ROTTERDAM/DEN BOSCH/MAASTRICHT - The applications for Mobility Lab 2021 are open. Entrepreneurs who want to test their concept in practice can apply until May 5 for the startup program in the field of mobility. The first registrations have already been received. Mobility Lab connects entrepreneurs in a program of nine months to an appealing first customer, where they can prove their innovation in practice. In the four previous editions, the program led to over 17 million euros in funding and hundreds of jobs. Well-known participants from previous editions include Cargoroo, Felyx, Amber and Juuve.
Pilot with a first customer
The pressure on our mobility system will continue to rise even post-corona and innovation in the field of mobility is necessary. Mobility Lab helps startups with this. Startups are given the opportunity to prove their mobility concept in practice. The pilots take place in the regions Rotterdam, Noord-Brabant and Limburg at organizations, municipalities and companies with a mobility issue. Mobility Lab has already established pilots at various municipalities, Ahoy, the Efteling amusement park, Eindhoven Airport, RET Rotterdam and Dura Vermeer.
Mobility Lab was set up 5 years ago in Rotterdam and it has not gone unnoticed. A large number of pilots have taken place in recent years. "In the past few years already fifty startups participated in Mobility Lab. We offer startups from home and abroad the opportunity to test their product or service in practice with a potential customer. In this way, they get the chance to prove themselves 'in real life': in a realistic environment with real users. That proof helps a startup enormously in its continued growth and in attracting growth capital. Examples that show this are Felyx and Juuve," says Hans Stevens, program manager of de Verkeersonderneming.
Mobility Lab has been active in Brabant since 2018. A variety of tests and pilots have taken place, such as with electric shared car service Amber and with Mobility Sensing at the municipality of 's-Hertogenbosch, which uses sensors in the road to count traffic and monitor the condition of the road surface. "The testing is not only useful for the startups, we also learn from it. The smart innovations can provide solutions to the mobility challenges we face, also post-corona," says SmartwayZ.NL program manager Gertjan Koolen.
As of 2021, the province of Limburg will also be a partner of Mobility Lab. A first for Limburg. Nevertheless, pilots took place before. In 2019, Peazy helped the municipality of Venlo with decisions regarding their parking policy. Using an algorithm, Peazy makes analyses with data from parking meters and parking apps, among others. And last year, Citysteps tested the first electric shared-steps in the Netherlands in Roermond.
Register
Startups can apply until May 5, 2021. From the applications, 25 startups will be selected for the Mobility Lab program. For nine months they will be matched with a first customer, in startup terms also called a 'launching customer'. Participants can also count on legal, marketing and communication advice and help in finding funding. You can register at mobilitylab.nl.
