A trio of global businesses – Mercedes-Benz, the corporate venturing unit of industrial group Bosch, and insurer HDI – have formed a partnership with tech accelerator Startupbootcamp in Berlin to create a new accelerator vehicle called SBC2go.
They will select ten start-ups to participate in a three-month programme which will hand each start-up €15,000 ($19,709) of investment, free office space and access to a global network of mentors.
The scheme is open to start-ups around the globe focused on the areas of mobility, connectivity, and big data. Applications will close on 2 June, with the programme running from August to October.
Mercedes-Benz owner Daimler operates car sharing service car2go, which has over 7,000 vehicles on the road in 18 cities in Europe and North America, while Talanx Group-owned HDI’s interest stems from its stake in insurance concepts based on telematics.
Robert Bosch Venture Capital has invested in 14 start-ups since it was established in 2008 and Bosch itself has invested about €50bn ($65.7bn) in its own research and development over the last 20 years.
Alex Farcet, co-founder of Startupbootcamp Berlin said: “This is a game changer for the Berlin program. We now have the resources and global reach to have an impact on innovation in the fields of connectivity, mobility and big data. Collectively Mercedes-Benz, HDI and Bosch have well over 10m likes on Facebook, and they have passionate followers who care deeply about their products.”