All Things Urban

The URBAN-X accelerator program provides 20 immersive weeks of customer development, product development, network-building and expert guidance for startups – all in preparation for fundraising. Our accelerator is unique in that our mentors are experts in urbantech challenges and deeply understand regulated industries and government procurement. There’s no issue we aren’t equipped to help startups solve. INVESTMENT OFFERING. $150,000 initial funding. No catches. No education fees. No rent. Startups have full ownership over deciding how the investment will be spent. DEPLOYMENT & CUSTOMERS. Being able to prove that customers want new products or services is an essential measurement for seed stage investors. At URBAN-X, we help startups meet and secure potential customers because traction is paramount. View case studies. DESIGN RESOURCES. Each startup has access to unparalleled, human-centric design, product development and engineering knowledge through world-class in-house MINI and BMW design talent. GLOBAL EXPOSURE. Media access and press across our global network. Opportunities to feature your solution and showcase your team to target customers in the US, EU and Asia. FUNDRAISING GUIDANCE. It doesn’t just end at URBAN-X. We work with other investors to help startups reach their next critical milestone after our program ends. The right investors provide critical support in sales, marketing and product development. Our investor partners have extensive history backing reputable startups working on city problems. Occasionally, our partners take further interest in startups and extend additional investments upon program completion and when it makes sense, we’ll syndicate deals on angel.co via the Urban.Us syndicate. FOLLOW-ON FUNDING. Most of our startups go on to secure high rates of investment and, on average, raise more than startups in other accelerators. We attribute this to our network of investors, that is highly interested in our investment thesis. Specifically, investors that we work with embrace companies that are working in regulated industries, developing hardware or selling to local governments. URBAN-X is also closely affiliated with BMW iVentures and is operated in partnership with Urban.Us - two funds that have the capacity to offer follow-on investments post-program. URBANTECH HUBS. Another differentiator of the URBAN-X accelerator program is the unique global network. We know that NYC includes some of the best investors, mentors and the biggest urbantech market in the world but we also know that the Bay Area is home to a large number of mentors and investors and we’ll make sure you have a chance to meet them. We’ll also travel to Munich - home of MINI and BMW. Here you’ll meet with some of the best design and engineering talent in the world and you’ll gain knowledge on how to fast track product and business development opportunities. Apart from that, we’ll ensure you’re meeting with the large companies and global cities that best align with your solution. PARTNERSHIPS AND PERKS. The right programs and software can have transformative benefits for startups. URBAN-X partners include HERE, Google Cloud, Amazon Web Services, Hubspot, Intercom, IBM, foundersuite, ReachNow and CitiBike. We also offer connections to potential pilot spaces, including at A/D/O and in Downtown Brooklyn.

URBAN-X is the accelerator for startups reimagining city life brought to you by MINI and Urban Us. Every six months we invest $100,000 in each of up to 10 companies. We help these startups with the unique challenges of working with cities in sectors like transportation, real estate, local government, local services and utilities.