SEAT Accelerator by Conector, the accelerator specialising in the automotive industry promoted by SEAT and Conector, has chosen the six projects to include in its first acceleration programme. Following an extensive selection process, Conector analysts short-listed eight entrepreneurs, from among the 42 proposals submitted, to participate in the Startup Day and pitch their project at the SEAT facilities last 7 October. At the end of a recent round of voting, executives of the brand and Conector partners and mentors have selected the six startups that will participate in the first acceleration programme of the SEAT Accelerator by Conector.
The selected startups for this first acceleration programme are:
Boonder: technology that enables a direct, reliable connection between individual devices in autonomous cars.
GOI travel: a collaborative economy company that connects private and professional drivers with people who need to make a delivery.
Innroute: a digital platform that uses geolocation to enable logistics operators to sell available space in their trucks.
Open Car: software that enables autonomous cars to be shared when not in use by their owners.
Pulp Car: a marketplace where private individuals can sell used cars in a secure, confidential and easy manner.
Valeet: an app to procure on-demand parking services.
The first acceleration programme of the SEAT Accelerator by Conector is scheduled to run for five months. During this period, the entrepreneurs will be given work space in the SEAT facilities, attend weekly training sessions, benefit from services provided by supplier companies valued at over 100,000 euros and receive personalised assistance and monitoring from SEAT and Conector. In addition, each startup will have a board of mentors who are experts in different fields for advice on the key aspects of each business model at periodic group and one-on-one meetings.
The goal of the programme is to ensure that the projects accelerate their growth and sales. Before the acceleration process concludes, the entrepreneurs will present their projects on Demo Day, a private investment forum attended by the country’s leading investors and business angels.
SEAT Accelerator by Conector is framed within the transformation stage that is taking place in the automotive sector. SEAT’s vision of the future of mobility is the connected car at the core of the user experience. In this sense, SEAT wants to be a front runner in connectivity and digitisation and deliver the easiest mobility experience. For this reason, the company has set up an Easy Mobility Team, a transversal crew that is ready to lead SEAT’s transformation in terms of digitisation and RD, customer experience and business development.
Conector is a startup accelerator promoted by some of the most high-profile entrepreneurs in the field of technology in Spain. Its members are Carlos Blanco, founder of Nuclio VB and Akamon and named Spain’s best entrepreneur and best business angel in 2014; Gerard Olivé, founder of Antai and BeRepublic; Marc Ros, founder of AftershareTV and 60dB; Marc Vidal, founder of Idodi VC; Miguel Vicente, founder of Antai, LetsBonus and Wallapop; Risto Mejide, founder of AftershareTV; Xavier Verdaguer, founder of Imagine; and Elisabeth Martínez, CEO of the accelerator. Conector was established for the purpose of promoting and assisting Spain’s entrepreneurial ecosystem by supporting projects and entrepreneurs in the digital sector (Internet, mobile and new technologies). Conector has more than 150 mentors from all over Spain who are experts in the various fields of the digital sector and has accelerated over 70 startups.