Amsterdam, 20 May, 2019 - Arcadis (EURONEXT: ARCAD), the leading global Design & Consultancy for natural and built assets, and Techstars, the worldwide network that helps entrepreneurs succeed, today announced that the demo day of the Arcadis City of 2030 Accelerator, Powered by Techstars will take place in Amsterdam on May 28. During the demo day, 10 global startups will present their innovative plans for the city of the future.
The next wave of global innovation opportunities is believed to be in the area of intelligent cities, in the fields of buildings, mobility, environment and others. Cities are quickly becoming an area of interest for players from different industries, including design and engineering, business consulting, IT and Big Tech. It is Arcadis' objective to be in the vanguard of companies involved, combining vast market knowledge with strong digital capabilities.
The demo day event celebrates the culmination of a one-year process during which global startups have been sourced, selected and guided towards tangible value propositions, allowing them to accelerate their business. After the demo day, Arcadis will continue to work with the startups through pilot programs, proof of concepts, integration into Arcadis projects and possibly through additional equity investments.
"The main objective of Arcadis' investment in the City of 2030 Accelerator, Powered by Techstars is to strongly support our mission to be a digital and innovative frontrunner in our sector," states Patrick Van Hoof, Global Director Digital Innovation at Arcadis. "Our belief in the creativity of startups is a logical consequence of our strategy and will be an important element in the company's transformation towards digital leadership in the urban environment of the future."
In this process, Arcadis has contributed extensive subject matter expertise through mentorship and the involvement of its broader ecosystem of clients and partners. Arcadis and Techstars have helped a first batch of 10 startup teams rapidly establish market validation to grow their business, as well as prepare for fundraising and demo day to showcase their ideas.
The theme "City of 2030" is based on the fact that in the next decade the vast majority of people will live their lives in cities. Arcadis is perfectly positioned to not just play a role in those future cities, but to shape them. Aside from impactful client relationships and more than a century of industry experience, this will require a deep understanding of human needs and a bold exploration of new ways to meet those needs. The Digital Innovation Hub has been created for that purpose, to provide an environment and operating model suitable for exploration and experimentation - with startups but also with Arcadis teams.
The ten early stage startups selected from a pool of hundreds of applications received from across 50 countries are focused on developing ideas around the following city-related themes: urban planning, mobility, resiliency, citizen-city engagement, housing shortage, field collaboration, and workplace wellness. The core technology of their various solutions focusses on revolutionizing how people live, work, and travel in cities include artificial intelligence, machine learning, blockchain, parametric design software, task management software, and GIS. For the full list of startups, please visit https://www.arcadis.com/en/global/pages/2019/digital-innovation-at-arcadis.
Participation in the Arcadis City of 2030 Accelerator, Powered by Techstars Demo Day is invitation-only. Media interested to attend Demo Day are asked to contact Arcadis Corporate Communications.
Agenda Demo Day
When: 28 May, 16:00 CET
Where: Zuiderkerk, Zuiderkerkhof 72, Amsterdam
Agenda:
16:00 - 18:00:
Introduction by Peter Oosterveer, Arcadis CEO
Context setting by Patrick van Hoof, Global Director Digital Innovation Arcadis and David Mendez, Managing Director Arcadis City of 2030 Accelerator, Powered by Techstars
Pitches of the 10 startups participating in the program
18:00 - 20:00:
Networking, interaction startups-investors
-End
