Toyota Motor Corporation has announced Toyota Open Labs, is a new open innovation platform bringing together startups with business units across the Toyota ecosystem to help them scale up and develop future sustainability and mobility solutions.

The programme will power Toyota’s transformation to a mobility company by deepening its expertise across energy, circular economy, carbon-neutral technologies, smart communities, and mobility initiatives.

Toyota Open Labs launches with a call for startups working across five key categories:

Energy: technologies and systems to facilitate the energy transition, hydrogen economy, grid balancing, energy management, smart charging, and vehicle-to-grid energy transfers

Circular Economy: technologies and systems to enable the recovery, recycling, and reuse of vehicles and batteries

Carbon Neutrality: technologies and systems helping companies and society reduce carbon emissions, and digitalisation to enable transparent life cycle assessment

Smart Communities: new business models and solutions to develop and support smart communities through vehicle sharing, subscriptions, and mobility hubs

Mobility for All: solutions to overcome mobility barriers, strengthen mobility systems and mobilise low-carbon communities, addressing the needs of an aging society and devising universal designs for all users

Toyota Open Labs partners include Toyota Tsusho Europe, the trading and supply-chain arm of the Toyota group; KINTO Europe, the Toyota group’s mobility brand; Woven Capital, Toyota’s growth-stage venture fund; and Toyota Mobility Foundation, a non-profit foundation by Toyota.

Startups selected during the open call will be able to engage with a diverse network of advisors and mentors, open new growth pathways, enhance their business strategy and investment opportunities, make informed product enhancements and build relationships to help make a global impact.

Participants will have the opportunity to develop a proof of concept with Toyota, explore market entry routes, and partner with the Toyota ecosystem. Each participant will receive development support and the chance to showcase their technology at a demo day, due to take place during the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.