URBAN-X by MINI announces startups of the 2023 MINI Impact Program

Seven startups tackling environmental challenges and promoting sustainable cities were invited to New York City to maximize impact

URBAN-X by MINI announces the startups in its second annual MINI Impact Program. This group of startups aims to make cities more sustainable, livable, and resilient by taking on a wide range of challenges – from waste reduction and recycling to sustainable transportation, education on sustainable practices, and local and eco-friendly food production.

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Participants of the 2023 Impact Program. (Photo: Business Wire)

Expanding upon the success of its first accelerator program based in New York City, the MINI Impact Program is focused on MINI’s other global markets – with this cohort including startups from Germany, Brazil, Mexico, Spain, Portugal, and South Africa. Collaborations with local partners such as Urban Innovation in Germany and Utopia underscore the program's dedication to maximizing global impact.

Over the course of a tailored 4-week intensive program, founders and their teams received bespoke guidance vital for idea and seed stage startups, including customer discovery, business roadmapping, pitching strategies, U.S. market entry, and more. The program culminated in New York for in-person sessions with the URBAN-X team, featuring strategy discussions, pitch sessions, and invaluable networking opportunities.

The selected startups are:

• Circleback: Based in Germany, Circleback provides software and services to enable selective collection, circular recycling, or reuse of primary, sales, and e-commerce packaging.

• Ecomilhas: Based in Brazil, Ecomilhas helps companies avoid CO2 emissions, giving employees cash back and gift cards when they choose greener transportation while commuting.

• Eneryou: Based in Mexico, Eneryou offers online courses to educate and conscientize Latin-American companies about sustainable practices and the energy transition.

• Gravity Wave: Based in Spain, Gravity Wave collects and recycles plastic waste from the oceans to make public furniture and raw materials.

• Raiz: Based in Portugal, Raiz designs and launches food growing hubs in city centers, supplying residents and restaurants with truly local products.

• Regenize: Based in South Africa, Regenize offers zero-waste solutions in the recycling and shopping spaces while prioritizing accessibility and inclusion.

“As calls for climate action grow louder across the globe, it is critical to support startups delivering innovative solutions that tackle society’s largest challenges from all angles – from zero-waste materials and recycling processes, reduced carbon emissions, renewable energy education, and more,” said Sarah Schappert, Director of URBAN-X. “The startup founders of this year’s MINI Impact Program embody MINI’s steadfast commitment to create a brighter, more responsible future and improve overall through innovations.”

The MINI Impact Program’s first cohort has achieved great growth since participating in the program. Notably, Humfree, a Singaporean startup developing and designing rentable electric scooters, is preparing for its US debut through a pilot in New York. Based in Indonesia, Dulang, a startup enabling the circular economy in electronics, has entered into an MOU with an Australian enterprise to repurpose used electronics that otherwise end up in landfill. Fabbrick, a French startup turning textile waste into building materials and products, recycled over 10 tons of textiles this year. Wiseair, an Italian startup developing sensors and data reporting systems for local air quality management, recently partnered with the city of Camaiore in Italy to install and manage its sensors throughout the town.

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 early stage entrepreneurs with 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, 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 or at https://urban-x.com/.

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