The Digital Hub Mobility aims to rethink mobility in a sustainable way. In this interview, we find out exactly what this entails and what's currently happening at the hub.
Munich Startup: The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy has established hubs at several locations in Germany to promote cooperation between different actors in an ecosystem. In Munich, among others, the Digital Hub Mobility Can you explain to us which actors are on board in this hub and what specific goals are being pursued with this merger?
Digital Hub Mobility: Our vision is to create sustainable mobility for everyone in a livable city. We know that this can only be achieved with the involvement of all relevant stakeholders in the mobility sector. For this reason, we have been building a open mobility ecosystem We pursue the approach of connecting relevant stakeholders through concrete projects in order to create direct added value. Our ecosystem now includes established companies, startups, city representatives, municipal mobility providers, research institutions, students/graduates, investors, politicians, and others.
Rapid development as an opportunity
We see the ecosystem as a response to rapid developments in digitalization and the mobility sector in general. These developments are breaking down industry boundaries. However, with our balanced ecosystem, we view this situation as an opportunity. Our goal is increasingly to integrate companies from outside our industry—for example, financial institutions—into our ecosystem so that we can shape the future of mobility holistically and together.
Munich Startup: A key component of the Digital Hub Mobility has so far been the Digital Product School. You now have another format called "Citizen Mobility." What exactly happens in both?
Digital Hub Mobility: That's right. Since spring 2019, we've also been collaborating within the ecosystem through Citizen Mobility. Both formats share the hub concept of jointly generating added value and placing users and citizens at the center of all considerations.
With the Digital Product School (DPS), we offer companies and cities the opportunity to develop digital solutions to mobility problems. The project teams work methodically like modern tech startups and are diverse in their composition: One team consists of employees from various companies as well as graduates and freelancers from all over the world. In addition to the desired diversity, the teams are also equally staffed with male and female participants. At the beginning of the three-month full-time projects, the participants face major challenges. However, the teams are supported by experts who can provide their expertise around the clock.
To date, DPS can look back on remarkable successes. Projects have continued beyond the end of the three-month project period, both through startups and spin-offs from partner companies. Furthermore, solutions have been developed to market maturity within individual companies or continued in collaborations.
The latter includes, for example, the collaborative project between Nokia and the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg. Together, the participants developed an intelligent solution that can automatically detect construction sites using a smart device. The information and data collected are transferred to a central data platform and made accessible to all interested parties. This benefits not only everyone involved in construction site planning, but also traffic planning, which can access the data decentrally at any time and adjust traffic accordingly. Both parties are currently testing the solution under real-world conditions and further developing the underlying algorithm.
Bringing together all relevant minds of an ecosystem
While DPS aims to train people in agile working and develop a digital solution, Citizen Mobility places greater emphasis on the idea of co-development and implementation in cities. All relevant stakeholders in the ecosystem are involved in addressing the problems so that a concrete result can be achieved. Furthermore, Citizen Mobility expands the ecosystem outlined above to include the urban dweller, who plays a central role. By involving citizens, it is possible to analyze the social acceptance of solution approaches. The greater this acceptance, the higher the chance that the solution can be implemented sustainably.
Another goal of Citizen Mobility is to create a productive connection between all participants. Startups in particular often find it difficult to easily test ideas and solutions in the city or to find cooperation partners. With Citizen Mobility, we overcome these difficulties. Collaboration that is normally only possible through lengthy internal discussions or processes becomes feasible with Citizen Mobility. In two-week sprints, all project participants work decentrally on subtasks. At the end of each sprint, all participants present their results to each other on-site. At the same time, planning for the next sprint takes place. After three months, the Citizen Mobility teams conclude their work within the format. This does not mark the end, but rather the potential starting point for future, in-depth cooperation. During the three-month duration of Citizen Mobility, we have already been able to pave the way for follow-up projects between the participating startups and their corporate partners.
Munich Startup: Speaking of startups: Why are startups so important for digital transformation? And what do you focus on when working with startups?
Digital Hub Mobility: Their size allows startups to better adapt to current circumstances and react quickly to changes in the environment. This is not only beneficial from an economic perspective. Established companies can also benefit from startups and learn from them on a business level.
“The bottom line is that we see startups as essential for digital transformation.”
With Citizen Mobility, we address this consideration. Collaboration between all participants takes place using agile working methods. This allows established organizations, in particular, to experience different ways of working while collaborating with startups.
This concept also plays a crucial role in the DPS, where all participants learn how to work like a tech startup. DPS participants who normally work in a corporate setting can apply what they've learned within their organizations after completing the program. This helps establish a culture of innovation within companies in times of digital transformation. Ultimately, we see startups as essential for digital transformation.
When working with startups, we value several aspects. The most important to us is the right attitude and motivation. Furthermore, the startup's solution should fit the problem everyone involved wants to tackle together. Finally, we appreciate openness and a sense of humor from everyone involved.
Munich Startup: Can you name a few startups you're currently collaborating with on projects? And who do startups approach if they want to talk to you?
Digital Hub Mobility: At Citizen Mobility, we are currently working with three startups: Moonride offers a platform for finding and booking mobility sharing services such as e-kick scooters and rental bikes in 490 cities. Teratrace enables public mobility providers to measure passenger flows in real time and predict the utilization of their networks. With Upride, we are working together on the collection and clever linking of bicycle traffic data and on smart parking zones. Interested startups are welcome to contact us at any time. Henning Richarz contact.
Munich Startup: Why is Munich particularly well-suited as a hub for the mobility sector? What support do you receive locally?
Digital Hub Mobility: For many years, Munich has been home to a strong automotive industry with global appeal. In recent years, the location's significance has even attracted Chinese automotive companies, which have opened their global design centers here. The automotive industry, traditionally composed of vehicle manufacturers, suppliers, and service providers, is now being expanded to include several mobility companies. Flixbus, Lilium and the initiative TUM Hyperloop are probably the most prominent examples.
Thanks to its strong university environment, Munich also offers the opportunity to train the necessary specialists for the mobility industry. These and other reasons were decisive in the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy's decision to name Munich the location for Germany's "Digital Hub Mobility." However, we are receiving support not only at the federal level. The Bavarian State Ministry for Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy is providing financial support for our project, for which we are very grateful.
Munich Startup: Last but not least — The trend of the year in mobility is…!
Digital Hub Mobility: In the age of digitalization, collaborations are becoming increasingly important. This is also evident in the area of mobility. At the beginning of the year, the MVG announced its collaboration with Trafi, which will enable it to offer numerous mobility services from a single app. We believe we will see more collaborations of this kind in the future.
Furthermore, the involvement of municipalities and citizens is becoming increasingly important for creating more sustainable mobility solutions. As the Digital Hub Mobility, we strive to support all stakeholders in precisely these developments.
