Features
6 Dec 17

The Start-Up Lab, connecting innovators with the fleet and lease industry

The Start-Up Lab, an innovation at the Fleet Europe Summit, held this year in Estoril (Portugal), was a success. A select, attentive and inquisitive audience of start-ups came to find out how to make the connection to the fleet and lease industry. Core message: “Be visionaries, but not dreamers”. 

Vincent Degives, Marketing Director at Nexus Communication, set the stage for the Start-Up Lab, a two-hour session aimed at bringing together the disparate but complementary worlds of disruptors and other start-ups on one side, and 'traditional' fleet and lease companies on the other. The very first event of its kind at the Fleet Europe Summit, this Start-Up Lab was made possible with the help of five crucial sponsors: Arc Europe, ALD, Athlon, Sixt and Toyota.

Solving needs
“Large companies are often burdened by complex decision-making structures, and therefore a bit slow. That's why they're looking for start-ups like you to solve their innovation needs”, said Caroline Thonnon, CEO of Nexus Communication, in her overview of the European Fleet and Mobility industry.

More on that here:
Showing start-ups how to shout out their message to the Fleet industry

Navigating change
Speaking as the representative of a big multinational lease company that is explicitly repositioning itself to be receptive to innovative impulses from the market, John Saffrett, COO at ALD, admitted that not knowing what the future will bring is an essential part of that process: “Our job is to navigate how the disruptive changes happening now will affect our industry”. Whatever those changes may turn out to be. 

More on that here: 
“Mobility is a sexy space”

Adding value – and funds
“Start-ups can be so passionate about their product that they forget to think about how it can add value to corporates”, said Pedro Rocha Vieira, co-Founder & CEO of Beta-i, an entrepreneurship and innovation organisation. Mr. Rocha Vieira discussed how to add value, and find funding. Venture capital is an option, but not the only solution: “Having a partnership with a good corporate also offers great opportunities for fast growth”. 

More on that here: 
“Partnering with corporates can be great for start-up growth”

Path to success
WeProov testified about its path from beginning start-up to runaway success (and a very quick break-even). “Everybody always focuses on fleet managers. We've decided to zoom in on the driver”, said CEO Alexandre Meyer. 

More on that here: 
“Be a visionary, but not a dreamer”
 

Authored by: Frank Jacobs