Techstars chooses Turin again: after two years focused on Smart Mobility, the first Italian acceleration program for startups working on the broader theme of Smart Citiesis about to start. The 12 high-potential European companies that will participate in the program at OGR Tech in Turin, in fact, deal with solutions for population growth, transportation, housing solutions, energy management, infrastructure, employment and basic services such as education and health care.
Throughout the program, Techstars will work closely with the City of Turin with the support of program partners Compagnia di San Paolo, Fondazione CRT and Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center. The program will again take place in the spaces of OGR Tech, the Italian headquarters of Techstars, and will conclude with a Demo Day on Thursday, April 21.
Techstars, this year, will conduct acceleration programs in seven different European cities, investing in more than 100 early-stage companies. 2021 saw a record $120B in funding for startups across our continent, triple the 2020 raise, with early-stage investment levels now equaling that of the US. The research carried out during the selection phase of Techstars Smart Cities confirmed this trend: thousands of companies from all over Europe were screened and hundreds were the ones that the Techstars team interviewed and met physically or virtually to come up with the short-list of participating startups, all of them from Europe for the very first time in the history of Techstars programs.
Martin Olczyk, Managing Director of the Techstars Cities of the Future accelerator, commented on the choice to further strengthen the bond between this program and our city: "Torino is continuing to grow to become the smartest city in Italy. Our alumni companies have already benefited from the opportunities offered by the Torino ecosystem in the last two years, thanks to the support of local mentors and through various partnerships with Italian companies and and pilot projects conducted with the city administration and its instrumental bodies such as Torino City Lab and CTE NEXT, the House of Emerging Technologies. The City offers a unique platform for young technology companies that can access the possibilities of testing solutions in autonomous mobility, drones, 5G, data, circular economy, aerospace, health and robotic companies, just to name a few."
The selected startups
The new startups participating this year come from Italy, Switzerland, Ukraine, Poland, Germany, Ireland, UK, France and Hungary. The Class of 2022 draws from a wide range of industries, with international founders, the presence of four female CEOs, five teams with Italian founders and three companies born in Turin. This last figure, again in the words of Martin Olczyk, is a great indication of a growing ecosystem in Italy given the dozens of very promising companies that participated in the selections between Turin, Milan, Naples, Rome and many other smaller cities in our country.
Gymnasio
(Turin, Italy)
Startup that has created a portable device that recognizes, guides and corrects the movements of users during physical activity performed independently.
Family+Happy
(Turin, Italy)
Startup that selects and certifies the best babysitters following a three-step protocol for a 360° safety of families and new parents.
https://babysitter.familyhappy.it/
Strategic BIM
(Turin, Italy)
Proptech startup for construction management and efficiency through the use of Digital Twins actively updated through data collected live from buildings.
Hive Power
(Manno, Switzerland)
Startup that provides innovative solutions to help energy production, distribution and management, with a data-driven approach and the most advanced AI techniques.
Inputsoft
(Kiev, Ukraine)
SaaS platform for aviation companies to improve service quality, reduce labor costs and optimize technology processes during ground handling operations.
Lawyerd!
(Wroclaw, Poland)
Startup that helps companies and individuals protect intellectual property rights, save money and multiply revenue streams online.
NATIX
(Hamburg, Germany)
AI and event detection software suite through cameras that provides cost-effective, GDPR-compliant and easy-to-use solutions for cities and industries to improve urban life and work environments.
NRGI.ai
(Galway, Ireland)
Artificial intelligence-powered energy marketplace through which businesses and individuals can find the best rate plan based on their preferences, patterns and consumption estimates.
OPTIMIZ
(London, UK)
End-to-end platform to enable merchants, insurers, and couriers to collect remote inspection of a cargo's status at various points along its journey to automate claims about cargo in transit.
Voltaage
(Paris, France)
Single electric mobility marketplace for companies that need to electrify their vehicle fleets that makes it easy for fleet managers to transition without disrupting business operations and driver habits.
Volteum
(Budapest, Hungary)
Fleet optimization software for electric cars, vans and buses that accurately estimates vehicles' energy needs, plans optimal routes and flags necessary charging points.
Xworks Tech
(London, UK)
Software for the waste and recovery industry that facilitates the creation of secure value chains between market players by means of cloud and mobile AI technologies.
