Startups can register to participate until the end of May

Global system integrator VINCI Energies is once again inviting young businesses from all over Europe to present their innovative smart automation solutions at the fifth iteration of its VINCI Startup Speed Dating event in July 2024. As always, the event offers startups the chance to pitch their products and services to the decision makers at VINCI Energies and its brands so they can lay the groundwork for tangible go-to-market business partnerships. Startups wishing to participate can register on the official event website until the end of May after which the most exciting tech companies will receive an invitation to the Startup Speed Dating event.

This year’s theme is “smart automation”, and everything revolves around innovative technologies that improve process efficiency and sustainability to deliver positive impacts for employees, customers and the environment. The focus applications are “digital & smart construction site”, “automated inspection and maintenance” and “automation in energy, IT and industrial infrastructure”. To align the scope of the applications as closely as possible to practical use cases, key stakeholders at VINCI Energies, including division and BU heads, were interviewed about their requirements and the following pain points were identified:

   Digital & Smart construction site:

• Tracking of mobile and static assets/materials
• Automation of recurring processes
• IT-compatible digital documentation tools
• Automated ordering processes for standardised component deliveries

   Automated inspection & maintenance:

• Classification of alarms, evaluation of long-term statistics, e.g. wear and tear
• Digitalisation of inventory documents and automated approval processes
• Automated inspection rounds

   Automation in the (customer) infrastructure:

• Management and maintenance at unmanned sites such as depots and substations
• Recording of environmental reporting/waste management KPIs
• Preparation of electrical technical connection requirements for grid operators to simplify the quotation process

VINCI Energies is offering startups the opportunity to present their innovative solutions for these and other challenges in a range of potentially interesting technologies, such as robotics, (semi-)autonomous systems, green tech, building information modelling (BIM), digital twins, artificial intelligence (AI), IT/OT security and SaaS solutions.

Becoming part of the business ecosystem

VINCI Energies and its brands Actemium, Axians, Omexom and VINCI Energies Building Solutions aim to accelerate the use of new technologies in practical applications, which is why the Startup Speed Dating event is geared to business startups with solutions that are already demonstrable/applicable, scalable and sustainable. At the upcoming event, they will additionally be asked to provide answers to specific use cases in the sectors of construction and construction services, chemicals, food and recycling, energy and grid infrastructure (substations, renewable energy grids), logistics, manufacturing and industry sectors, as well as IT with a focus on control processes.

The VINCI Energies Group offers three venture client collaboration formats to startups with persuasive solutions: direct partnerships in ongoing or planned customer projects, integration of the solution and its use by VINCI Energies or its brands and go-to-market business partnerships to supplement the group’s portfolio. The startups then become part of the multi-technical system integrator’s expanding business ecosystem with benefits such as direct revenue sources, new inspiration and additional expertise to help them scale up. They can also take advantage of the group’s services as a venture supplier.

A productive success model

Startup Speed Dating is part of Startup Connect, a programme that links startups with VINCI Energies and its brands, as well as individual business units and ultimately customers and partners. There have been over 50 onboarding processes with startups in the past three years, leading to collaborations in various constellations.

One of those startups, Energy Robotics, exemplifies the successful model’s productive capacity. The company started out as a research team at the Technical University of Darmstadt and today develops remote inspection robots and drones that perform autonomous inspections of industrial environments. In combination with the 5G campus network developed by the ICT experts at Axians, which provides an optimum communication network for the mobile, airborne and ground-based helpers, an overall solution is achieved that simplifies inspections and, more importantly, eliminates risks to humans. The two companies initially met at the Startup Speed Dating event in 2022 on the theme of “Industrial 5G Campus Challenge”. This year Energy Robotics joined Axians at its Hannover Messe stand.

NavVis, now an established company, provides the VINCI Energies industrial brand Actemium and other customers with a solution to capture and share buildings, facilities and infrastructure as photorealistic digital twins. It uses various smartphone apps and the NavVis VLX3 wearable mobile mapping system to perform tasks such as digital construction site documentation. This enables the optimisation of planning and construction processes, the early detection of defects and more efficient system operation and maintenance. NavVis is one of the first candidates to be put in touch with the VINCI Energies business units via the Startup Connect programme.

“Since we launched the first VINCI Startup Speed Dating event five years ago, it has evolved into a mainstay of our ecosystem strategy,” said Sascha Bäcker, CDO at VINCI Energies for German, Austria, Switzerland (D-A-CH) and Eastern Europe. “Close collaboration with startups isn’t just important to us from a commercial perspective. After all, shared expertise and mutual inspiration deliver value to all stakeholders. This year we’re channelling these positive effects into the vast and exciting field of automation, where it is becoming increasingly important to combine efficiency with sustainability; not only to protect employees, but also the climate and the environment. We’re looking forward to the event and can’t wait to see which fascinating solutions the startups will surprise us with this year.”

– Sascha Bäcker | CDO of  VINCI Energies D-A-CH and Eastern Europe

“Agile business developments based on the ecosystem principle are becoming increasingly important to future success,” said Katharina Hickel, Head of Digital Ecosystem at VINCI Energies. “Large and close-knit networks of equal partners are key to mastering increasingly complex challenges, such as the transition to renewable energies and the digital transformation. They allow us to leverage synergies in the development and practical implementation of innovative concepts. Startups play a decisive role as both sources of inspiration and sounding boards – and our Startup Connect programme is the perfect framework for them to do just that. Startup Speed Dating is a great opportunity to engage with emerging ventures and we look forward to adding even more success stories to our existing track record.”

– Katharina Hickel | Head of Digital Ecosystem at VINCI Energies D-A-CH

 

Startups can register for this year’s VINCI Startup Speed Dating on the official event website until the end of May.