Start-up incubator programme from Volkswagen starts with six mobility teams in the Transparent Factory

• 200 days: from innovative idea to market readiness
• Teams for parking space navigation, charging columns, vehicle data, car sharing and environmentally friendly local logistics
• Support from the state capital of Dresden
• New programme will start in Spring 2018  

The Transparent Factory from Volkswagen is starting a new chapter: six innovative mobility teams will today begin the new start-up incubator programme in Dresden. They now have 200 days to take their innovative ideas and develop mobility products or services which are ready for the market. Alongside Volkswagen mobility experts they will be supported by Group It's Ideation:Hub as well as experts from the SpinLab - The HHL Accelerator-Programm of HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management - and with financial support from the state capital city of Dresden.

The start-ups in the Transparent Factory are experts in Big Data and evaluate traffic flow data in the urban area. They will plan the accelerated expansion of charging column installation, new car sharing models, the way in which navigation to free parking spaces will function and which environmentally friendly solutions can be used to replace delivery traffic in the inner-cities. The concrete plans of the six start-ups:

CarlundCarla from Dresden - corporate car sharing:
They are already in business with their platform for the rental of commercial vehicles. Their new car sharing model includes fleet management: different customers have different requirements which can complement each other. In this way, the usage of the vehicles could be increased. Their concept also provides an opening for private users.

Geospin from Freiburg - geographical Big Data analyses:
The spin-off from the Smart City research group at the University of Freiburg evaluates user data and defines customer behaviour in relation to geographical data. Using procedures such as Deep Learning and Predictive Analytics, Geospin draws up prognoses for optimal locations for various business ideas. In Dresden, they want to use navigation and movement profiles to identify optimal locations for charging stations or car sharing.

Smart City System from Nuremberg - parking space navigation:
The start-up is developing a sensor system that, in real time, can identify the status of parking spaces and can navigate drivers to free spaces. The system will take the load off traffic, as parking space searches will no longer be necessary. In the incubator, they are planning to further optimise their sensor system and to set it up in Dresden. This would also imply the digitalisation of the parking areas in the capital city of the state of Saxony.

LoyalGo from Dortmund - charging columns with local advertising:
These young entrepreneurs are working, together with local dealerships, to promote the expansion of charging stations for electric vehicles. To this end, they have developed the LoyalGo columns with screens. These are digital advertising columns that are financed by advertising. Using the digital bonus system LOYEES, which is already established in Dortmund, local dealerships can offer customer benefits. They would now like to introduce the LoyalGo columns in Dresden.

Ekoio from Leipzig - smarter Co-Pilot IDA:
This start-up has developed a telematics solution that processes vehicle data based on secure data cloud technology - to reach conclusions regarding driving behaviour, for example. A new development is the intelligent driving assistant IDA that will become active as soon as the driver uses their mobile telephone. The IDA can, in a fun way, reduce the use of mobile telephones during journeys and thus contribute to an increase in road safety. At the incubator they want to find test customers and develop the IDA further.

Tretbox from Berlin - delivery tricycles with electro-drive:
The company founded by car designer Murat Günak is focussed on the clean delivery of packages over the last mile into the city and residential areas. Instead of heavy transporters, Tretbox wants to offer a modern electro-tricycle with exchangeable containers for the package logistics sector. Tretbox wants to build a prototype in the Transparent Factory. The start-up is also hoping that they will gain support for the marketing of their product, which is planned to drive automatically in the future.

The programme: the teams will move into two floors of the Transparent Factory for six months - surrounded by the production line of the e-Golf(1). After three months, the teams will have to show their first results. If these are convincing, the start-ups will develop their ideas in Dresden until they are ready for the market. At the start of 2018, more teams will move into the factory. The incubator programme is aimed at students and researchers interested in establishing new projects. An important part of the programme is the financial support the teams will receive from Volkswagen Saxony - €15,000 each.

The Transparent Factory will also offer support from mentors and coaches, an attractive work environment in the factory, an IT infrastructure, contact with Volkswagen's researchers, developers and decision-makers, advice from the Development Bank of Saxony (SAB), proximity to the start-up scene, and financial and personal support from the state capital of Dresden, with apartments for example.

• (1) e-Golf: power consumption in kWh/100km: combined 12.7, CO2
  emissions combined in g/km: 0, efficiency class A+.