FIA & DLV Launch $1 Million Global Smart Cities Startup Contest

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Digital Leaders Ventures (DLV) and the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) have teamed up to launch a new Startup Contest on Smart Cities, with additional support from Michelin, ENEL and Julius Baer. The contest is focused on early stage startups with world-changing possibilities that are scalable and disruptive. $1,000,000 in total is being awarded over a period of three years at ten separate pitch events taking place across the globe.

The increasing urbanization of the world is one of the great challenges of modern times. More than half of the world population already lives in cities, creating problems of smog, traffic, and dated, inadequate infrastructures. This global contest aims to find those startups that are tackling these problems, and empower them to further their ability to bring about real change with ongoing impact. It’s about making cities smarter, and this is something that needs to happen.

The boom in urbanization has brought about a boom in mobility and the use of vehicles, which has presented a more serious problem. Monty Metzger from Digital Leaders Ventures explains.

“Our society is more mobile than ever – leading to a massive increase of cars on the roads and completely new challenges for cities and transportation infrastructure. But the growth of mobility also has a downside: nearly 1.3 million people are killed on the roads each year – it’s the number one cause of death for young people worldwide. We launched the Global Startup Contest in teamwork with the FIA to identify, support and invest in technology startups who develop solutions on global scale with lasting impact.”

€100,000 investment, networking opportunities, positive PR, and Formula E racing

The focus of the competition is on startups that are working in the areas of the Industrial Internet of Things, Autonomous Driving and eMobility, Hardware and Smart Infrastructure, Big Data and Artificial Intelligence, and Sharing Economy and Digital Services. At each of the pitch events, the top ten startups that have entered the competition are selected to present their company to the jury. Of these ten companies, one will be selected as the winner and receive a €100,000 investment, access to the FIA and DLV networks and partners, positive PR and media coverage, and a special invitation to a Formula E race for two people. The next pitch event is taking place in Berlin on June 9.

If you’re part of a startup that would like the chance to take part, then you have until 11.55pm CET on June 1 to enter. There is no geographical limit to where you can apply from, you just need to be able attend the Berlin pitch day on June 9. If your startup has been part of an accelerator program already or has received previous funding then this is your best chance at success.

More information on the contest can be found here, and you can apply for the Berlin event directly via this link.