Calling smart city startups!
Öresundskraft, Helsingborgs Stad and THINK Accelerate are collaborating to provide a dedicated ‘Smart City’ track for smart, home, city and energy related startups.
The H+ ‘smart city’ project is one of the largest construction projects ever undertaken in Sweden, building schools, offices, shops, communal spaces and 4–5,000 new homes by 2035 to meet the demand of over 40,000 people who will move into the city in that time. The project aims to be a model for future urban development and will radically transform the southern parts of Helsingborg.
The renewal project contains four districts - Oceanhamnen, Universitetsområdet, Husarområdet and Gåsebäck. Oceanhamnen is the first district to be transformed. The core of the H+ project is located in the Bredgatan area, an industrial sector which is already evolving with the presence of the Lund University — Helsingborg Campus, and many dynamic companies at Mindpark, the co-working space where THINK is also based. It is the first area to be transformed, being ideally located between the city and the harbour, and will serve as the test-bed for H+, developing new techniques and methods is part of it’s DNA.
Öresundskraft & Helsingborgs Stad recognise that smart city, home & energy solutions are needed to create a sustainable urban district and are partnering with THINK to take a comprehensive approach to promote and support innovative and exciting Smart City startups. And are eager to find solutions around urban planning, waste management, smart building, smart home, smart mobility, smart grid, smart energy, smart production, smart government, internet of things and open data, that can have a positive impact on living, working and recreation in H+.
Öresundskraft, which among other things, operate both energy and communications infrastructure, have been commissioned to supply the strategy to the new “smart” neighbourhood of H+, and see the partnership as an opportunity to build long-term relationships with startup companies.
“We look forward to being challenged, impressed, surprised and happy. Öresundskraft have much we can learn from the startup community and we can in turn contribute with our long and broad experience”, says Johanna Olesen, Business Developer at Öresundskraft.
The selected startups will take part in the THINK Accelerate program (read more below), plus they will receive dedicated mentors, access to data, key stakeholders and decision makers in the project, labs and technical resources and potentially their first customers in H+.
“This type of cooperation gives a great opportunity to smart city startups to gain access to the extensive knowledge, resources and network that Oresundskraft & Helsingborg Stad have to offer and access to a prestigious test bed in the H+ project”, says Alexander Bastien, Managing Director at THINK.
About THINK
THINK is a startup accelerator that supports early stage technology companies. Accepted startups take part in a twelve-week global accelerator program with an international mentor network, workshops led by experts from industry, tailored coaching, introductions to investors, free office space and access to products with a value of over $300,000 from Google, Microsoft, IBM and Amazon, Stripe, Hubspot, Trello and many more. The program is totally free and startups retain 100% of the equity in their company. Collectively THINK Startups have raised over 24m SEK and are redefining industries such as construction, auto, law, finance, e-commerce and more.
Applications for Spring Batch ’17 are currently open, you can learn more and apply here.
