Toyota Startup Awards Seek Innovative Ideas to Improve Mobility for All

A new competition, the Toyota Startup Awards, is targeting startup businesses developing new ideas to improve mobility for all.

Presented by Toyota and the ISDI business school, through ISDI Accelerator, the awards are seeking innovations that can help provide better mobility for people with physical impairments, elderly people, children and those living outside urban areas.

Eight finalists will be selected to attend the 4YFN event in Barcelona from 24 to 26 February 2020, exhibiting their products or services on the Toyota stand and taking part in a pitch competition in front of a panel of specialists. The winners will be given a fast track to the Toyota Accelerator Program.

Entries are open to interested startups until 26 January. One of the main criteria for taking part is that applicants must focus on three fields: –

• Socially inclusive mobility: solutions that meet the unfulfilled mobility needs of people with a physical impairment, elderly people and children, and people who live in suburban areas.
• Accessibility: designing innovative approaches to increasing people’s access to mobility, so enabling a “Mobility for All” future.
• Disruptive mobility: developing new products, services, tools, technologies and/or disruptive business models that can contribute to a “Mobility for All” future.

Expert judges from Toyota and ISDI will choose a maximum of eight projects as finalists in the awards. These will benefit from: –

• Free booth space on the Toyota stand during the three days of 4YFN to showcase their innovative product or concept.
• An exclusive time slot on the Toyota stage at 4YFN to pitch their proposal.
• Exposure to event visitors, investors and Toyota executives.
• Access for their startup team to MWC Barcelona, the world’s largest exhibition for the mobile industry, on 27 February 2020.
• Accommodation for two startup team members during the 4YFN event.
• The chance to win a fast track to the Toyota Accelerator Program, which will offer training, mentoring, brokerage with private investors and potential future collaboration with Toyota.

Toyota will announce the winners of the Toyota Startup Awards on the main stage at 4YFN on 25 February.

The competition aligns with Toyota’s Start Your Impossible global corporate story that conveys the message that when people have the freedom of movement, anything is possible. Toyota believes that mobility goes beyond cars; it is about overcoming limitations. In this spirit, it is Toyota’s mission to provide freedom of movement for everyone, including those with physical impairments, creating a more open and inclusive society that allows people to challenge their potential.

Details of how to enter the competition can be found at http://toyotastartupawards.com/.

ENDS