La Salle-URL and the Consorci de la Zona Franca launch a startup accelerator for the logistics market

The first participants are nine emerging companies from around the world selected during the SIL-eDelivery Barcelona trade fairs.

Barcelona, 17 September 2018. This morning, La Salle Campus Barcelona-URL, through its innovation park, La Salle Technova Barcelona, and the Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona joined to officially open the eDelivery Accelerator, a logistics startup accelerator programme. This programme is aimed at innovative startups in the logistics sector with B2B and B2C projects and has a duration of 22 weeks. This alliance facilitates contact and relationships with startups, sector companies and investors to finance their growth.

During the official opening of the programme, Josep M. Santos, general manager of La Salle Campus Barcelona-URL, underlined the role of the La Salle innovation park, which “has had a close relationship with the company for more than 15 years, bringing it to the campus and helping it to transform society”. Santos has encouraged all participants to get involved in the Campus and said that “with this acceleration process for businesses, they can transform the supply world”. Josep Miquel Piqué, executive chairman of La Salle Technova Barcelona, commented that “innovation is taking place all over the world”, thus the international call during the eDelivery fair to attract these startups and “create synergies to attract the best, connecting them with the industry and facilitating this acceleration process in startups that serve as a source of innovation for mature companies”. Pere Navarro, special delegate of the State in the Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona, during his first public event, said that this project takes place “in a space dedicated to education and in relation to the economic world, but at the same time, from a social point of view to improve the environment”, on the lines on which the Consorci works to “promote activities that improve people’s lives, and we are going to continue collaborating and strengthening this type of experiences”.

The first participants are nine startups, both international (two from London and one from Estonia) and national, which were selected at the Startup Connection Hub held at the eDelivery Barcelona fair last June: Freightalia, Gantabi, Revoolt Smart Solutions, SmartMonkey.IO, Tridenia, Outvio, Unmanned Life, Manzaning and Chaingo Tech. All of them have innovative projects in the logistical sector, and are introducing elements such as Big Data, Business Intelligence, Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence into the process.

The aims of the accelerator are to improve the ability to deploy business initiatives and start up new innovative projects and provide the new tools necessary to identify, develop and create market opportunities. The methodology of this project has been divided into three parts: “training”, with methodology sessions, practical sessions developing the Canvas Business Model and learning-by-doing activities; “corporate”, where startups meet companies with a view to collaborating and finding solutions to challenges; and “investors” where specialised investors guide and advise startups.

In eDelivery Accelerator, the startups’ business model is validated for scalability, new international strategies are proposed (Born Global Company), and they will connect with corporations to validate their value proposals (Golden Reference), facilitating connections with Venture Capital Funds prepared to invest in companies.

The programme, which will kick off on 18 and 19 September with sessions by Agile Sales, will be held at La Salle Technova Barcelona and will end on 15 January 2019.

Two photos of the event are available by clicking here.

FotoInauguracionAceleradora1.jpg: From left to right Josep Miquel Piqué (executive chairman of La Salle Technova Barcelona), Pere Navarro (special delegate of the State in the Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona ), Josep Martí Santos (general manager of La Salle Campus Barcelona-URL) and Javier la Osa (manager of La Salle Technova Barcelona).
 
FotoInauguracionAceleradora2.jpg: The companies participating in this programme with Pere Navarro, Josep Miquel Piqué, Josep Martí Santos and Javier la Osa.