Advance the development of your startup through training and 1-2-1 advising from EV and cleantech leaders.
DRIVING 2043 is an early-stage startup accelerator designed by Innovation Studio in collaboration with AAA Northeast to advance electric vehicle adoption in the U.S.
Through this program early-stage startups will have a unique opportunity to advance the development of their product, hone their business model and demonstrate product market fit through training and 1-2-1 advising from leading automotive, EV, cleantech and startup leaders.
Most importantly participants will refine their pitch to prepare for a final demo day, where they will present their idea to potential investors and innovation leaders.
A Fund established to invest in early-stage (Pre-Seed, Seed, and Series A) companies that solve the world’s EV/mobility challenges.
In addition to financial investment, the Venture team supports startup growth by:
Leveraging networks to connect founders to additional investors and startup resources.
Creating opportunities to conduct product tests and promotions in real markets.
Facilitating relationships with experts in the Electric Vehicles industry.
Supporting the promotion and exposure of startups and founder teams.
WHAT WILL YOU LEARN
In this first round participation, if selected, is optional but highly recommended.
Having a dynamic pitch that tells your story as a founder is essential to accessing investment. In the first round of Driving2043 up to 50 participants will be selected to attend two virtual workshop sessions that will take their pitch to the next level. Participants will have the opportunity to learn tips, tricks, and strategies for developing the perfect pitch from Boston based investors.
Participants will be asked to use the knowledge gained in this round to develop a 3-minute video pitch. The top 25 pitches will advance to round two.
In this round you will have the opportunity to learn from automotive leaders who will provide industry insights to aid in customer discovery and validating your electric vehicle startup’s business model.
Workshop 1: EV Customer Discovery: This workshop will provide a closer look into the automotive industry and its customers. Participants will gain access to real time data about customer and industry pain points and the different consumer profiles within the industry.
Workshop 2: Business Model Validation: In this workshop you will have an opportunity to look at your business model through the lens of the automotive industry. Hear first-hand about the automotive industry players and partners, gain a better understanding of EV challenges within the industry, and learn more about the targeted needs of the automotive industry.
10 Participants will be selected to participate in round three which will take place in Providence, RI where the AAA Northeast Headquarters is located. During this round participants will immerse themselves within the automotive industry, through workshops, 1-2-1 expert advisory sessions and mentorship from AAA Northeast executive and corporate leaders.
Over the course of 2 intensive immersive weeks participants will gain a deeper industry understanding and focus on Funnel Optimization and Customer Acquisition.
The program will conclude with a Pitch Night open to the public and attended by local investors led by AAA Northeast’s Corporate Venture fund and Innovation Studio.
Important DATES
APPLICATIONS OPEN
APPLICATIONS DUE
PROGRAM STARTS
PITCH NIGHT
CONNECT WITH TOP LEADERS
Randy Delgado
SVP, Strategic Initiatives & Innovation | AAA Northeast
John Nardolillo
SVP, Member Services | AAA Northeast
Mark Pelletier
SVP, eBusiness | AAA Northeast
WALTHER MORALES
Senior Director of Entrepreneurship and Programs | Innovation Studio
WHY should apply?
While Innovation Studio supports a wide array of early-stage startups, DRIVING 2043 is designed to support pre-seed and seed stage ventures with solutions to address electric vehicle access for consumers.
AREAS OF FOCUS
RESEARCH AND DISCOVERY
Solutions that offer innovative resources enabling consumers to identify, learn, explore, assess, understand, access, and evaluate electric vehicles and EV infrastructure. Including but are not limited to: Products, Energy & Energy Management, Grid Overload Reduction, E-Mobility, Monitoring and Analytics, Data and Information Collection, Supply Chain, Vehicle Purchasing & Testing.
CHARGING AND MANAGING
Hardware, software, and service solutions that improve infrastructure and charging reliability, accessibility, and convenience. Including but not limited to: Products, Equipment, Charging Infrastructure, Batteries, Energy Management, IT & Connectivity Infrastructure, Materials, E-Mobility, Monitoring, Supply Chain, Installation, Services, Repair & Maintenance, Charge Point Operations, Recycling.
PURCHASING, FINANCING, AND SELLING
Technologies and resources that address barriers to buying, selling, and investing in electric vehicles, corresponding infrastructure, and deployment needs. Including but not limited to: Products, Energy & Energy Management, Grid Overload Reduction, E-Mobility, Monitoring, Analytics, Data and Information Collection, Supply Chain, Vehicle Purchasing & Testing.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
- Clearly articulated Minimum Value Proposition (MVP).
- In the validation process or ready to be validated in the market.
- Working on product development.
- May have early customers, but not a requirement.
- Ready to take the next step and scale with capital investments.
designed BY INNOVATION STUDIO IN partnership WITH AAA NORTHEAST
AAA Northeast is a not-for-profit auto club with 71 offices in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, New Hampshire, and New York, providing more than 6 million local AAA members with travel, insurance, finance, and auto-related services.
Through the DRIVING 2043 Accelerator, AAA Northeast and Innovation Studio seek to inspire and guide anyone interested in developing mobility-based solutions that will shape the next 20 years.
APPLICATIONS OPEN
APPLICATIONS DUE
PROGRAM STARTS
PITCH NIGHT
DRIVING 2043
AAA Northeast
Startup Program
While the electric vehicle market is projected to grow to $137.43 billion in 2028, today there are considerable barriers to widespread EV adoption. Most significantly there is a gap between what consumers need to feel comfortable with transitioning to an electric vehicle and what is delivered to the market. Innovation Studio and AAA Northeast seek to close this gap by creating an optimal path to consumer access through DRIVING 2043.
Driving 2043 is an early-stage startup accelerator designed to advance electric vehicle adoption in the U.S. Through this program early-stage startups will have a unique opportunity to advance the development of their product, hone their business model and demonstrate product market fit through training and 1-2-1 advising from leading automotive, EV, cleantech and startup leaders.
Most importantly participants will refine their pitch to prepare for a final demo day, where they will present their idea to potential investors and innovation leaders.
JOIN OUR DEMO DAY!
Demo Day is the culmination of the DRIVING 2043 startup program and the intensive work by the EV founders and our teams at Innovation studio and AAA Northeast. During three months, participants immerse themselves in the automotive industry through workshops, 1-2-1 expert advisory sessions, and mentorship from corporate leaders, gaining a deeper industry understanding and focus on Funnel Optimization and Customer Acquisition.
Watch five passionate founders in the electric vehicle industry, featuring pitches to potential investors and innovation leaders.
Maggie Bachenberg
Co-Founder, Pointz
Jose LaSalle
Founder & CEO, Florrent
Sasan Pasha
Founder & CEO, SensoDrive
Jane Chen
Co-Founder & CEO, StepWise
David Lewis
Founder & CEO, MoveEV
SAVE YOUR SPOT TODAY
Present Your Idea to TOP leaders IN THE industry
Pre-Seed, Seed, and Series A participating will have the support from Electric Vehicles industry experts and have access to:
Networks to connect founders to additional investors and startup resources.
Opportunities to conduct product tests and promotions in real markets.
Electric Vehicles industry experts and insights.
Startup promotion and exposure with the a entrepreneur ecosystem.
AAA Northeast is a contributor to Innovation Studio SCALE program and will be participating in the modules throughout DRIVING2043.
AAA Northeast team will consider additional investment for participating startups.
AAA Northeast team is available throughout the program to provide mentorship.
AAA Northeast team will provide top 10 participating startups with detailed assessment of their readiness to raise additional resources.
WHAT WILL YOU LEARN
In this first round participation, if selected, is optional but highly recommended.
Having a dynamic pitch that tells your story as a founder is essential to accessing investment. In the first round of Driving2043 up to 50 participants will be selected to attend two virtual workshop sessions that will take their pitch to the next level. Participants will have the opportunity to learn tips, tricks, and strategies for developing the perfect pitch from Boston based investors.
Participants will be asked to use the knowledge gained in this round to develop a 3-minute video pitch. The top 25 pitches will advance to round two.
In this round you will have the opportunity to learn from automotive leaders who will provide industry insights to aid in customer discovery and validating your electric vehicle startup’s business model.
Workshop 1: EV Customer Discovery: This workshop will provide a closer look into the automotive industry and its customers. Participants will gain access to real time data about customer and industry pain points and the different consumer profiles within the industry.
Workshop 2: Business Model Validation: In this workshop you will have an opportunity to look at your business model through the lens of the automotive industry. Hear first-hand about the automotive industry players and partners, gain a better understanding of EV challenges within the industry, and learn more about the targeted needs of the automotive industry.
10 Participants will be selected to participate in round three which will take place in Providence, RI where the AAA Northeast Headquarters is located. During this round participants will immerse themselves within the automotive industry, through workshops, 1-2-1 expert advisory sessions and mentorship from AAA Northeast executive and corporate leaders.
Over the course of 2 intensive immersive weeks participants will gain a deeper industry understanding and focus on Funnel Optimization and Customer Acquisition.
The program will conclude with a Pitch Night open to the public and attended by local investors led by AAA Northeast’s Corporate Venture fund and Innovation Studio.
CONNECT WITH TOP LEADERS
Randy Delgado
SVP, Strategic Initiatives & Innovation | AAA Northeast
John Nardolillo
SVP, Member Services | AAA Northeast
Mark Pelletier
SVP, eBusiness | AAA Northeast
WALTHER MORALES
Senior Director of Entrepreneurship and Programs | Innovation Studio
DRIVING 2043 WILL TAKE YOUR STARTUP TO THE NEXT LEVEL
WHY should apply?
While Innovation Studio supports a wide array of early-stage startups, DRIVING 2043 is designed to support pre-seed and seed stage ventures with solutions to address electric vehicle access for consumers.
AREAS OF FOCUS
RESEARCH AND DISCOVERY
Solutions that offer innovative resources enabling consumers to identify, learn, explore, assess, understand, access, and evaluate electric vehicles and EV infrastructure. Including but are not limited to: Products, Energy & Energy Management, Grid Overload Reduction, E-Mobility, Monitoring and Analytics, Data and Information Collection, Supply Chain, Vehicle Purchasing & Testing.
CHARGING AND MANAGING
Hardware, software, and service solutions that improve infrastructure and charging reliability, accessibility, and convenience. Including but not limited to: Products, Equipment, Charging Infrastructure, Batteries, Energy Management, IT & Connectivity Infrastructure, Materials, E-Mobility, Monitoring, Supply Chain, Installation, Services, Repair & Maintenance, Charge Point Operations, Recycling.
PURCHASING, FINANCING, AND SELLING
Technologies and resources that address barriers to buying, selling, and investing in electric vehicles, corresponding infrastructure, and deployment needs. Including but not limited to: Products, Energy & Energy Management, Grid Overload Reduction, E-Mobility, Monitoring, Analytics, Data and Information Collection, Supply Chain, Vehicle Purchasing & Testing.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
- Clearly articulated Minimum Value Proposition (MVP).
- In the validation process or ready to be validated in the market.
- Working on product development.
- May have early customers, but not a requirement.
- Ready to take the next step and scale with capital investments.
PROGRAM structure
designed BY INNOVATION STUDIO
IN partnership WITH AAA NORTHEAST
AAA Northeast is a not-for-profit auto club with 71 offices in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, New Hampshire, and New York, providing more than 6 million local AAA members with travel, insurance, finance, and auto-related services.
Through the DRIVING 2043 Accelerator, AAA Northeast and Innovation Studio seek to inspire and guide anyone interested in developing mobility-based solutions that will shape the next 20 years.
