Following the success of its two first seasons in France, Unibail-Rodamco announces the launch of UR Link, its business accelerator, in Germany. From today, April 6th, 2017, 3 startups enter the programme, contributing to build tomorrow’s shopping centers: Green City Solutions (a connected city tree to reduce air pollution), ArtNight (memorable and fun art experiences with local artists), and Advertima (interactive and targeted advertisement thanks to artificial intelligence)
After two successful French season and 11 startups accelerated by the UR Link programme, Unibail-Rodamco took the decision to develop the project across Europe. The first step is Germany. The official launch took place this morning, April 6th 2017, a few weeks after end of Season 2 in France.
For the first edition, 3 startups were chosen by Unibail-Rodamco teams in Germany, in partnership with NUMA. Just like in France, the Group wishes to collaborate with innovative businesses, able to improve the services of shopping centers and satisfy concrete needs. The 3 startups all address one of the 3 critical issues driving Unibail-Rodamco:
- Smart retail: improving customer experience and retailers efficiency
- Sustainable places: building environment-friendly places
- Social Places (Services & Communities): creating memorable experiences in centres to improve their experience
Discover UR Link Germany 3 startups:
- Green City Solutions combines cutting-edge Internet-of-Things (IoT) technology with specific moss cultures to build smart city trees and purify air from harmful pollutants
- ArtNight offers unique art experiences to bring people together, around local artists
- Advertima uses machine learning and big data to create interactive and personalised advertisements
Startups will have the opportunity to work with Unibail-Rodamco teams for 4 months, and test their concept in real-size, in one of the German assets of the Group. They will be regularly coached by Unibail-Rodamco mentors and business owners, benefitting from workshops to improve their expertise and help them grow. The programme will take place in the offices of the Group in Düsseldorf, as well as in Berlin, where NUMA is located.
At the end of the 4-month period, they will present their work to the Board in Düsseldorf, and discuss about bringing the partnership to the next level.