Bridgestone fosters startup innovations through Moonshot Challenge at Expand North Star 2024

16^th October 2024: Bridgestone, a global leader in tyres and sustainable mobility solutions, organised the Bridgestone Moonshot Challenge at Expand North Star 2024 in Dubai, the world’s largest event for global startups and investors. The challenge gathered visionary startups to exhibit their most advanced innovations that seek to revolutionise the future of mobility.

Bridgestone’s challenges offered a platform for some of the most promising startups to showcase their state-of-the-art concepts and ideas in crucial segments of the mobility sector. In line with this, the challenge focused on areas such as Fleet Management, Truck Technology, Mobility as a Service (MaaS), Intelligent Transportation Solutions and Connected Mobility solutions.

The participation of Bridgestone in the event underscored its unwavering commitment to fostering innovation and partnerships that will drive the future of the transportation sector. Furthermore, the participation highlighted the company’s dedication to creating a more sustainable world for future generations perfectly aligned with Bridgestone's E8 Commitment.

Jacques Fourie, President of Bridgestone Middle East and Africa, said: “By hosting the Moonshot Challenge at Expand North Star 2024, we showcased our unwavering commitment to drive the future of mobility by fostering innovation. During the event, we witnessed a wide array of creative ideas from the participating startups. We were excited to learn about the spectrum of creativity and potential of the solutions of finalists in real-world applications and look forward to providing the necessary support to these innovators as they have the ability to influence the future of transportation.”

Berk Berksoy, Fleet Solutions OEM & Retread Manager at Bridgestone, added: “The Moonshot Challenge reflects Bridgestone’s ambition to lead the mobility sector through cutting-edge technological advancements. The innovative solutions we saw by the startups were truly groundbreaking. Through our E8 Commitment, we are dedicated to driving progress that benefits both the industry and society.

Among the many impressive startups that participated in the challenge, Chargel stood out and ultimately won the competition, receiving $50,000 for their innovative truck transport platform designed to optimize logistics in Francophone West Africa. In addition to the cash prize, Chargel will have the unique opportunity to collaborate with Bridgestone, leveraging the company's pioneering position in the industry and its experts. This support will allow the startup to tailor its products and solutions in alignment with direct market feedback and strategic recommendations.

Other top picks that gained substantial attention from the judges included Kuality AI, truQ, BaseTracK, and FleetFox. These startups showcased remarkable potential and innovation within the logistics and AI sectors, signaling their promise for future growth and success.

The Expand North Star 2024 signifies the vital role of encouraging innovations to navigate the challenges in the future mobility sector. It further highlighted the necessity to promote continued partnership between established industry leaders and forward-thinking startups to widely develop one-of-a-kind solutions for the industry.