Ford Offers Start-Ups €30,000 And A Way To Fast Track Their Business At 'Make It Driveable' Event In Paris

August 21, 2017 by Ford

•Ford offers €30,000 prize for start-ups focused on delivering a range of mobility solutions

•Apps will help drivers stay connected on the move and businesses maximise their fleets

•Make It Driveable ideation event, Paris, enables developers to fast-track apps for in-car use

COLOGNE, Germany, Aug. 16, 2017 – Ford is offering start-ups from across Europe, Israel and Turkey the chance to win a share of €30,000 towards developing their ideas, and to collaborate with Ford, at the Make It Driveable AppLink event, Paris, October 25-26.

The event in Paris is the culmination of the Ford Connected Vehicle and Services team's eight-city, nine-stop tour to meet with developers and start-ups and discover new, innovative ideas that make the best use of SYNC AppLink.

Those selected to participate from earlier events in Amsterdam, Berlin, Istanbul, London, Paris, Stockholm, Tel Aviv and Vienna will have the opportunity to test their apps using Ford hardware, benefit from one-to-one mentor sessions, have access to real customers in focus groups and work directly with Ford engineers to further develop their concepts.

Ford's SYNC AppLink connectivity system enables drivers to voice-control smartphone apps from the driver's seat as well as via touch screen. More than seven million AppLink-enabled Ford vehicles are already on the road.

'From making money on deliveries and saving money on insurance, to offering fleets a way to communicate with their drivers, developers are bursting with ideas to help drivers get the most from apps while in their cars,' said Scott Lyons, business and partner development, Connected Vehicle and Services, Ford of Europe. 'We want to foster that creativity, using Ford's expertise to help developers create new ways to revolutionise mobility.'

Developers of in-car apps that target one of four key categories – the multi-connected car, mobility, vehicle data monetisation, and in-car productivity – are eligible to participate. A special 'wild card' category is open to apps that target other categories. Winners will be announced at the Eiffel Tower on October 26.

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The multi-connected car category challenges developers to combine AppLink functionality with FordPass Connect embedded modem technology and cloud-based services.* Apps in the category could offer services such as real time weather reports, parking information and traffic updates.

The Paris ideation event follows last year's successful Ford SYNC AppLink Mobility Challenge, Berlin, where winners included apps that help drivers avoid parking fines, make money from their car while it's parked at an airport, and fuel their car without visiting a filling station.

* FordPass Connect built-in modem and Wi-Fi hotspot capability will be available on select 2018 Ford vehicles, starting in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, U.K., Ireland, Netherlands, Portugal, Denmark, Poland, Austria, Belgium, Sweden, and Finland.