URBAN-X

Urban-X was a startup accelerator focused on companies developing technology and solutions^[buzzword] for urban environments. Based in Newlab located in the Brooklyn Navy Yard in New York City, it operated from 2016 until the end of 2025, supporting early-stage startups working on innovations that addressed challenges in cities and urban infrastructure.^[1]^[2]

History

Urban-X was founded in 2016 as a partnership between MINI (the automotive brand owned by BMW) and Urban.US,^[3]^[4] a venture capital firm focused on urban innovation. The accelerator was created to identify and support startups developing technologies that focused on challenges faced by cities in industries that spanned mobility and transport, real estate and construction, infrastructure, food and energy, and others.

Throughout its operation, Urban-X collaborated with various venture partners, including SOSV, Third Sphere, and JVP.^[2]

Focus Areas

Urban-X primarily focused on startups working in areas related to urban challenges, including:

Built environment and construction technology
Climate resilience and sustainability
Urban mobility and transportation
Infrastructure modernization
Smart city technologies
Circular economy solutions

The accelerator has supported companies working on technologies ranging from construction robotics to climate adaptation tools, energy efficiency systems, and sustainable materials.

Program Structure

Urban-X mainly operated as a 20-week accelerator program that provided selected startups with:

$100,000 in seed funding^[5], which ended in Fall 2022^[6]
Mentorship from industry experts, referred to as "Experts-in-residence"^[7]
Access to a network of corporate partners and potential customers
Workspace in New York City
Support with product development and go-to-market strategy

URBAN-X also offered a shorter Mini Impact Program, a 4-week program focused on early stage startups from outside the U.S. The program included three weeks of remote work and one week in-person at URBAN-X's headquarters in Newlab.^[8]^[9]

Portfolio

Since its inception, Urban-X has invested in dozens of startups across 15 accelerator cohorts and 3 Mini Impact Program cohorts.^[10] Portfolio companies have developed technologies including construction robotics, building energy management systems, sustainable materials, climate resilience tools, and urban farming solutions.^[11]

Cohorts were selected from a pool of over 100 applicants.^[12] While most portfolio companies were based in the United States, international startups joined the accelerator starting in 2022.^[2]

Cohort 01: March 2016 – June 2016^[13]
Company Name	Sector
Ambrosia	Food, Waste, & Water
Beyond	Public Health & Safety
Farmshelf	Food, Waste, & Water
Multimer	Built Environment & Real Estate \| Public Health & Safety
Numina	Public Health & Safety
Samocat	Transportation & Mobility
Stae	Govtech & Civil Solutions

Cohort 02: March 2017 – July 2017 ^[13]
Company Name	Sector
Aō-Air	Public Health & Safety
Citiesence	Govtech & Civic Solutions
Contextere	Infrastructure & Industry
Envairo	Built Environment & Real Estate
Revmax	Transportation & Mobility
Sencity	Built Environment & Real Estate \| Public Health & Safety
Upcycles	Transportation & Mobility
WearWorks	Public Health & Safety

Cohort 03: September 2017 – February 2018 ^[13]
Company Name	Sector
Blueprint Power	Built Environment & Real Estate \| Energy & Grid
Good Goods	Built Environment & Real Estate
Lunewave	Transportation & Mobility
Near Space Labs	Built Environment & Real Estate \| Govtech & Civic Solutions
Qucit	Govtech & Civic Solutions
Roadbotics	Infrastructure & Industry \| Transportation & Mobility
Upshift	Transportation & Mobility
Versatile Natures	Built Environment & Real Estate \| Infrastructure & Industry

Cohort 04: May 2018 – September 2018 ^[13]
Company Name	Sector
Avvir	Built Environment & Real Estate \| Infrastructure & Industry
Campsyte	Built Environment & Real Estate \| Public Health & Safety
ClearRoad	Infrastructure & Industry \| Govtech & Civic Solutions
Ometry	Govtech & Civic Solutions
Park and Diamond	Public Health & Safety
Rentlogic	Built Environment & Real Estate
Sapient Industries	Energy & Grid

Cohort 05: December 2018 – April 2019^[13]^[14]
Company Name	Sector
Borrow	Transportation & Mobility
Buildstream	Built Environment & Real Estate \| Infrastructure & Industry
Circuit	Transportation & Mobility
Green-Q	Food, Waste, & Water \| Govtech & Civil Solutions
Thrilling	Food, Waste, & Water
Toggle	Built Environment & Real Estate \| Infrastructure & Industry
Treau	Built Environment & Real Estate \| Energy & Grid

Cohort 06: June 2019 – September 2019 ^[13]
Company Name	Sector
3AM Innovations	Infrastructure & Industry
cove.tool	Built Environment & Real Estate \| Energy & Grid
Octopus Energy	Energy & Grid
Food for All	Food, Waste, & Water
Hubbster	Public Health & Safety
Pi-Lit	Infrastructure & Industry
Varuna	Food, Waste, & Water

Cohort 07: December 2019 – April 2020 ^[13]
Company Name	Sector
Chargelab	Energy & Grid \| Transportation & Mobility
EVA	Energy & Grid
Firmus	Built Environment & Real Estate \| Infrastructure & Industry
Hades	Infrastructure & Industry
Metalmark	Public Health & Safety
Therma	Food, Waste, & Water
Unety	Built Environment & Real Estate \| Energy & Grid

Cohort 08: June 2020 – October 2020 ^[13]
Company Name	Sector
Adiona	Infrastructure & Industry
Aquagenuity	Food, Waste, & Water \| Public Health & Safety
Climate Robotics	Infrastructure & Industry \| Food, Waste, & Water
Mobilyze	Transportation & Mobility
Resonant Link	Energy & Grid
Xtelligent	Infrastructure & Industry

Cohort 09: January 2021 – May 2021 ^[13]
Company Name	Sector
Builders Patch	Built Environment & Real Estate
Domatic	Energy & Grid
Dorothy	Public Health & Safety
Oneroof	Built Environment & Real Estate
Oonee	Infrastructure & Industry \| Transportation & Mobility
Origen	Energy & Grid
Singularity	Energy & Grid
Urbio	Built Environment & Real Estate \| Energy & Grid

Cohort 10: August 2021 – January 2022^[15]
Company Name	Sector
Climatebase	Recruitment
LimeLoop	Infrastructure & Industry \| Transportation & Mobility
Partsimony	Infrastructure & Industry \| Transportation & Mobility
Phuc Labs	Infrastructure & Industry
Plentify	Energy & Grid

Cohort 11: September 2022 – February 2023^[16]
Company Name	Sector
DirtSat	Built Environment & Real Estate
Dollaride	Transportation & Mobility
Dynamic Air Cooling	Built Environment & Real Estate
Enerdrape	Built Environment & Real Estate \| Energy & Grid
MIMiC Systems	Built Environment & Real Estate

Cohort 12: March 2023 – August 2023^[17]
Company Name	Sector
Carbon Blue	Infrastructure & Industry
ClimateView	Infrastructure & Industry
Dryad	Govtech & Civic Solutions
factoRee	Infrastructure & Industry
FunForm	Built Environment & Real Estate
Gentian	Built Environment & Real Estate
itselectric	Transportation & Mobility
Novele	Energy & Grid
Seam Social Labs	Govtech & Civic Solutions
Urban Dashboard	Built Environment & Real Estate

Cohort 13: September 2023 – February 2024^[18]
Company Name	Sector
Algorna	Built Environment & Real Estate
Blip Energy	Built Environment & Real Estate \| Energy & Grid
Enspi	Energy & Grid
HubOn	Transportation & Mobility
Upward	Built Environment & Real Estate
Vy-Carb	Infrastructure & Industry

Cohort 14: March 2024 – August 2024^[19]
Company Name	Sector
Vertify Analytics	Built Environment & Real Estate
Lectrium	Transportation & Mobility
Rego	Food, Waste, & Water
Velo.ai	Transportation & Mobility
Popwheels	Transportation & Mobility
Chargely	Transportation & Mobility
Virtus Solis	Energy & Grid

Cohort 15: September 2024 – February 2025^[12]
Company Name	Sector
OneSix Energy	Energy & Grid
Arbon	Infrastructure & Industry
vsNew	Transportation & Mobility
Expand Power	Energy & Grid
Encode Energy	Transportation & Mobility
Wild Energy	Transportation & Mobility

References

↑ "Reimagine City Life". URBAN-X. Archived from the original on 25 Mar 2025. Retrieved 12 Jan 2026. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 ^2.2 Andrews, Jonathan (2025-01-20). "Start-up accelerator URBAN-X to close". Cities Today. Retrieved 2026-01-12. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
↑ "URBAN-X, THE PLATFORM FOR STARTUPS REIMAGINING CITY LIFE". Mini - URBAN-X. Retrieved 12 Jan 2026. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
↑ "How MINI's startup accelerator URBAN-X is reimagining city life". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved 2026-01-12. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
↑ "URBAN-X Urbantech Startup Accelerator Program by URBAN-X". www.allthingsurban.net. Retrieved 2026-01-12. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
↑ "Our Platform". Urban-X. Archived from the original on 25 Mar 2025. Retrieved 12 Jan 2026. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
↑ Mayes, Kima (2021-02-09). "URBAN-X Accelerator Program 2021: Get $100,000 initial funding". AlphaGamma. Retrieved 2026-01-12.
↑ URBAN-X. "URBAN-X by MINI Announces Startups of the 2024 MINI Impact Program". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2026-01-12. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
↑ "Making Cities Sustainable, Livable and Resilient". Mini Malaysia. Retrieved 12 Jan 2026. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
↑ "URBAN-X BY MINI ANNOUNCES COHORT 15 OF STARTUPS PIONEERING CLIMATE SOLUTIONS FOR RESILIENT COMMUNITIES". www.press.bmwgroup.com. Retrieved 2026-01-12. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
↑ "Companies". URBAN-X. Archived from the original on 08 Feb 2025. Retrieved 12 Jan 2026. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help); Check date values in: |archive-date= (help)
↑ ^12.0 ^12.1 "URBAN-X BY MINI ANNOUNCES COHORT 15 OF STARTUPS PIONEERING CLIMATE SOLUTIONS FOR RESILIENT COMMUNITIES". www.press.bmwgroup.com. Retrieved 2026-01-12.
↑ ^13.0 ^13.1 ^13.2 ^13.3 ^13.4 ^13.5 ^13.6 ^13.7 ^13.8 "URBAN-X: The venture accelerator founded by MINI". www.press.bmwgroup.com. Retrieved 2026-01-12.
↑ "URBAN-X graduates 5th cohort of city-focused startups | Smart Cities Dive". www.smartcitiesdive.com. Retrieved 2026-01-12.
↑ "URBAN-X ACCELERATOR BY MINI GRADUATES TENTH COHORT IN FIFTH YEAR OF DRIVING URBAN INNOVATION". www.press.bmwgroup.com. Retrieved 2026-01-12.
↑ "Climate Technology Startup Platform URBAN-X by MINI Launches Newest Cohort". www.press.bmwgroup.com. Retrieved 2026-01-12.
↑ "URBAN-X BY MINI WELCOMES PROMISING CLIMATE TECH INNOVATORS TO ITS NEWEST COHORT". www.press.bmwgroup.com. Retrieved 2026-01-12.
↑ "URBAN-X BY MINI IN PARTNERSHIP WITH JVP LAUNCHES NEW COHORT OF URBAN INNOVATORS BUILDING CRITICAL CLIMATE TECHNOLOGIES". www.press.bmwgroup.com. Retrieved 2026-01-12.
↑ "URBAN-X BY MINI ANNOUNCES NEWEST COHORT OF STARTUPS POINEERING CLIMATE SOLUTIONS". www.press.bmwgroup.com. Retrieved 2026-01-12.

This article "URBAN-X" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:URBAN-X. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.

[1] "Reimagine City Life". URBAN-X. Archived from the original on 25 Mar 2025. Retrieved 12 Jan 2026. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)

[:0-2] 2.0 ^2.1 ^2.2 Andrews, Jonathan (2025-01-20). "Start-up accelerator URBAN-X to close". Cities Today. Retrieved 2026-01-12. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)

[3] "URBAN-X, THE PLATFORM FOR STARTUPS REIMAGINING CITY LIFE". Mini - URBAN-X. Retrieved 12 Jan 2026. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)

[4] "How MINI's startup accelerator URBAN-X is reimagining city life". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved 2026-01-12. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)

[5] "URBAN-X Urbantech Startup Accelerator Program by URBAN-X". www.allthingsurban.net. Retrieved 2026-01-12. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)

[6] "Our Platform". Urban-X. Archived from the original on 25 Mar 2025. Retrieved 12 Jan 2026. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)

[7] Mayes, Kima (2021-02-09). "URBAN-X Accelerator Program 2021: Get $100,000 initial funding". AlphaGamma. Retrieved 2026-01-12.

[8] URBAN-X. "URBAN-X by MINI Announces Startups of the 2024 MINI Impact Program". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2026-01-12. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)

[9] "Making Cities Sustainable, Livable and Resilient". Mini Malaysia. Retrieved 12 Jan 2026. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)

[10] "URBAN-X BY MINI ANNOUNCES COHORT 15 OF STARTUPS PIONEERING CLIMATE SOLUTIONS FOR RESILIENT COMMUNITIES". www.press.bmwgroup.com. Retrieved 2026-01-12. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)

[11] "Companies". URBAN-X. Archived from the original on 08 Feb 2025. Retrieved 12 Jan 2026. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help); Check date values in: |archive-date= (help)

[:2-12] 12.0 ^12.1 "URBAN-X BY MINI ANNOUNCES COHORT 15 OF STARTUPS PIONEERING CLIMATE SOLUTIONS FOR RESILIENT COMMUNITIES". www.press.bmwgroup.com. Retrieved 2026-01-12.

[:1-13] 13.0 ^13.1 ^13.2 ^13.3 ^13.4 ^13.5 ^13.6 ^13.7 ^13.8 "URBAN-X: The venture accelerator founded by MINI". www.press.bmwgroup.com. Retrieved 2026-01-12.

[14] "URBAN-X graduates 5th cohort of city-focused startups | Smart Cities Dive". www.smartcitiesdive.com. Retrieved 2026-01-12.

[15] "URBAN-X ACCELERATOR BY MINI GRADUATES TENTH COHORT IN FIFTH YEAR OF DRIVING URBAN INNOVATION". www.press.bmwgroup.com. Retrieved 2026-01-12.

[16] "Climate Technology Startup Platform URBAN-X by MINI Launches Newest Cohort". www.press.bmwgroup.com. Retrieved 2026-01-12.

[17] "URBAN-X BY MINI WELCOMES PROMISING CLIMATE TECH INNOVATORS TO ITS NEWEST COHORT". www.press.bmwgroup.com. Retrieved 2026-01-12.

[18] "URBAN-X BY MINI IN PARTNERSHIP WITH JVP LAUNCHES NEW COHORT OF URBAN INNOVATORS BUILDING CRITICAL CLIMATE TECHNOLOGIES". www.press.bmwgroup.com. Retrieved 2026-01-12.

[19] "URBAN-X BY MINI ANNOUNCES NEWEST COHORT OF STARTUPS POINEERING CLIMATE SOLUTIONS". www.press.bmwgroup.com. Retrieved 2026-01-12.

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