The BMW Group is calling for startups worldwide to participate in its Open Call 360° Sustainability Challenge to contribute to sustainability solutions. The BMW Startup Garage was launched in 2015 to enhance its collaboration with young companies that could hasten the adoption of innovative technologies within the German automaker. The Open Call 360° Sustainability Challenge is a step forward in this direction.
Bernhard Schambeck, Head, BMW Startup Garage, said, “We are looking forward to receiving applications from business founders around the world. We have believed for a long time that startups have a key role to play in helping us shape individual, connected and sustainable mobility.”
BMW Startup Garage will evaluate all innovations submitted, and the startups chosen will have a chance to pitch their solution in late July. Their selection onto the next round is dependent on how well their solution contributes to sustainability at the BMW Group in the defined innovation areas. The final winners will be recognised in September at IAA Mobility in Munich and gain access to the BMW Startup Garage’s venture client programme.
Startups can put forward their products and solutions in seven areas:
- Recyclable Materials
- Sustainable Supply Chain
- Energy-efficient Production
- Mobile Intelligence
- Intelligent Building Management
- Customer-centric Mobility
- Sustainable Technologies.
If the startups are working in categories that do not fit the above description, a “wild card” option is available.
Registration for the Challenge is now open on the BMW Startup Garage website, and the deadline for applications to be received is 28 June. Additional details on the Open Call 360° Sustainability Challenge will be provided during a one-hour virtual event held from 4-5 p.m. on 11 May.
In addition to BMW Startup Garage, the Group invests in fast-growing technology startups through BMW i Ventures to access technologies of the future. Areas of focus here include digital vehicle technologies, autonomous driving and on-demand mobility.
The BMW Foundation Herbert Quandt supports sustainable startups and entrepreneurs and its accelerator programme RESPOND, operated by UnternehmerTUM, is the world’s first accelerator programme that promotes responsible leadership. RESPOND aims to help scale sustainable business models in line with the UN Agenda 2030 for a better future. The MINI Startup Accelerator URBAN-X has been working with startups since 2016 on solutions for problems faced by cities across the globe related to mobility, infrastructure, energy and recycling. URBAN-X has worked with more than 60 startups.