ast week, I was extremely proud to host Quantum SPARK’s graduation event.
Following three months of hard work, our graduating startups and their champions presented the joint POCs they’ve been working on.
Those of you who work in innovation know that three months is usually not enough time to complete a POC, and more importantly, that a POC is only the beginning of a potential partnership. In other words, there’s still a lot of work to do and many accomplishments to look forward to.
Having said that, creating nine POCs by working with five startups over the course of three months is a considerable achievement. One that I didn’t think was possible when we first started this journey.
Now what?
After the dust has settled and Facebook pictures were shared, our current mission is two-fold:
- Start all over again. Applications for the next cohort, which will start in April 2021, are already open. If you know of any great startups in Automotive, Logistics, Industry 4.0, or Energy — please send them our way. You can read all about the program and apply here.
- Move forward with our alumni. We continue supporting the graduating startups on their journeys to become category leaders in their industries. If you’re an investor or work for a corporate company that can offer value to any of our startups and benefit from their innovative technologies — let’s talk.
To help you learn more about each startup and what they’ve built together with our partners during the program, here are the new graduates in all their glory!
AutoTrust: Maximizing safe assisted driving
Today’s cars offer a long list of impressive safety features that include adaptive cruise control, lane assist, pilot assist, and more. Unfortunately, most drivers are either unaware of these capabilities or simply don’t know when to use them. What drivers need is a timely alert to remind them to activate each feature in real-time and deactivate it when road conditions are not fit for it.
AutoTrust offers behavior-based personalized guidance that improves the driving experience by unlocking the full potential of assisted driving. With many drivers disabling these features when they confuse them and generate too many false alarms, AutoTrust’s technology is what we need to connect drivers with the unstoppable future of autonomous driving. We’ve made the natural connection between this innovative startup and multinational automotive manufacturer Hyundai. Together, they’ll make driving everywhere smoother and safer.
IntellAct: Sky’s the limit for aviation turnaround management
Turnaround management in the Aviation industry is the complex process of preparing an arriving plane for its next takeoff. Quantum Hub’s team, together with IntellAct, got a personalized tour at the Tel-Aviv airport just a couple of weeks ago. We were astonished to learn how much of this complex work is still done manually (hint: almost 100% of it!).
Improving the efficiency of this procedure is crucial, as it affects the airline’s bottom line. Nowadays, improving operational efficiencies is one of airlines’ top goals, according to IATA. Airlines need advanced solutions to identify and solve turnaround management errors and bottlenecks.
IntellAct provides an AI-based platform that automates and improves a long line of labor-intensive tasks to offer a smooth, safe, and productive workflow.
We introduced IntellAct to executives at Laufer Aviation GHI, a leading ground handling service provider working with most airlines worldwide. Together, the companies were able to form a path that reduces costs, minimizes delays, and prevents accidents during the departure process.
Siraj Technologies: Enabling industrial machines to speak the same language
Industry 4.0 solutions, specifically the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) field, have been growing significantly over the past few years. Global spending on IIoT for the manufacturing business enjoys a 40% compound annual growth rate and is set to reach $12.44 billion in 2024. One of the key challenges in this arena is creating unified communication between machines with different OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers).
Siraj provides an Automatic Connectivity Generator that converts several data streams into a unified format and enables all applications and platforms to communicate seamlessly.
During the program, Siraj joined hands with Tadiran, the leading AC systems manufacturer. In addition to Siraj’s connectivity layer, Tadiran plans to implement a data-collecting product developed by Siraj to gain valuable insights regarding each machine’s performance, allowing the company to monitor and analyze efficiency in real time throughout the entire production line.
SafeMode: Driving motivation for better fleet management
In the US, car accidents cost employers $60 billion each year. These expenses include legal, medical, and property damage costs, lost workdays and reduced employee productivity. The cause for these accidents and additional operational costs is also the key to reducing them: drivers’ behavior.
SafeMode’s AI and behavioral economics-based technology improves drivers’ behavior and reduces the frequency of costly and dangerous choices. The system offers incentives to drivers who comply with the rules and provides valuable and personalized feedback.
During the program, SafeMode had the opportunity to work together with three of Taavura’s subsidiaries: two delivery-focused companies and Egged-Taavura, a public and private transportation operator. SafeMode’s team has been working together with Egged-Taavura on adapting their algorithm to focus on improving the quality of service and driving while reducing operational costs. The two companies set ambitious goals for this collaboration and are well on their way to achieve them.
ThermoTerra: Renewable energy is in the air
Renewable energy sources are all the rage, and investments in the field reached $2.6 trillion between 2010 and 2019. This vertical tends to rely on wind, solar, hydro, and geothermal power sources and ignores one important source: the air’s natural humidity levels.
ThermoTerra’s heating and cooling energy solutions are based on air humidity fluctuations. The company harnesses these natural changes to produce energy more efficiently and cost-effectively. The company’s technology can also bring in fresh air, which we’ve all learned to appreciate a lot more since the Covid-19 pandemic started.
We were excited to connect ThermoTerra with executives at Tadiran’s Energy Efficiency department. Together, the companies will reduce energy consumption and improve air quality across commercial and private buildings.
Final thoughts
As you can see, our program and its graduates have a lot to be proud of. We can’t wait to see the partnerships formed in the past few months blossom even further. There’s no doubt in my mind that we’ll hear a lot more about our startups and the impact they create. We were fortunate to have such incredible corporate executives participate in the program and are thankful for their mentorship.
If you’re looking for new and meaningful opportunities and partnerships for your startup, our next cohort is where you need to be. Applications are open now, and many doors will open later. See you there!
