Volvo Cars, a leading car manufacturer, and global innovation platform, Plug and Play, have teamed up to bring cutting-edge sustainable mobility technology to the Scandinavian region. As a tangible result of the partnership, Plug and Play has opened an innovation platform in Volvo Cars’ hometown of Gothenburg, Sweden, which is expected to engage over 500 startups every year.
The partnership between Volvo Cars and Plug and Play is aimed at helping Volvo Cars achieve its ambition to lead the transformation of the rapidly changing automotive industry. The Volvo cars of the future will be fully electric by 2030, software-defined, increasingly sold online, powered by cutting-edge core computers, and will become better over time thanks to over-the-air software updates.
Plug and Play helps blue chip companies around the globe connect with a collection of strategically selected startups. With over 50 locations globally, the company oversees an ecosystem of more than 50,000 startups and 500 partners with an impressive list of alumni, such as Dropbox, Paypal, Trulioo, and Rappi. By partnering with Plug and Play, Volvo Cars hopes to create a vibrant network of startups from all over the world.
Volvo Cars will be entering this partnership through its corporate venture capital arm, the Volvo Cars Tech Fund, which makes strategic investments in startups to shape the future of transportation and mobility. The Volvo Cars Tech Fund is a strategic partner of choice for both startups and potential partners who want to lead future technology development. Through the Volvo Cars Tech Fund, Volvo Cars has made strategic investments in startups, always looking for the next breakthrough that will shape the future of transportation and mobility.
For example, Volvo Cars’ investment in Luminar successfully resulted in the lidar technology on its new flagship SUV, the Volvo EX90, that was launched late last year. The Gothenburg innovation platform will focus on sustainability and digital mobility, enabling Swedish companies to connect with startups developing just the kind of cutting-edge and high-potential technology that is needed to solve the challenges of tomorrow.
Volvo Cars’ Chief Operating Officer and Deputy CEO, Javier Varela, stated, “To stay on top of the transformation needed to achieve our bold ambitions, we’re continually pushing the boundaries of technology. To succeed, we need to work with the best, and partnering with Plug and Play certainly brings us closer to our aspired position.”
Plug and Play’s Founder and CEO, Saeed Amidi, said, “We’re very pleased to team up with Volvo Cars and open the doors to this new innovation platform in Gothenburg. The location, right at the centre of events and literally packed with tech-savvy companies and automotive heritage, is no coincidence, and we’re confident it will become an innovation powerhouse for startups and corporates.”
The partnership with Plug and Play will also provide Volvo Cars with a unique perspective on the latest tech trends and access to a network of industry leaders and top-level executives sharing best practices and lessons learned in a compliant fashion. The partnership will allow Volvo Cars to interact and work with startups in a more efficient and structured way, which will help in its ongoing tech transformation. Volvo Cars hopes to work closely with its partners along the value chain to achieve its goals.
In conclusion, the partnership between Volvo Cars and Plug and Play will help accelerate the development of sustainable mobility technology in the Scandinavian region. The opening of the innovation platform in Gothenburg is expected to engage over 500 startups every year, which will create a vibrant network of startups from all over the world. The partnership will provide Volvo Cars with access to the latest tech trends and a network of industry leaders and top-level executives.
