IVEX, a spin-out of the Belgian university KU Leuven and a MobilityXlab startup from Batch 7, visited Gothenburg and our office last week. We, of course, took the opportunity to ask a few questions.
Mario Torres, Olivier Quoibion, and Victor Vaquero of IVEX, it is so nice to see you here at the MobilityXlab office. What brings you to Gothenburg?
Through MobilityXlab we have had excellent introductions to many of the key players in the automotive ecosystem. We are here to continue the discussions and be part of this great ecosystem.
What is your experience with MobilityXlab so far?
It is a great door opener! MobilityXlab facilitates the multidimensional and agile connections well and brings value to us as a startup as you are connected to all tiers of the ecosystem. It also builds a lot of trust to have face-to-face meetings. MobilityXlab helps keep a rhythm that forces the big companies to listen and engage with the startup. At some points, IVEX didn't need it so much, but other times it really helped. It is also appreciated that MobilityXlab becomes a base for us when we visit Sweden. The office has a good location with friendly people and is a natural place to work in between meetings. You can count on people at MobilityXlab to help you with anything!
What advice would you give to startups looking to apply to the next batch?
Think about Vision Zero and then look at the combination of partners that MobilityXlab offers. Think about the fact that here you will face the largest melting pot of cultures and values with the most open mindsets. Come to Sweden and create trust, don't leave it for tomorrow. Apply as soon as possible. And since no equity is taken, there is no conflict of interest with venture capital or protective investors.
What are the next steps for IVEX?
To formalize business! We currently have many business discussions, many trials, and experiments, so we are on the road with certain customers where our product can help them deploy what they have to do to test their vehicles. We are a startup, so it is always the parallel tracks – one is getting the business, and the other is closing the next funding rounds to keep the company's growth. We keep on growing and learning, in a sustainable way, with the spirit of a startup.
Could you please describe IVEX, your background, and your solution?
IVEX was created out of the Belgian university KU Leuven. We offer an AI-based analytics platform that helps companies work on completing their software stacks. Engineers working on autonomous driving and advanced driver assistance systems (AD/ADAS) can validate their systems and better understand what is going on in what they are developing, using IVEX tools. In 2021, IVEX started these commercial engagements with OEMs. Our plan for this and for next year is to have a more significant commercial introduction to the market.
Interview by Susanna Glenndahl Thorslund, MobilityXlab.