Techstars, Compagnia di San Paolo Foundation, CRT Foundation and Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center announce the 12 startups selected from hundreds from 4 continents and 54 countries around the world that, from today, will officially join the Techstars Smart Mobility Accelerator 2021, the first startup acceleration program in Europe dedicated to Smart Mobility, headquartered at the OGR Tech, the international innovation hub of Officine Grandi Riparazioni in Turin rehabilitated by CRT Foundation.

The new edition of the three-year program will bring global excellence in the field of smart mobility to Turin and will see the startups involved in a development and growth process during which they will be accompanied towards success with more than 1,500 meetings, training sessions and mentorship activities of 150 international mentors.

An ecosystem that will contribute to the creation of virtuous collaborations stimulated by the network grounded by the main partners of the initiative: Compagnia di San Paolo Foundation, CRT Foundation, and Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center. The program will last 13 weeks and will culminate on the Demo Day of 22 April 2021 with the presentation of the results to a wide audience of venture capitalists, business angels, investors, entrepreneurs and institutions.

Of the 12 startups selected by Techstars - leading global accelerator that has already supported over 2,300 new startups with 43 programs worldwide - 4 are Italian, 3 English, 2 Israeli, 1 American, 1 Portuguese and 1 Latvian: Blink, Cargofive, Crispify, Deliverart, Duet, eTEU, Imperium Drive, Kedeon, Latitudo 40, Prognostic, Trailze, and Wiseair. The range of industrial sectors covered by the proposals is very wide: supply chain, logistics, automotive, air quality, industry 4.0, micromobility, and satellite monitoring.

On the occasion of the launch of the Techstars Smart Mobility Accelerator 2021 program, Martin Olczyk, Managing Director of the program, declares: “We’re extremely proud of our first class in Turin that set a very high bar, despite the global pandemic. The class made outstanding progress, thanks to our mentors and partners, taking advantage of having the Smart Mobility program headquarter at OGR - Officine Grandi Riparazioni, Italy’s largest and most innovative tech hub. The supportive ecosystem in Turin and beyond offers a unique opportunity for entrepreneurs to grow their business and connect with the smartest people on the planet. I’m beyond excited to work with exceptional founders and 12 international companies this year. We’re bringing the world’s best founders together and hopefully very soon to Turin. After the first program in Turin, I’m still impressed with the support founders receive from all stakeholders, e.g. from our three partners Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo, Fondazione CRT and Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center but also from mentors involved in the program, and the City of Turin with the Torino City Lab and the access to piloting opportunities. Turin’s, and Italy’s ecosystem has made tremendous progress over the last 18 months and we’re looking forward to the upcoming years, seeing the companies growing and benefiting from this booming market.”

“Although affected by the outbreak of the pandemic, the inaugural edition of the Techstars Smart Mobility Accelerator held in 2020 delivered substantial results from both a qualitative and a quantitative point of view.” - said Francesco Profumo, Chairman of the Compagnia di San Paolo Foundation - “Of particular value are the solid links established between the accelerated startups and Torino’s industrial fabric, which are epitomized by the decision of a US-based company to set-up a branch in Torino to spearhead business activities in Europe. The 2021 edition, with its 12 new startups selected on a global scale, represents an opportunity for further reinforcing the Torino innovation ecosystem. Our Foundation, as an 'ecosystem developer'” - Chairman Profumo continued - “strongly supports this initiative with the aim of strengthening the strategic positioning of Torino as an international hub for innovators, capable of exerting a centripetal force attracting outstanding human capital as well as new entrepreneurial ventures that may settle and thrive in our region.”

“Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center, engine and promoter of innovation for its Group, for its customers and for the territory, has brought to Turin from all over the world the most promising startups in the smart mobility field. Together with Techstars and the other partners, our goal is to build up a unique ecosystem where new collaborations and projects can grow” - says Maurizio Montagnese, Chairman of Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center. “Last year's edition, despite the health emergency, showed that by joining forces, skills and involving the territory, it is still possible to achieve important results. This year we expect that the excellent realities selected from all over the world will be able to grow and implement new projects in our country, thanks also to the participation of large companies that we have involved in the programme, such as FCA, Iren and Cisco Italia. While the pandemic will continue to impose physical distance, we still have the possibility and the will to connect people and innovative ideas. We will work, as always, by focusing on people and the talent of young people”.

“Green, safe, tailor-made, interconnected: changing the paradigm of mobility of people, goods, services, data is the bet that we relaunch with Techstars at OGR Tech in Turin to manage one of the biggest post-Covid challenges globally - declares Massimo Lapucci, General Manager of OGR and Secretary General of CRT Foundation -. We invest in 12 of the world's best startups in the strategic smart mobility sector, to open up further innovation prospects for the country and improve the quality of life with projects with positive social and environmental impact, in line with the sustainable development goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda.”

Brief presentation of the 12 selected startups:
1. Blink
Location: Italy (Milan)
Sustainable same-day delivery and fulfillment service for direct-to-consumer brands.

2. Cargofive
Location: Portugal (Lisbon)
Cargofive offers an e-pricing and Sales automation Software for Container Shipping.

3. Crispify
Location: Israel (Tel Aviv)
Crispify is offering in-car air quality monitoring and management systems.

4. Deliverart
Location: Italy (Rome)
Deliverart is the all-in-one food delivery management software for restaurants.

5. Duet
Location: US (San Jose, CA)
Duet offers a SaaS solution to empower fleet operators in the digital era.

6. eTEU
Location: UK (London)
eTEU provides digital solutions for the freight shipping industry using the decentralised network.

7. Imperium Drive
Location: UK (London), based in Berlin, Germany
Instant car-hailing powered by remote vehicle delivery.

8. Kedeon
Location: Latvia (Riga)
Kedeon enables transparent logistics quality monitoring to companies of any size.

9. Latitudo 40
Location: Italy (Naples)
Transforming images into useful information with actionable insights on our planet.

10. Prognostic
Location: UK (London)
Real-time edge based Asset Management AI platform that unifies People, Process and Machines.

11. Trailze
Location: Israel (Tel Aviv)
Trailze is transforming micromobility with machine-learning-based navigation and ride optimization.

12. Wiseair
Location: Italy (Milan)
Wiseair is creating a network of clean, affordable and low-impact air quality sensors across cities.