Urban Quest, powered by Skanska and Business Link, are looking for innovative startups to bring office building into the twenty-first century. If you’ve got fresh ideas how to make office spaces more employee-friendly and accommodating for all possible users, you can sign up until April 14.
Urban Quest aims to find ways to enhance the experience of the people within the building space. After all, modern office is a place where loads of people work and the more comfortable they feel, the more productive they are. Skanska is looking for ways to get rid of all the needless challenges people meet in their workspace daily so that they don’t divert their attention. You can be the one who makes offices a safe place for everyone entering it, be it a visitor or a new employee.
“Above all, office building are people. Our priority is creating innovative spaces, which will be designed to be accommodating for people with different needs and abilities. We believe, that Urban Quest initiative will bring us many interesting solutions which respond to the challenges office workers and city dwellers encounter every day and that it’ll be instrumental in shaping the offices of the future,” says Renata Nowakowska, Innovation Manager at Skanska Property Poland. “We’re inviting open-minded people who have interesting, nonstandard ideas and want to bring them to life while using new technologies and improving those already known to them.”
Urban Quest concentrates on four major groups: employees, visitors, disabled, and co-workers. Each of these groups have different needs to be met to make their time in the office comfortable and efficient. You can concentrate on one of the groups specifically or come up with a blanket solution that will make everyone’s lives easier. It’s up to you. It can be any area of interest such as security, communication or personal experience.
The 2017 edition of Urban Quest will be carried out in 3 rounds, launching in March, June and September. Right now, you can sign up for the first round. Top five startups will be qualified for a three-month mentorship programme and will present at The Business Mixer. The Jury will pick the Top Three, who will have a chance to present their innovative ideas at the European Start-up Days on the 11-12th May in Katowice. There, the winner will be announced.
“For the first time, a developer who’s a global leader organises such a big venture for startups. I’m glad that Skanska chose the Polish market to look for startups to work with and that they chose Business Link specifically for this collaboration,” says Dariusz Żuk, CEO Business Link.
The winners, besides getting invaluable experience, might have a chance to have their solution implemented by Skanska. It’s an amazing opportunity for everyone and one you should not turn down lightly. If Urban Quest sounds like something for you, sign up before it’s too late.