-Wagon. It looks a lot like the G-Wagon you know and love, but with an electric powertrain and a battery. It's not the only electric SUV out there, however, and there are some great ones -- like the Rivian R2.

Both the Mercedes G580 and the Rivian R2 have a lot going for them, but they also approach the electric SUV slightly differently. Is one better than the other? I put the two head-to-head to find out.
Design
The approach that the two vehicles take to design is quite different -- and you might like one better than the other.

Read more