Arcadis, the leading global design and consultancy firm for natural and built assets, and Techstars, a worldwide network that helps entrepreneurs succeed, have agreed a global partnership aimed at identifying and developing innovative start-ups to transform the natural and built environment.

The deal is aimed at creating a mutually beneficial relationship where start-ups are supported to innovate in line with realizing Arcadis’ long-term vision – to shape the cities of the future.

It will allow Arcadis to bring smart city technologies to its customers with the support of one of the world’s leading business accelerators, said a statement from the company.

Arcadis assumes its responsibility as a market and thought leader by preparing a long-term vision on the future of cities as successful habitats for people.

In complete accordance with Arcadis’ passion to improve the quality of life, the company is actively investing in living, working and traveling in cities now and in the decades to come, fueled by innovation and technology, it stated.

The “Arcadis City of 2030 Accelerator, Powered by Techstars” is a tangible action to make this ambition a reality. The programme will focus on digital technologies and innovative solutions, with applications open in July and the project kicking off early next year.

Arcadis will support the selected companies, providing a team of mentors to help with subject-matter expertise, client connections and industry insights.

Learnings from this process will be brought back into Arcadis to help the organisation ‘innovate outside the fence’ and bring the very latest innovations to our clients.

Stephan Ritter, the group executive for innovation and transformation at Arcadis, said: "The relevance of our partnership with Techstars is significant for our industry. To our knowledge, it is the first time that a company in our space gets together with a market leading start-up accelerator, to exponentially improve value creation for our clients. There is so much change happening around the world."

"We want to make sure we are at the very forefront, innovating outside-in and bringing to market some of the brightest and most innovative ideas to improve quality of life," he added.

Patrick van Hoof, the global director of innovation at Arcadis, said: "Working with and learning from start-ups is crucial for the evolution of Arcadis. We are convinced that Techstars is the right accelerator programme partner for large, well-established companies that are willing to proactively reinvent themselves, like Arcadis."
 
David Brown, the founder and co-chief executive of Techstars, said: "As the worldwide network that helps entrepreneurs succeed, Techstars is proud to expand our European presence with a new mentorship-driven accelerator in Amsterdam."

"Through the partnership with Arcadis, entrepreneurs in the programme will have access to smart city experts who can help the start-up companies scale their businesses with an eye on the future of cities," he added.-TradeArabia News Service