Indian start-up BlinkIn wins top honours at Stellantis Start-up Awards 2022

Stellantis has awarded seven top-performing technology start-ups with the first-ever Stellantis Startup Awards, recognising the value of the partnership between the company and the best start-up partners in seven different verticals.

India’s application BlinkIn shares the highest recognition with seven top-performing technology startups from across the world.

Applied in India for the Citroen brand as a pilot, the virtual assist developed by BlinkIN supports vehicle repair shop technicians with real-time, remote assistance from Stellantis expert engineers via smartphone, enabling the deployment of a cost-effective solution that ultimately reduces the downtime for customers’ vehicles and provides a better customer experience.

Stellantis new award series seeks to celebrate the value of the partnership between the company and the best startup partners in seven different verticals. Presented during a digital event, the Stellantis Startup Awards also demonstrate the company’s commitment to advancing its Dare Forward 2030 ambition of embracing breakthrough ideas and customer-centric innovations that enable clean, safe, and affordable mobility for all.

“Our innovative partnerships, together with our dedicated, passionate, and talented employees, are rapidly accelerating our drive to become a sustainable mobility tech company,” said Carlos Tavares, Stellantis CEO. “The startup partners and pilot projects showcased today prove that an intrapreneurship mindset and results-driven innovation can make a difference that truly benefits our customers, society, and Stellantis.” 

Consistent with the digital nature of the Startup Awards event, Stellantis’ top executives, including Chief Technology Officer Ned Curic, presented each of the finalists with a customised non-fungible token (NFT) trophy. Created by the Stellantis Design Studio, the NFT is an artistic interpretation of intertwined hands, expressing the concept that in turbulent times, ideas prevail. 

The other projects that gained recognition at the 2022 Stellantis Startup Awards were

- Customer Experience – Developed by HAAS Alert in the U.S., the Emergency Vehicle Alert System has the mission to get everyone to their destination safely and help avoid distracted driving by alerting drivers to nearby emergency vehicles and hazards in real-time. Stellantis is currently offering the technology on a limited number of Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram vehicles.   

- Quality – Applied in Turkey, Daxium’s digitalization of a pre-delivery vehicle inspection checklist and dashboard is helping Stellantis improve its control process, as well as to ensure that the quality and delivery of its imported vehicles to the end customer achieve the highest standards. The project will soon be extended to Morocco, Egypt, Israel, and Europe.

- New Business – Deployed in France on the Citroën Ami, DS E-TENSE electrified models, and Peugeot 308 plug-in hybrid, and in Italy on the Citroën Ami and all-electric Fiat New 500, the solution developed by the startup Demooz turns current vehicle owners into ambassadors, connecting them with potential customers to facilitate through word of mouth the discovery, access, and testing of Stellantis products.

- Automotive Tech – U.K.-based startup Envisics is providing more effective and timely driving information with a new generation head-up display that uses augmented reality and high-quality holographic technology. The innovative feature will be offered on Stellantis’ next generation premium and luxury vehicles.  

-Industry 4.0 – Applied inside the Stellantis plant in Betim, Brazil, the solution created by Phygitall uses smart watches to analyse the pattern and intensity of hand movements to optimise the manufacturing process, increasing safety, quality and efficiency.

- Supply Chain – Developed in Argentina and Brazil by JettaCargo, the software leverages artificial intelligence to simulate the optimal loading of cargo on trucks and containers. It is currently automating Stellantis’ planning and composing of ground transportation, reducing the impact of CO2 emissions and the breakdown of goods in transport, while improving logistics and increasing cargo safety.