The URBAN-X 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.
$100,000 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.
SEE THE BRAND FILM
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.
Our startups often go on to secure high rates of investment and, on average, raise more than startups in other accelerator programs. We attribute this to the investors that we work with that have already indicated interest in our investment thesis. While many startups waste time pitching investors who never invest in these areas, our network of investors 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.
Our Experts-In-Residence (EIRs) provide startups deep knowledge in specialty areas like UX and UI, mechanical and electrical engineering, software development, growth hacking, communications, urbanism and design.
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.
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.
At the end of every Cohort program is Demo Day - a powerful platform for startups to showcase market-ready prototypes and solutions to an audience of investors, thought leaders, press and influencers.
We also hold Investor Days in New York and Silicon Valley - a valuable time for startups to meet one-on-one with investors. Startups meet with an average of 15 investors during Investor Days.
We provide guidance to startups to create, implement and manage effective strategies for communications with mentors, customers, and investors. We also provide media training to founders on how to talk about their company to media.
We work with founders, investors and advisors who have built many of today’s most transformative, urban-focused startups. Startups meet with founders and partners who can provide the most critical insights needed. We are uniquely positioned to offer pilot opportunities for startups working in areas like mobility, food and waste, govtech, the built environment, water and energy.
Weekly check-ins with the URBAN-X leadership team are an invaluable part of the program. During these meetings, we provide essential assistance in areas where startups needs the most help. Together we tackle some of the hardest parts of early-stage company building like time allocation, milestone and goal setting, and prioritization of resources.
Our partner, Urban Us has created a playbook for startups working on city problems. The playbook explores topics ranging from selling to local government, working with regulators, and getting your solution to market in real estate and mobility. The startup playbook builds on curriculum we’ve developed with the National Science Foundation’s iCorps program and has been tested with the first urbantech startup class at the University of Chicago Booth School.
Read through our list of frequently asked questions.
Startups work within A/D/O, a creative space by MINI in Greenpoint, Brooklyn dedicated to exploring the boundaries and future of design. While at A/D/O, URBAN-X companies become part of a creative ecosystem – intended to provoke and invigorate the innovative process.
MINI has a unique view on business innovation with technology and design on equal footing. MINI founded URBAN-X to advocate for startup companies who share that view as part of our own continued exploration of projects that improve urban life.
As cities evolve as centers of opportunity, we aim to shape the conversation around which ideas will break through – supporting meaningful change through inclusive dialogue and an unrelenting passion for rethinking the status quo.
Urban Us created the first venture fund for startups re-imagining city life. They’ve invested in many notable early stage companies. Using a unique approach to work with a community of over 2,000 investors, founders and advisors their goal is to find and support promising startups.
Before founding Urban Us, the team went to schools like MIT, Harvard, Penn and Georgetown and went on to build successful startups, ran venture and angel funds, and funded city projects around the globe. They teach the first urbantech startup class at the University of Chicago Booth School.