DETROIT, April 20, 2022 – The Global Automotive & Mobility Innovation Challenge (GAMIC) selected 4 innovative start-ups as winners of its 14th annual competition, sponsored by SAE International and MI Innovation Alliance. The 2022 GAMIC Finalists, hailing from 3 states and 8 countries, have a broad array of promising new technologies to advance the vehicles and transportation systems of the future. GAMIC invited over 1500 global mobility start-up companies to compete in this year’s event.
This year’s GAMIC Winners are:
coat-it. Sp.z o.o, Poland We are working on corrosion prevention and surface functionalization. coat-it.pl
HeyCharge, Munich Our chargers communicate via the user’s phone instead of a permanent internet connection, saving money — and working better underground! heycharge.com
Betterfrost Technologies Inc., Toronto Revolutionary de-icing technology solutions to combat ice and fog challenges www.betterfrost.com
Enzinc Berkley, CA Safe, patented, low cost, high performance energy storage based on the common material zinc that can be paired with different cathodes for various applications. enzinc.com
Derrick Redding, the CEO of Betterfrost said: The GAMIC process has provided great mentoring to help us develop our pitch and go-to-market strategy. The competition and involvement in the SAE WCX World Congress has also given us great exposure to innovation leaders, OEMs, and tier 1 suppliers from the global automotive industry. Betterfrost has benefited greatly from this experience and highly recommends it to any mobility related startup.
In addition, the GAMIC Keynote Speaker, Wade Sheffer, Managing Director of GM Ventures remarked:
“As the expectations, capabilities and requirements of future mobility continue to evolve, so will the set of challenges that need to be addressed in this rapidly changing industry. Events like this year’s GAMIC provide a valuable opportunity for enterprise leaders to learn about startups who are pioneering innovative solutions in software, connectivity, EV infrastructure and other key focus areas of transportation technology, while also connecting them with resources for future growth.”
To make it to the Finals, the contestants competed virtually in front of senior mobility judges from OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers, as well as from the startup investment community. Judging criteria used to select the teams moving on to the Finals included their business plans, strength of their intellectual property, their uniqueness, and the potential impact of their technologies to the mobility industry. All of the competitors were given mentoring by industry professionals after passing their Quarter-Final events in December and January.
The four winners of the GAMIC competition will receive more than $300k in-kind commercialization assistance and cash to accelerate their business in the automotive and mobility space. In-kind commercialization prizes include legal, incubation, financial modeling, engineering modeling, investor prep, and targeted executive introductions. They are also introduced to senior members of OEMs or Tier 1 suppliers with decision-making responsibility, budgets, and the need for the types of technologies our GAMIC winners offer.
Previous GAMIC Winners and Finalists have gone on to greater success, including being acquired or joint venturing, inking licensing contracts, launching their products faster, and obtaining additional development funding due to their enhanced visibility. In the past 7 years, they have raised over $125 million in equity investment.
Major sponsors for GAMIC 2022 include SAE International, MI Innovation Alliance, Amsted Automotive, Denso Corporation, Clear Flame Engines, Thomas and Jones Group, and Market Results, as well as a number of in-kind professional organization contributions.
GAMIC is an Accredited Partner of STEM.ORG.
GAMIC is a sponsored activity of the MI Innovation Alliance, a 501-c-3 corporation. For additional information visit www.gamicevent.org.
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About GAMIC
The Global Automotive & Mobility Challenge, or GAMIC, is an annual competition for early-stage automotive and mobility companies with new technologies. It was created to: identify innovative companies from around the world; cultivate new technologies and solutions; and hasten their adoption into the automotive and mobility industries. Participants get exposure to over 10,000 mobility experts at the GAMIC Finals during SAE International’s WCX World Congress in April. Winners share more than $300k in commercialization acceleration services and cash, along with facilitated introductions to the industry’s top decision-makers and influencers.
SAE International is a global association committed to being the ultimate knowledge source for the engineering profession. Uniting over 127,000 engineers and technical experts, SAE drives knowledge and expertise across a broad spectrum of mobility industries. SAE’s two priorities are: 1) encouraging a lifetime of learning for mobility engineering professionals; and 2) setting the standards for industry engineering.