Skip to main content

Volkswagen’s Transparent Shark Tank

Starting a business or getting a new technology is not easy; you need money, space, access to resources, and a lot of coffee (I’m guessing). At CeBIT 2017 Volkswagen announced they’re going to help entrepreneurs with most of these needs.

Space within the Transparent Factory in Dresden Germany is being freed up for an incubator program called the Ideation Hub. This space is being reserved for start-ups working on cutting-edge mobility solutions in fleet management, car sharing, concierge and navigation/parking services, and smart home services.

The program gives start-ups the opportunity to see their concepts brought to life. What makes this new initiative interesting is how they’ll decide who gets the keys to the front door; through a fast-paced competition that Mark Cuban would probably endorse.

Time is of the essence with this program: participants have until the end of April to send in their mobility ideas. Volkswagen and the Economic Development Department of the City of Dresden have launched a site where entrepreneurs submit their concepts. Select teams will then have 10 minutes to pitch their brainchild in Dresden.

Five groups will then get their own golden ticket: six months in the Ideation Hub starting in the spring. The program gives them access to resources of everlasting gobstopper proportions: technology, program feedback, and, of course, Volkswagen’s electric automobiles for testing purposes. Later in the year five more groups will replace the first five giving a total of 10 start-ups this unprecedented opportunity.

“We see our unique selling proposition in providing direct access to vehicles,” said Kai Siedlatzek, managing director of VW Sachsen, responsible for Finance and Controlling. “We will open the relevant software interfaces of our electric models to allow the start-ups to try out their ideas on, in or with a car or together with visitors to the Transparent Factory.”

“The Ideation Hub and the Transparent Factory will be co-operating closely,” said  Dr. Jennifer Geffers, Head of the Volkswagen Group IT Ideation Hub. “Together we offer a wide variety of possibilities for networking start-ups and their ideas with partners throughout the company.”

In addition to the resources at the Dresden facility, the groups will receive up to €15,000 to help with their expenses. The 10 teams will also get access to mentors and coaches, high-quality IT infrastructure, contacts with Volkswagen research and development employees and decision-makers, professional advice by Sächsische Aufbaubank (SAB), and a really cool working environment. And hopefully lots and lots of coffee.

The post Volkswagen’s Transparent Shark Tank appeared first on VWVortex.



from VWVortex http://ift.tt/2mUGqom
via IFTTT
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Review: Saying Goodbye to the CC V6

For all its size and its global reach, Volkswagen is still, in many ways, a deeply human company. There was, for instance, the Bugatti Veyron an ego project if ever there was one. Then the purchase of Ducati, a move most called folly. And then there was the Phaeton, the Volkswagen that most folks can’t afford. Not only were these moves all strange, I’m sure that they made VW’s accountants furious. None of them made good business sense, but they were all deeply interesting and they all are evidence of the heart that beats at the center of VW. Among these follies is the CC, a car that everyone agrees is rakishly handsome, but that no one really wanted to buy. The car couldn’t last, but the world is brighter for its having been in it. With the approach debut of the Arteon, it seems like a good time to look back on its sadly departing predecessor. The version I drove, because I live in Canada, is a V6 Wolfsburg Edition, which apparently isn’t available in the States. Nor is the V6, not as...
Post a Comment
Read more

Mitsubishi admits it lied about MPG ratings for all vehicles in Japan

Filed under: Government/Legal , Green , Mitsubishi , Fuel Efficiency , Japan Mitsubishi says its shady fuel-economy test practices may have been used on all vehicles it sells and has sold in Japan. Continue reading Mitsubishi admits it lied about MPG ratings for all vehicles in Japan Mitsubishi admits it lied about MPG ratings for all vehicles in Japan originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 11 May 2016 12:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments from Autoblog Volkswagen http://ift.tt/21X3bHv
Post a Comment
Read more

More 3.0-Liter TDI Settlement Details Expected by January 31

Volkswagen and the TDI Plaintiff’s Steering Committee were in court today for another status conference following the agreement in principal reached earlier this week. Little new information was given at the conference held before Judge Charles Breyer today, but the court ordered the parties to develop a formal settlement agreement, class action notices, and a class notice plan by January 31, 2017. For now, though, owners still don’t know how much to expect in compensation. Elizabeth Cabraser, lead Counsel for the Plaintiff’s Steering Committee reaffirmed in a statement today that the compensation would be “substantial.” The potential cost to Volkswagen is widely reported to exceed $1 billion, though, with an additional $225 million going into an environmental trust to help offset excess emissions. Buy back offers are still only expected for the oldest 20,000 of the roughly 80,000 VW Group vehicles sold in America with the 3.0-liter TDI engine. Those vehicles are mostly SUVs, like ...
Post a Comment
Read more