Our Platform.

The URBAN-X platform provides tailor-made programming, connections and resources to early-stage founders.
We give founders the platform and tools to drive scaleable, real-world impact.
Weekly Mentorship
You’ll be paired with a URBAN-X partner and meet with them every week for sessions to set goals, troubleshoot roadblocks, help prioritize, and for overall support.
Experts in Residence
With extensive hands-on experience, our team of experts works with you on hardware, software, design, business development and fundraising–over 3,000 hours a year, all paid for by MINI.
An Extensive Network
URBAN-X’s 100+ alumni companies; the VCs that have invested in them and others investors in urbantech and climatetech; city, state, and federal government agencies; BMW’s iVentures and Startup Garage.
A Knowledge Base
Our Notion library provides a clear framework with proprietary articles as well as curated links to the most relevant content for all aspects of venture building.
Global Exposure
PR partner Berlin-Rosen and the MINI team provide support and media and press opportunities in NYC, Europe, and beyond. That exposure continues throughout your growth milestones.
Additional Resources

Hardware Prototypes

3D printing and laser cutting at our office, a budget for parts purchasing, on-site support for assembly and testing.

Office Space

For startups based in NYC, we offer access to hot desks at Newlab, an interdisciplinary innovation center and community that supports entrepreneurs, engineers, and creative professionals.

Startup Perks

Credits or discounts from Google Cloud, AWS, Hubspot, Notion, Airtable, Carta and many other tech startup services.

01

Accelerator Program.

  • 4 months long twice a year – starting in March and August
  • Currently equity-free for participating companies
  • The program can be completed entirely remotely
Key Numbers

87%

Raise their next round

$1.42B

Portfolio value

4.78 /5

Net promoter score

02

MINI Impact Program.

  1. 4 weeks long
  2. 3 weeks remote part-time
  3. 1 week on site at URBAN-X NYC full-time November or December
  4. In partnership with the MINI Markets, participation only for selected countries

Timeline for 2024

Call for Applications:

Open Now

Remote Phase:

Oct 21 – Nov 8 (3 weeks)

On-Site in NYC:

Nov 11 - 15 (1 week)

Idea Stage

Understanding your customer - learn and apply a framework to focus on their potential customers and their pain point.

Building your roadmap – integrate all the elements of product development and go to market strategy into an overall plan. 

Pitching your solution – put together a pitch deck and deliver a compelling narrative to potential investors.

Seed Stage

Product and pitch review – the URBAN-X team will review both hardware and software products, giving feedback and strategic input for future development.

Entering the US Market – make connections with potential clients and distributors based in the US, and with resources to support a market launch.

US Based supply chain – get a rough analysis on what it would take to make your product in the US.

PARTICIPATING COUNTRIES

India – Mexico – Japan – Malaysia – Italy – The UK – The Netherlands

FAQs

What makes URBAN-X different?

We specialize in solving the problems of cities, with a focus on climate and social impact. Our startups operate in specific sectors like Built Environment, Food Waste Water, Energy and Infrastructure, Mobility, and Community. A minor portion of our founders are in mobility. In creating URBAN-X, MINI’s intention is to make cities better and more sustainable overall.

There are other differentiators from other accelerators, such as our team of experts in residence, our asynchronous model, and our selection process.

If I applied in the past, can I apply again?

Yes. We encourage startups to reapply and to update us on their progress and we’ve accepted startups on their second application.

What startups have attained success as a result of the program?

Companies from past programs can be found here. All of them were at a seed or pre-seed stage when they joined URBAN-X and you can sort them through their current growth stage.

How much equity does URBAN-X take?

Currently, and starting with accelerator Cohort 11 (Fall 2022), we do not provide funding, and consequently do not take equity. Same with the Impact Program.

How does the Accelerator Program work?

The Accelerator program is structured around two core activities – weekly meetings with the mentors and hands-on sprints with experts. The sprints are customized depending on the needs of your company and team and the goal is to help with specific adjustments for each startup. Please see what a typical participation in the URBAN-X Accelerator looks like (on medium).

How does the MINI Impact Program work?

The MINI Impact Program culminates with a week in NYC, usually sometime in the fall. One or two founders from each participating company are required to be at Newlab in-person and available full-time (airfare and hotel are covered). During that week, you’ll have tailor made sessions on pitch deck, strategy, product, business development, and other relevant topics, with our experts in residence. You’ll also have time to schedule meetings with potential funders, distributors, or other stakeholders. The 3 weeks prior are for preparations and introductions. Please see what a typical participation in the MINI Impact Program looks like (on medium).

Do I need to be in NYC to participate?

For the Accelerator you don’t need to be in the US, since you can participate in the entire program remotely. However, since we are based in NYC, we are mostly able to help with companies that have a presence in the US or solid plans to develop one.

For the MINI Impact Program, you are required to be in-person and available full-time for the week in NYC, for which airfare and hotel expenses are covered.

What are the traits or criteria you look for in startups?

We evaluate each applicant by the amount of impact the company can have, who is on the team, what experiences they have, the company’s approach to urban problems, the type and amount of competition the company will face and how much risk is associated with their proposed solutions. We look for founders who have a growth mindset and learn quickly, who are relentless, and who are deliberate about their culture. Here is an article on medium that talks more about what we’re looking for.

My startup is not about urbantech or climatech, will you still help me?

We won’t unfortunately, but there are lots of entrepreneurship programs out there. Good luck with finding your match!

Will you select companies working on similar ideas?

Yes, sometimes, we do. We have a strong focus on solving the challenges that cities are facing, particularly in relation to climate change, and sometimes there are two or more good approaches to one of these challenges. Because these problems are massive and timely, not only there’s usually room for several solutions, but we just can’t afford to neglect a good one.

In practice, the different approaches make for different products and beachhead markets, so there’s no real early-stage overlap. In any case, we don’t talk to one company about what the other is doing.

What is the timeline for the programs?

That depends on the program you are looking to participate in. See our APPLY page.

Can non-profit organizations apply?

No, we currently only work with for-profit venture businesses.

Can i refer a startup?

Yes, please do! Referrals and applicants can apply here

Founder’s testimonals

Any startup that has the ability to apply to URBAN-X should do it. They have been so hands on and meticulous with their advice, their feedback and the introductions they make for us. It’s not comparable, honestly. They care about their companies and they care about you as a person

Arianna Armelli Dorothy

It went way beyond what I expected. They were so hands-on. Partners, the core team and the Experts in Residence…They worked excellently as a team. They were really caring, too. It is important to enjoy the process, to enjoy the people you work with, to enjoy the minds that you collaborate with and to be productive in that environment -URBAN-X is excellent in that sense - it was so supportive.

Selin Sonmez OneRoof

It was an excellent program. Our team had never built hardware before. We were coming off of CoInspect, which is a mobile workflow application. We wanted to build a sensor-based monitoring solution to reduce loss and waste. We needed to do it quickly - and URBAN-X enabled us to make that happen.

Manik Suri Therma

Urban-X has an amazing team. Each of them are thoughtful, engaged, and have a high empathy quotient for founders and their businesses. They are a founder’s dream. After meeting about 100ish investors, I am happy to say I started with amazing folks, and they raised the bar for us. I cannot say enough good things about each member of the Urban-X team.

Kanan Ajmera Builder’s Patch
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