IMPACT, one of the leading accelerators in Europe, has opened up applications for their online Smart City, Smart Content, Smart AgriFood and Smart Manufacturing programs. The accelerator offers mentoring and equity-free financing of up to 250,000 euro. The application process is open until 9th May.
The program is supported by multiple European accelerators and venture capitals, such as Accelerace (Denmark), ISDI.education (Spain), FundingBox (Poland) or Kibo Ventures (Spain). Additionally, IMPACT cooperates with four corporate partners, one per each track: Danone, Ferrovial, Docomo Digital and MADE.
Applying startups should be already in the growth stage – have a product on the market, some established partnerships with corporates or strategic partners, and be looking for scale-up opportunities. Even though the program is delocalized, it is targeted to startups that either are operating in Europe or wish to enter European markets.
IMPACT Growth starts with a week-long boot camp. Afterwards, all startups return home to implement new solutions in practice, while benefiting from the personalized support of IMPACT’s mentors and experts. Every startup will receive their own Follow Up Mentor but will also be able to request sessions with specialists – for example, from the field of digital strategy. Some of the most notable experts include Steve Cadigan (LinkedIn), Toni Raurich (booking.com) and García Brusilovsky (Amazon).
The whole program takes six months. All participants receive 100,000 euro equity free funding for their development. Two best performing startups will be awarded an additional 150,000 euro. Finally, the two top startups will have the opportunity to receive private funding of up to €1.5 million from Kibo Ventures and Accelerace. After the program is completed, the participants will also become a part of a global IMPACT ecosystem that connects them with investors, field specialists, corporations and international brands.
IMPACT Growth offers four tracks. The first one is Smart Agrifood – a field related to smart farming, logistics, and food awareness. Some of the solutions for this vertical include real-time virtualization, data representation, and systems of sensors. The corporate partner for this field is Danone.
The Smart Cities vertical, organized in cooperation with Ferrovial Servicios, sets out to optimize resource consumption and improve urban services. Some examples of solutions in this field are energy management systems, waste management systems, mobility solutions, eGovernment, and assisted living.
The Smart Content field focuses on innovative products in the mobile content sector. All digital media solutions – for example VR, entertainment, telecommunication, and gaming – are suitable for this vertical. The corporate partner is DOCOMO Digital.
The last vertical, Smart Manufacturing (organized together with MADE), ventures into the fields of cyber-physical systems, Internet of Things and Internet of Services. Some solutions include intelligent manufacturing, human-centered manufacturing, cloud manufacturing, and manufacturing as a service.
