Today we’re announcing the launch of our City Innovation Fund, a $3-million USD commitment to support cities as they embrace safe, inclusive micro-mobility. The fund seeks to expand and grow promising private- and public-sector projects that improve road safety, parking, and the sustainability of micro-mobility vehicles and operations. We hope to supplement our own resources with additional external funds to ensure the greatest impact.
The fund will prioritise engaging in solutions to micro-mobility’s biggest challenges: expanding parking options that reduce pavement clutter to make cities more accessible; road safety innovations focusing on novel approaches to infrastructure, rider education, and vehicle technology; and projects that improve the sustainability of operations, including support for research and advocacy.
The first projects we have engaged in include:
- Oonee, a company offering modular and secure public parking solutions for e-scooters and bikes. The funding will be used to build a new parking pod in New York to benefit the city’s essential workers.
- MaaSLab at University College London, which will use the funding to further research in net-zero-carbon, on-demand transport.
- Nortical, a software company that collects and analyses battery usage, which will support Voi in improving lithium-ion battery circularity (second-life applications and recycling) through a pilot program.
A committee of internal and external advisors will work together to select projects and track impact. Voi will be looking to add external funding sources on top of its own resources to the cause and will continually announce and showcase further collaborations and projects as they materialise.
Are you part of a non-profit, university, or business with the next great innovation in road safety, parking, or sustainability? We want to hear from you! Send proposals or expressions of interest to cityinnovation@voiapp.io.
