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Luxury carmaker plans to accelerate entrepreneurial spirit
Hong Kong-based luxury carmaker Infiniti is joining forces with investment company Nest in a drive to promote entrepreneurship and support urban development.
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Hong Kong-based luxury carmaker Infiniti is joining forces with investment company Nest in a drive to promote entrepreneurship and support urban development.
A new programme, the “Infiniti Accelerator”, will choose up to eight start-ups to receive support from both companies, including mentorship by specialists in the fields of smart cities, hardware, manufacturing, transportation, technology and entrepreneurship.
The programme is part of Infiniti’s pledge to encourage innovators to show an entrepreneurial spirit and back urban development in the city. The initiative’s first “accelerator” will support start-up companies developing solutions in the area of smart cities – the use of technologies to enhance urban services, reduce costs and engage with residents.
The start-ups will also have access to resources at both Infiniti and Nest. At the end of the 12-week programme, they have a chance to pitch for funding and partnerships at a special Investor Demo Day.
Cities face rising traffic congestion and environmental concerns as urbanisation continues worldwide. Carmakers like Infiniti, the luxury vehicle division of Nissan, are keen to work with governments, regulators and other stakeholders to innovate and develop technologies to tackle these issues.
“Infiniti is at the forefront of technologies, such as connectivity, autonomous driving, and new energy vehicles, that provide solutions for the future of urban mobility,” says president Roland Krueger. “By working with Nest and innovative start-up companies, we are looking to collaborate further with urban developers on smart city ideas that can improve people’s quality of life in a sustainable way.”
As one of the world’s most international cities, Hong Kong’s highly developed infrastructure and high population density make it a natural place to pilot smart city ideas.
Nest CEO Simon Squibb says: “Here in Hong Kong and throughout the region, urban communities are developing at an unrivalled pace. As a consequence, we are already experiencing many of the problems associated with this phenomenal pace of growth and want to take a leadership role in solving them. Our partnership with Infiniti is a perfect strategic fit for Hong Kong to develop a future lead in smart city technologies.”
The deadline for submissions by start-ups is August 15.
This article appeared in Education Post as Luxury carmaker plans to accelerate entrepreneurial spirit
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