For the fifth year, a delegation of specialized start-ups in the autonomous and connected automotive sector will go to the United States from June 2-14 2019. The Ubimobility immersion program, started by BpiFrance and Business France, is an opportunity for the companies selected to build relationships across the Atlantic.
The choice of the North American continent for this 9-month support program was clear.
“The United States represent one of the largest markets for connected vehicles. And the on-site Business France teams are capable of supporting the companies”, explains Benoit Trivulce, delegate managing director of Business France.
Ubimobility’s first phase is the selection of the start-ups by a panel of experts from , Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Magna, Valeo, Aptiv, Qualcomm, Nvidia, the University of Michigan, the BCG and Auto World Magazine. The selected start-ups will be “taught about the American pitch, strategy and implantation on the market during the month of May” explains Georges Ucko, Business France’s transport sector manager in North America.
The third phase is the immersion program, lasting two weeks in Detroit and in the Silicon Valley. At this stage, the start-ups will have non-stop meetings with major players of the autonomous and connected vehicle sector, such as GM, Cruise Automation, Uber, Lyft and SF Motors. The fourth and final phase is oriented towards commercialisation. The French businesses will be “followed for six months following the immersion program”, added Georges Ucko.
This program is a “true success”, declares Pedro Novo, executive director in charge of Bpifrance’s exports. 127 million euros have been raised by the participating companies of this program during the 4 previous editions”. It’s more than enough to make young French businesses want to be selected for this program, which allows them to “understand their strong and weak points and accelerate their development”, Pedro Novo concludes.
Thanks to Ubimobility, Milla Group has “validated its autonomous shuttle concept and its uses for important players in the American market”, says its president Frédéric Mathis. Numerous meetings with important professionals of the sector are concentrated in a short period, which allows “to reach what is essential”, says Romain Legros, general director of Geoflex. This density permits the startups to even “gain several months, maybe even years”. Another advantage emphasized by these startups: their technology is quickly recognized by the professionals that they meet. The Ubimobility label, carried by Bpifrance and Business France, is serious proof of quality for Americans.