La Salle-URL and the Free Trade Zone Consortium launch a programme to accelerate start-ups in the logistics market

This morning, La Salle Campus Barcelona-URL, through its innovation park La Salle Technova Barcelona, and the Barcelona Free Trade Zone Consortium have come together to inaugurate the eDelivery Accelerator, a programme to accelerate logistics start-ups. This programme is aimed at innovative start-ups in the logistics sector with B2B and B2C projects, and will last 22 weeks. This alliance facilitates contact and relationships between the start-ups and other companies in the sector, as well as with investors to finance their growth.

At the inauguration of the programme, the General Director of La Salle Campus Barcelona-URL, Josep M. Santos, stressed the role of the La Salle Innovation Park, which “for more than 15 years has established a close relationship with the world of business on our campus and helping it to transform society”. Santos encouraged all the participants to get involved in the Campus and assured them that “by accelerating their businesses, they can transform the world of supply”. Josep Miquel Piqué, executive president of La Salle Technova Barcelona, commented that “innovation takes place all around the world”, which is why the eDelivery fair was aimed at start-ups around the world in order to “create synergies to attract the best and brightest, connect them with the industry and accelerate these start-ups, as a source of innovation for mature companies”. Pere Navarro, Special State Delegate of the Free Trade Zone Consortium, in his first public act in office, highlighted this project, which is being carried out “in a space that's dedicated to education in connection with the economic world, but also includes a social perspective of improving our surroundings”, in line with the Consortium’s work to “promote activities that improve people's lives, and we will continue to collaborate and promote this type of experiences”.

The first participants include 9 start-ups, both international (two from London and one from Estonia) and national, which were selected as part of the Start-up Connection Hub held at eDelivery Barcelona last June: Freightalia, Gantabi, Revoolt Smart Solutions, SmartMonkey.IO, Tridenia, Outvio, Unmanned Life, Manzaning and Chaingo Tech. All of them offer innovative projects in the logistics sector introducing elements such as Big Data, Business Intelligence, the Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence in the process.

The mission of the accelerator is to improve people's ability to carry out new business initiatives and start new innovative projects while providing the tools necessary to identify, develop and create market opportunities.  The methodology of the programme is divided into three parts: “training”, with methodology sessions, Business Model Canvas practical sessions and learning by doing; “corporate”, where start-ups are put in contact with companies to promote collaborations and solve challenges; and “investors”, where specialist investors guide and advise start-ups.

At eDelivery Accelerator, we will evaluate the start-up business model for scalability, propose internationalisation strategies (Born Global Company), connect with corporations so that they can validate their value proposals (Golden Reference), and prepare and connect with Venture Capital Funds to invest in the companies.

The programme, which begins on 18 and 19 September with Agile Sales sessions, will be held at La Salle Technova Barcelona and will conclude on 15 January 2019.