More than 240 projects have registered for the first edition of TrenLab, Renfe's new startup accelerator, which will be developed by Wayra, Telefónica's open innovation hub, at its headquarters on Gran Vía (Madrid). The goal of this new accelerator is to boost Renfe's digital transformation and strengthen its position ahead of the upcoming liberalization of the passenger rail market, in accordance with the European Union's Fourth Railway Package. Of the 240 startups registered at TrenLab, 27% are international, including countries such as Israel, the USA, the UK, Germany, Sweden, India, and France, as well as Mexico, Colombia, Peru, and Argentina, among others. The startups submitted to TrenLab are already being evaluated by expert committees from Renfe and Wayra, who will select up to 15 finalists. These finalists will then present their projects in pitch format to a jury made up of executives from both companies, who will select the three winners.
The three winning startups will be announced in mid-December and will receive a personalized acceleration plan, with a cash prize of up to €50,000, administrative and legal advice, supplementary training, and access to a networking platform to help their projects mature. The three winners will also contribute to incorporating methodology, knowledge, and entrepreneurial culture into the Renfe Group, as well as identifying and promoting internal innovation and talent. The projects presented correspond to innovative and disruptive initiatives that seek to respond to the three major challenges launched by TrenLab to the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Specifically, 43% of the startups presented responded to the Digital Mobility challenge, which aims to reinvent the travel experience for Renfe customers; 37% to the Digitalization of Operations challenge, with ideas to flexibly adapt the company's logistics offering to the demand for freight transport; and 19% to the specific On-Demand Logistics challenge, to make the most of the possibilities of digital technologies and be able to manage operations in real time.
More information: www.trenlab.es