Toyota Mobility Foundation announces semi-finalists for $3 million Venice Challenge to increase the use of low and zero carbon transport

• Ten semi-finalists chosen to participate in $3 million (approx. £2.3 million) Sustainable Cities Challenge
• More than 120 entries submitted from across the globe
• Semi-finalists will be awarded $50k (approx. £39k) implementation grants to develop their innovations for the city of Venice

The Toyota Mobility Foundation has announced the 10 semi-finalists for its Sustainable Cities Challenge in Venice, Italy. Developed in collaboration with the City of Venice, Challenge Works, and World Resources Institute, the challenge sought global innovators to present solutions to increase the use of existing low and zero-carbon transport modes in Italy’s “City of Water”.

As part of the two-stage, three-year $9 million (approx. £7.06 million) global challenge, the Sustainable Cities Challenge, launched in June 2024, attracted 126 innovator entries from around the world. These were evaluated on their potential to change citizen behaviour by increasing active mobility and use of public transport and shared mobility. Venice is one of three selected cities (including Detroit in the US and Varanasi in India) that were awarded $3 million (approx. £2.3 million) in grants.

The semi-finalists:

• Betterpoints Ltd -a technology company that encourages eco-friendly behaviour, such as active transport and public transit, while helping organisations achieve net-zero goals.
• Bikeloop AS –a cutting-edge, green tech mobility company specialising in creating smart, secure, and sustainable bicycle parking systems. Its solution will integrate smart and secure bike parking with value-added services, ensuring a safer and more convenient experience for cyclists in Venice.
• Factual Consulting SL – an innovation and strategy consulting firm committed to transforming mobility. It will use its platform RIDEAL, a digital tool to manage multiple mobility incentive programmes and mobility budgets, to encourage more sustainable mobility choices in Venice.
• HCE s.r.l. – a web agency that has been designing and developing cutting-edge projects for international brands and agencies for more than 20 years. Its solution will foster behavioural change, especially in home-to-work commuting, by supporting and facilitating sustainable mobility promoters’ initiatives and raising awareness among citizens.
• Instant System SAS – a leading mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) provider for more than 100 cities and regions worldwide whose platform integrates an intermodal trip planner with journey recognition, covering public transport, biking, and shared mobility. The platform provides a gamified mobility profile, encouraging behaviour change by simplifying access to Venice’s diverse mobility options.
• Ioki GmbH – a leading European tech-company for digital mobility, offering data-based transport planning and innovative platform solutions. It will use a tailored approach to understand the mobility needs of Venice’s population to encourage a shift toward sustainable travel behaviours.
• Kooling Technologies Limited – a London-based, deep tech company, addressing urban mobility challenges. Its tool, Every Street, provides insight on individual mobility choices and aims to understand the individual experience to breakdown urban mobility perceptions, creating value for citizens and visitors.
• My House Geek Pty Ltd (BikeParty) – a digital platform for organising group bicycle rides and measuring the use of a city’s transport infrastructure. It works with cities and communities to form group bicycle rides around key destinations such as schools, universities, business precincts and public transport infrastructure, to forge community connections and increase active transport participation.
• Nudgd AB – a startup dedicated to driving sustainable behaviour change through innovative digital solutions. The Smart Nudges platform integrates behavioural science with digital tools to encourage sustainable mobility habits. Through personalised, timely nudges embedded in apps, websites, and digital signage, it motivates individuals to choose low-carbon transport modes.
• UrbanTide Limited helps organisations unlock the value of their data, through its uMove platform which integrates diverse datasets and delivers AI-driven analysis to support scalable, data-driven solutions for sustainable transport and behaviour change.

Semi-finalists will each receive a $50,000 (approx. £39,000) implementation grant to help teams refine and localise their solutions to drive the use and adoption of existing low and zero-carbon transport modes in Venice.

Monica Perez Lobo, Director at Toyota Mobility Foundation Europe commented: “With the 10 semi-finalists now selected, we are excited to join forces with global innovators to explore sustainable transport solutions for the people of Venice. We understand that changing established behaviours and daily habits, especially in transportation, can be challenging. However, even small changes made by many can significantly reduce carbon emissions and enhance the livability of our cities. We hope that the outcome of this challenge will inspire other cities worldwide to adopt similar practices, helping them overcome their own challenges on the path to a sustainable future.”

Kathy Nothstine, Director of Cities and Societies at Challenge Works said: “Announcing the 10 semi-finalists for Venice’s Sustainable Cities Challenge is a significant milestone. Sustainable transport solutions are about more than technology – they’re about understanding and meeting the needs of residents who benefit from these systems. This challenge gives innovators the chance to test their ideas in a real-world context, exploring what truly impacts how people engage with transport in cities.”

Ben Welle, Director of Integrated Transport and Innovation at WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities commented: “With the selection of these 10 semi-finalists, it’s exciting to see how innovators from around the world will respond to the challenge and develop solutions to make Venice a more sustainable city. The resulting innovations will directly benefit the people of Venice, and we hope these solutions can be applied to other cities worldwide, improving urban mobility on a broader scale.”

The Sustainable Cities Challenge is funded by the Toyota Mobility Foundation and has been designed in collaboration with Challenge Works and the World Resources Institute. Challenge Works is a global leader in the design and delivery of open innovation challenges that mobilise innovative thinkers to solve pressing problems and unlock change. World Resources Institute is a global research organisation which works with partners to develop practical solutions that improve people’s lives and ensure that nature can thrive.

To find out more, visit the Sustainable Cities Challenge website. 

ENDS

Notes to editors:

About the Sustainable Cities Challenge

The Sustainable City Challenge is a two-stage, three-year $9 million global opportunity for cities and innovators. The Sustainable Cities Challenge will be delivered over two stages:

• Stage 1: call to cities
  The challenge sought cities who wished to participate in the initiative from 2024 – 2025. In November 2023, 10 shortlisted cities received a range of capacity building support to help them understand the issue they want to solve and attract innovators to provide solutions. In May 2024, three cities – Detroit, Varanasi and Venice – were selected to host city challenges to find solutions for local mobility challenges.

• Stage 2: call to innovators via three city challenges
  Working with Venice, Varanasi, and Detroit, the Sustainable Cities Challenge team designed local city challenges which launched between May and June 2024, each offering up to $3 million in funding to innovators. Host cities held open calls for entries from innovators via their city challenge with the support of the Sustainable Cities Challenge team. Together, they selected their semi-finalists and finalists to test their solutions in 2024-2025. In 2026, final awards will be given to winners in each host city to continue to implement and grow their solutions.

About the Toyota Mobility Foundation

The Toyota Mobility Foundation (TMF) was established in August 2014 by the Toyota Motor Corporation (Toyota) to support the development of a more mobile society in which everyone can move freely. The Foundation underscores Toyota’s ongoing commitment to continuous improvement and respect for people. It utilises Toyota’s expertise and technologies to support strong mobility systems while eliminating disparities in mobility. TMF works in partnership with universities, governments, non-profits, research institutions and other organisations, creating programmes that are aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to address mobility issues around the world. 

You can find out more about TMF and how it is governed at toyotamobilityfoundation.org   

About Challenge Works

For a decade, Challenge Works has established itself as a global leader in designing and delivering high-impact challenges to incentivise cutting-edge innovation for social good. It is a social enterprise founded by the UK’s innovation agency Nesta. In the last 10 years, it has run almost 100 prizes, distributed over £245 million in funding, and engaged with more than 13,000 innovators. Challenge Works believes no challenge is unsolvable, partnering with non-profits, governments, and other organisations around the globe to unearth the entrepreneurs and their innovations that can solve the greatest challenges of our time. Visit them at https://challengeworks.org/  

About World Resources Institute

World Resources Institute (WRI) has offices in Brazil, China, Colombia, India, Indonesia, Mexico and the United States, and regional offices for Africa and Europe. Its 1,700 staff work with partners to develop practical solutions that improve people’s lives and ensure nature can thrive. Learn more: WRI.org and on Twitter @WorldResources.