Modena

Best known to sports car fans and foodies, Modena is commonly called the land of slow food and fast cars. It is a land of tradition that opens its doors to find a delicate balance with modern innovation.

In the heart of the Motor Valley, birthplace of some of the most notable sports car brands in the world, Modena is home to the first Italian mobility and automotive accelerator: Motor Valley Accelerator.

Motor Valley Accelerator

Motor Valley Accelerator is a custom program that invests a pre-seed ticket every year to eight to ten early-stage startups in the industry.

The Motor Valley Accelerator is an initiative formed by CDP Venture Capital, Unicredit, Foundation of Modena, CRIT, and powered by Plug and Play to provide a unique financing and business opportunity for automotive startups to thrive in the Italian ecosystem.

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Focus areas:

  • Vehicle Electrification
  • Connectivity and Digitalization
  • Autonomous, Human Centered Mobility
  • Performance and Motorsport
  • Materials and processes for sustainability and circular economy
  • Enabling technologies for Smart Cities
  • New business models (maintenance, in-cabin, …)

Founding Partners

  • Unicredit
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Corporate Partners

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  • Marelli
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  • UnipolSai_logo
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MVA Batch 2021

  • Reefilla Logo
    Reefilla
    Portfolio
    Reefilla Logo
    Reefilla
    Portfolio
    Reefilla offers its service through some enablers: -Platform: Consinst of an IT system that is connected to the hardware via API to monitor the fleet and predict the needs via AI -Portable Chargers: Swappable batteries enabled simple and quick charge -Stationary Charger: DCFC is up to 8x Faster than AC and includes an easy set-up and relocation, Especially second life batteries are used for their service Reefilla wants to increase the charge opportunities in urban areas, with easily accessible services when needed or where infrastructure is yet to come through. They offer an integrated ecosystem-based battery powered portable device that is connected and optimized by an IoT Platform.
  • Newtwen Logo
    Newtwen
    Portfolio
    Newtwen Logo
    Newtwen
    Portfolio
    Our mission is to democratize the use of digital twins throughout the industry. We develop software that generates real-time embedded digital twin solutions for model predictive control and diagnostics of electromechanical systems, enhancing performance, longevity, and reliability. In essence, our toolchain creates a precise digital replica of a physical device, such as an electric motor or power module, in order to accurately model the electromagnetic and thermodynamic behavior of the system across a wide range of operating conditions. We then apply our proprietary mathematical approach to exponentially reduce the computational complexity of this model—so much so, in fact, that our digital twin can be integrated into the device itself to compute in real-time, “on-chip,” as part of an amazingly fast and accurate firmware solution. By accurately predicting temperatures and other critical system parameters thousands of times per second, our Digital Twin On-Chip solutions not only provide unprecedented insight for real-time control techniques to enhance system performance, but also pave the way for data-as-a-service capabilities such as predictive maintenance, monitoring of component aging, and anomaly detection.
  • Carchain Logo
    Carchain
    Portfolio
    Carchain Logo
    Carchain
    Portfolio
    With Carchain, current and future owners can build a chain of trust around a car using data relating to its history, integrity, and life, all embedded in an NFT that its owner can share, sell, and transfer. Our ecosystem of blockchain solutions provides transparency for buyers and sellers when advertising, trading, and investing in classic, modern and collector cars. In addition to the classic & collector car market, all types of the 1.4 billion cars on our roads along with motorbikes, planes, and other vehicles, can be digitised and preserved via our platform.
  • Green Independence Logo
    Green Independence
    Portfolio
    Green Independence Logo
    Green Independence
    Portfolio
    Green Independence is a startup committed in developing disruptive energy technology solutions, gradually leading the transition to a sustainable zero-emission world powered by renewables. Its core business is the strategic and synergic use of different renewable sources in order to provide an innovative energy production and storage system with a very low enviromental impact. Green Independence’s main technology is the NewArtificialLeaf (NAL). NAL makes possible the transformation of combustion’s waste products, CO2 and water (sea water, river water, waste water), into renewable and profitable resources. NAL is a stand-alone-device, inspired by nature, that recycles CO2 emissions while solving the solar energy storage problem by producing "solar fuels". NAL is a new breakthrough technology that is able to efficiently store solar energy into chemical bonds, similarly to what happens in natural photosynthesis, converting water into Green-Hydrogen and/or recycling CO2 into Syngas.
  • Ohoskin Logo
    Ohoskin
    Portfolio
    Ohoskin Logo
    Ohoskin
    Portfolio
    Ohoskin is a vegan and sustainable leather-like material made with the byproducts of oranges and cacti. With their production capacity and bio-based composition, they can grant vegan leather with high quality, making Ohoskin suitable for luxury brands. Problem solved: Around 80% of leather worldwide is tanned using chrome, a highly toxic process the impact workers‚ health and the environment. Brand and consumers of luxury goods feel torn between keeping enjoying what they love and living a more sustainable lifestyle. Solution: The company patented a bio-based material that they can process and tan as leather with no environmental and social costs. Vision: They want to make Ohoskin a brand that adds value to luxury goods and makes the company that produces them a symbol of a new luxury that is sustainable and fair to everyone.
  • Novac Logo
    Novac
    Portfolio
    Novac Logo
    Novac
    Portfolio
    Novac supercaps are completely solid, thanks to the usage of innovative materials and procedures. The absence of liquid prevents explosions, leakages or evaporations which usually limit the number of possible applications of supercaps. The high safety and the wide temperature range are their most important competitive advantages. Problem solved: At the moment the integration of supercapacitors into vehicles leads to different problems, all deriving from the presence of a liquid in their structure. They have a standard and bulky shape (this brings to constraints on the application fields), are unsafe, and work in a very limited range of temperatures. Solution: Novac solves these problems by developing a new generation of supercaps completely solid, using innovative materials and procedures. Furthermore, this supercap is completely mouldable. Thanks to this feature, it is possible to adapt it to different surfaces, reducing the encumbrance and easing the design of the vehicle. Vision: The vision of Novac is to revolutionize electric mobility coupling batteries or fuel cells with safe and high power density systems, perfectly integrated to satisfy structural functions, increasing the life and performance of the battery pack.
  • 2electron Logo
    2electron
    Portfolio
    2electron Logo
    2electron
    Portfolio
    2electron is an engineering company. Core mission: providing Innovation and high-tech engineering services, E-Mobility device/system development, turn-key projects for the automotive sector. The automotive User Experience in the future in term of FUN TO DRIVE. In ICE vehicles, the sound, the vibrations and the gear-shifting, are the soul of driving. EVs are characterized by a direct/single speed transmission and complete lack of engine noise and vibrations, which results in a much plainer and less appealing driving. Patented McFly technology, has been invented to provide real-time driving interactions (we change the performance) and enabling a wide range of UX (such as sounds, vibrations, driving sensations, dynamics of a real gear-shifting, i.e.). Offer new and branded UX will be one of the most important challenges in the Future of Sustainable Mobility.
  • Invisens Logo
    Invisens
    Portfolio
    Invisens Logo
    Invisens
    Portfolio
    A family of 4D radars for automotive L2/3 and L4/5 applications. They are based on off-the-shelf parts and novel low-level software processing. It is not an imaging radar, but along with cameras covers almost any scenario. We also think of open radar processing libraries and datasets later on. Problem solved: Automotive radars are black boxes developed by a limited amount of suppliers. It happens because, unlike cameras, radars implement either complex high- and low-level processing on the unit due to legacy constraints. Dependency on the limited amount of radar suppliers also disadvantages those who develop sensor fusion systems. Solution: Eliminate bottlenecks in the radar architecture caused by conventional high-level processing. It is now split between a sensor fusion system a new low-level engine on the radar. It has consistent data processing rules that fit a sensor fusion system. The approach shows its best on custom radars but works for radar-on-chip as well. Vision: A company that develops radars based on its IP and promotes the automotive radars idea in general. To make money we want to strategically partner with automotive suppliers/manufacturers.

MVA Batch 2022

  • HMDrive Logo
    HMDrive
    Portfolio
    HMDrive Logo
    HMDrive
    Portfolio
    HMDrive has developed the first effective software solution enabling the usage of AR glasses on vehicles. HMDrive technology is general purpose one: no matter the vehicle or the driving context. Thanks to HMDrive, AR glasses can be used for creating transparant AR dashboards in the driver's field of view (improved safety) but also for projecting holograms in the outside environment. The AR ADAS based on HMDrive technology can reduce the risk of accidents on heavy-duty industrial vehicles by 80% and improve productivity by 20%. On the other hand, HMDrive solution can also be used in the field of sports cars as the enabling technology for "Metaverse motorsport competitions" where real drivers on real cars compete on-track against AR vehicles.
  • INVENTIO.ai Logo
    INVENTIO.ai
    Portfolio
    INVENTIO.ai Logo
    INVENTIO.ai
    Portfolio
    INVENTIO.ai: Artificial Intelligence for Industry Made Simple (https://www.inventio.ai) Our solution is software: industrial apps integrate cutting-edge AI (machine/deep learning) and modern Web UI/UX technologies and designs. Our apps run completely at the edge, and we are strongly involved in hardware, since we are working hard to be completely hardware agnostic in our proposals. They can also run in hybrid and cloud environments. We solve industries and manufacturing shop floor challenges at the edge, such as inspection, grasping proposition, anomaly detection and others. We provide “industrial-app” as products, focused on specific scenarios and custom solutions tailored on the customer’s business needs. We build our AI core on the latest research outcomes.
  • Racing Teams app Logo
    Racing Teams app
    Portfolio
    Racing Teams app Logo
    Racing Teams app
    Portfolio
    As startup being established, it is the first and only professional platform dedicated to all team members involved in Motorsport world: relevant features are now all in one! Main topics (cross platform): 1. Vehicle data management - Sessions planning and tracking, - Automatic mileage update, - Continuous driver connection; 2. Team and Personal logistics - Synchronized acceptance calendar, - Customized inventory, - Job offers and shop; 3. Championship interface - Track procedures automation, - Database system, - Forums section.
  • RECARBON Logo
    RECARBON
    Portfolio
    RECARBON Logo
    RECARBON
    Portfolio
    Management of waste from carbon fibres is becoming a significant societal issue. For decades, the most popular disposal methods were landfilling and incineration; significant economic losses were incurred from not recovered fibres. These methods have led to increasing environmental awareness to recycle carbon fibres into a valuable resource and prevent the cumulating wastes. Currently the focus is on manufacturing wastes (prepreg offcuts, obsolete moulds, faulty parts, etc). However, given the ever increasing utilization of carbon fibres in various industry applications, end of Life wastes are expected to exceed manufacturing wastes by 500%. RECARBON offers ready to use intermediate materials and has developed a functional approach for manufacturing products from rCFs in the form of Organosheets and Prepregs. Prepregs, cores and organo-sheets targets are high-performance applications in the aircrafts, sport & leisure, industrial and automotive sectors.
  • Vizen Analytics Logo
    Vizen Analytics
    Portfolio
    Vizen Analytics Logo
    Vizen Analytics
    Portfolio
    Vizen’s demand planning solution aids automotive parts manufacturers and food & beverage companies improve their supply chain performance by pro-actively predicting raw material lead times, labor utilization and product demand. The Empowered-AI™ platform connects forecasting results to business KPIs by applying the right external data modeling to counterbalance dynamic market conditions including Covid, socioeconomic & political impact patterns that affect SKU shortages and future buying behavior. *Increase Forecasting Accuracy by > 15% *Improve Margins & EBIDTA *Prevent Plant Shutdowns *Reduce Food Waste
  • Fast Charge Engineering Logo
    Fast Charge Engineering
    Portfolio
    Fast Charge Engineering Logo
    Fast Charge Engineering
    Portfolio
    FCE customize the powertrain and the Energy Storage systems with the customer requirements. The best work is done on liquid cooled Energy Storage Systems: Increase the performance of these systems without damage the cells. This innovation has a patent request.
  • Galvani Power Logo
    Galvani Power
    Portfolio
    Galvani Power Logo
    Galvani Power
    Portfolio
    Born of a two-year development, Galvani Power provides modular, high quality and high-performance battery solutions for non-mass market electrification needs: $5.0B/yr demand not served by Gigafactories. Galvani Power's differential competitive advantage: a complete and advanced battery platform that cuts dramatically customers' time to market and need of system integration. A lego-like set of "bricks" that can be composed into high-tech, plug-and-play batteries with all certification requirements needed to speed up homologation of final products in an industrial and scalable way. Galvani Power's team combines young blood with experienced automotive professionals bringing in managerial and technical competence and industry network. Supply chain and customer development, under way for over a year, yielded a sizable portfolio of solid leads. CAPEX envisaged is about €2.8M fo the first three years - destined to technical equipment for prototyping and manufacturing. Founders together with Family&Friends investors to provide a first capital contribution in the range of €500K; advanced discussions are under way with Seed industrial investors for the remaining €2.0M needed for a full industrial scale-up leading to a targeted €10.0M+ turnover in 2025, with EBITDA of €2.0M.
  • GeDy TrAss Logo
    GeDy TrAss
    Portfolio
    GeDy TrAss Logo
    GeDy TrAss
    Portfolio
    We contribute to a quick and accurate design of gearbox and power transmission systems with particular attention to the early stage design in order to accelerate the time to market. In addition, we can provide results in dynamic framework that are not so common to achieve. GearDraft is based on an algorithm that automatically generates a whole mechanical transmission by inserting a few input data in a short time. The algorithm chooses the components (bearings, shafts, synchronizers, gears), their dimensions and their positions to satisfy the user initial requirements. GearDraft is useful during the blank-sheet pre-design phase, when a new transmission has to be thought from the beginning, or even when a different layout of the components is needed. The power of the tool is to leave to the user complete freedom on the choice of the algorithm constraints, for instance the overall dimensions of the gearbox and the transmission ratio. Afterwards, the output can be converted into a CAD/FEM interfaceable with other commercial softwares. GearDraft’s aim is to make the user save time, cutting down the preliminary design operations often made “by hand”, and reinvest it for further detailed analyses.

It’s time to DRIVE innovation together!

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