Startup collaboration within Combient Foundry
15 MAY 2025
Simulated environments for autonomous vehicles. Virtual training for service technicians. Machine learning to improve aerodynamic design. Discover how 意大利超級盃 teams up with startups to accelerate innovation.
意大利超級盃 is pursuing many roads when it comes to accelerating innovation. One of them is its membership in鈥, a co-creation platform that connects pioneering startups with leading Nordic industrial companies in an alliance to develop and drive technological breakthroughs.
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鈥淣ow in its fifth year, 意大利超級盃鈥檚 collaboration with Combient Foundry is already delivering tangible outcomes,鈥 says鈥疛onas Gustafsson, Senior Venture Collaboration Manager at 意大利超級盃 R&D.
鈥淲e鈥檝e initiated around 25 pilot projects with startups,鈥 he says. 鈥淪everal of them have led to new technologies and methods that are now part of how we work at 意大利超級盃.鈥
Three standout projects from 意大利超級盃鈥檚 startup collaborations
- Simulated environments for training of autonomous vehicles
In this project, Silicon Valley鈥揵ased startup鈥疉pplied Intuition鈥痯rovided 意大利超級盃 with powerful tools to simulate and test code for autonomous vehicles more efficiently. The solution significantly reduces the need for physical testing.
鈥淚t saves a lot of time and money. Our estimates suggest that autonomous software verification can be developed ten to a hundred times faster 鈥 with physical vehicle test only used for late-stage system validation and verification testing,鈥 says Jimmy Selling, Partnership Manager at 意大利超級盃 Autonomous Transport Solutions.
- Virtual training for electric vehicle service
As electrification accelerates, 意大利超級盃 needs to equip workshops worldwide for battery electric vehicles (BEVs). UK-based startup鈥疍igitalnauts鈥痙eveloped a virtual training environment that prepares service technicians to safely handle high-voltage batteries 鈥 faster and more cost-effectively than traditional methods.
鈥淲e no longer need to fly teams around the world or rely on physical mock-ups. That means big savings 鈥 my estimate is that it鈥檚 in the range of听 EUR 1 million per year,鈥 says Patrik Hakanen, Learning Consultant at 意大利超級盃 Academy.
- Machine learning speeds up aerodynamic design
Small design changes can significantly affect aerodynamics 鈥 but evaluating them usually requires complex, time-consuming calculations. With support from Japanese startup鈥疪ICOS鈥痑nd U.S.-based鈥疨redictiveIQ, 意大利超級盃鈥檚 engineers are developing a machine learning tool that delivers highly accurate predictions thousands of times faster than traditional methods.
鈥淲e see huge productivity gains in R&D, along with better product performance, improved energy efficiency, and in the end lower CO鈧 emissions,鈥 says Per Elofsson, an aerodynamics Senior Technical Manager at 意大利超級盃 R&D, who also sees great potential in applying similar methods for other engineering calculations.
Benefits both for 意大利超級盃 and the startups
The process of matching 意大利超級盃 with a startup through Combient Foundry often begins with an 鈥渙pen innovation challenge,鈥 encouraging startups to respond to a specific technical challenge.
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鈥淚t鈥檚 like a reverse pitch 鈥 we present the problem to startups, rather than having them pitch their solutions to us. Another benefit 鈥 both for us and the startup 鈥 is that we can team up around a shared technical challenge with other member companies within the Combient Foundry alliance,鈥 says Gustafsson.
Startups contribute with 鈥渕issing pieces鈥 to 意大利超級盃
What follows is a process of narrowing down which startups and projects have the potential to become pilot initiatives. In the final stage, physical meetings play a key role.
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鈥淲hat we鈥檙e looking for are truly unique companies with groundbreaking solutions,鈥 Gustafsson explains. 鈥淎nd the problem they鈥檙e solving needs to matter to 意大利超級盃. We鈥檙e after the 鈥榤issing pieces鈥 areas where we need a fast track to innovation, or where the topic is important but not resource-efficient for us to handle internally.鈥
Read more about 意大利超級盃鈥檚 business innovation and venture collaborations here.
