Six early-stage startups provide solutions to challenges in real estate development, mobility, and energy management

BROOKLYN, N.Y., Sept. 6, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — URBAN-X, the leading urban technology startup platform by MINI, today announced its thirteenth cohort of early-stage startups dedicated to advancing climate technology solutions. Run in collaboration with leading venture capital firm JVP, this new cohort represents a number of startups from across the country. Selected from a pool of over 160 applicants, the six startups are working on solutions in real estate development, mobility, and energy & carbon management to create more interconnected cities that improve quality of life for all.

The launch of this cohort coincides with the end of a record-breaking summer, where extreme heat waves, wildfires, and floods have underscored the urgent need to reshape our climate trajectory. Recognizing the significance of this challenge, URBAN-X is committed to fostering more sustainable, livable, and resilient cities by nurturing startups that offer impactful solutions.

“It’s clear, now more than ever, that the work climate tech founders and startups are doing is critical to the continued prosperity of cities in the midst of a climate crisis,” said Mike Peyton, President of MINI Business Innovations LLC, and Vice President of MINI of the Americas. “MINI is committed to driving positive change in urban environments, and we see no better way forward than through the work of the emerging startups URBAN-X is supporting.”

These six startups join a growing list of over 100 companies that have graduated from the URBAN-X program. More than 87 percent of startups raise their next round during or right after the program. Over the course of the four-month program, the startups will benefit from hands-on mentorship in areas such as customer engagement, product development, talent acquisition, and brand strategy. Each team will also have access to URBAN-X’s expansive network of world-class design, engineering, and branding experts from MINI, as well as office space in the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

“We are excited by the companies in Cohort 13 because they build on work we’ve supported in the past in new and innovative ways,” said Johan Schwind, Managing Director of URBAN-X. “These solutions will drive us towards a better, more resilient future, and we are dedicated to helping scale them just as climate innovations are needed most in cities in the U.S. and across the globe.”

The complete list of URBAN-X Cohort 13 companies includes:

• Algoma: Partnering with real estate developers to automate the repeatable delivery of zero-carbon buildings by leveraging AI
• HubOn: Offering the cheapest and most eco-friendly transport for goods by partnering with retail shops serving as drop-off and pickup locations
• Blip Energy: Unlocking energy equity by building a new category of smart, affordable energy storage to add millions of homes to the smart grid
• Upward: Collecting, storing, and analyzing building energy data to drive operational success and automate compliance
• Enspi: Bringing efficiency, sustainability, and profitability to modern energy management with a proprietary platform
• Vy-Carb: Performing real-time, autonomous removal, storage, and verification of CO2 in water with a fully-measured carbon management system

To celebrate climate innovation, URBAN-X will host a discussion about the future of mobility on September 18th as part of Climate Week NYC. For more details and to RSVP, please visit the event site.

About URBAN-X
URBAN-X is the platform for founders reimagining city life. Built by MINI in 2016, URBAN-X partners with startups to build bold technology solutions for a sustainable planet. Breaking from traditional startup program molds, URBAN-X provides Pre-Seed and Seed-Stage entrepreneurs with individualized and tailored support that accelerates growth and builds successful businesses for the next generation of climate- and city-focused innovators. Core to its platform, URBAN-X offers world-class engineering and design resources, industry-leading investment capital from our venture partner JVP, a global network of investors, policymakers, corporate strategies and end-customers, and premier educational content for a global network of founders. Find URBAN-X on Twitter & Instagram at @urbanxtech and on Facebook at facebook.com/urbanxtech.

About MINI in the US
MINI is an independent brand of the BMW Group. In the United States, MINI USA operates as a business unit of BMW of North America, LLC, located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey and includes the marketing and sales organizations for the MINI brand. The MINI USA sales organization is represented by a network of 104 MINI passenger car dealers located throughout the US. MINI USA began selling vehicles in the U.S. in 2002 with the introduction of the MINI Cooper and MINI Cooper S Hardtops. Since then, the MINI Brand in the U.S. has grown to encompass a model range of five unique vehicles.

Journalist note: Media information about MINI and its products is available to journalists on-line at www.miniusanews.com.

About JVP
JVP, is an internationally renowned venture capital fund based in Israel. Established in 1993 by Dr. Erel Margalit, JVP has raised to date $1.6 billion across 10 funds, and has been listed numerous times by Preqin, and other rankings, as one of the top-ten consistently performing VC firms worldwide. JVP has built over 160 companies, leveraging a broad network of partners and market expertise to help companies become global market leaders. Among the pioneering firms of the Israeli venture capital industry, JVP has been instrumental in building some of the largest companies out of Israel, facilitating 12 Initial Public Offerings on NASDAQ including CyberArk Software ($3.6 billion mkt. cap.), QLIK Technologies (then $2.5 billion mkt. cap.) and Cogent Communications ($2.3 billion mkt. cap.). https://www.jvpvc.com/

Media Contacts
Ella Snyder
BerlinRosen
[email protected] 

Andrew Cutler
Head of Corporate Communications, MINI USA
201.307.3784
Andrew.Cutler@miniusa.com

SOURCE URBAN-X; MINI USA