Nikita Akmakin is a D2XCEL Project Manager at Aalto Startup Center and Group Manager within D2XCEL where he leads key market opportunities for both Open Calls.

Aalto University Startup Center is a sustainability-driven hybrid accelerator offering its own incubator and accelerator services, as well as several partnership programs. From Ideas to Impact®,  the center transforms research into healthy, sustainable and scalable businesses by coaching and matchmaking with relevant key players and stakeholders.

Aalto is one of the 12 consortium partners behind the D2XCEL scaling programme and is presently responsible for the fifth market opportunity - AI-powered Utility Management for Smart Cities as part of Open Call 2.

What change are you aiming to achieve for the European innovation ecosystem as part of D2XCEL?

As part of D2XCEL, our aim is to leverage Aalto's 25 years of experience in accelerating and supporting successful startups, and bring this expertise to a pan-European network. D2XCEL already now connects startups with over 300 industry leaders, investors, and innovation hubs while facilitating access to funding, customers, and international markets. We hope to bring greater scale and global reach to the startups, enabling them to tackle current market challenges and drive innovation across whole Europe. 

Why is this market opportunity (AI-powered Utility Management for Smart Cities) important to you?

The shift towards sustainable urban living is accelerating, and we think that AI-driven utility management products/services have a lot to offer to enhance efficiency of city infrastructures, reduce waste and support environmental goals of cities, while making people lives more comfortable. This market opportunity is very broad, addressing critical challenges in energy, water, waste management, transportation as well as public safety, great goal still is to see how exactly could technology drive improvements across urban services.

We, as Aalto, are actively involved in supporting startups in smart city domain, helping them to commercialize innovative solutions that contribute to the sustainability goals. This time, we aim to bring our expertise to the entire Pan-European innovation network, building on Helsinki region's reputation as a leader in smart city development. 

What potential do you see for deep tech and digital innovation in this MO?

The potential of AI in the smart city context is enormous, there is just no limit to what it can potentially bring on the table. Thinking of critical infrastructure processes it includes prediction and prevention of critical system failures (water, energy etc.), optimization of resource allocation within various domains (traffic as an example), provision of actionable insights for city planners (i.e. where and how to create parks), assisting urban utility providers with data-driven decisions. There are many more but making cities more adaptive to changing demands is the key.

We have recently seen many examples of emerging technologies in smart cities, such as predicting water pipe failures, smart traffic management, demand-response energy management, where cities adjust energy supply based on real-time data. In waste management domain. Artificial intelligence help to optimize routes for collection vehicles, cutting emissions down and improving the efficiency. And there is still a lot more potential for which we are here to explore. 

From your perspective, why should ventures that fit in this MO apply for the ongoing open call?

This is truly a unique opportunity for startups. By joining, ventures get access to a set of resources offered by the D2XCEL project. This includes a network of stakeholders, consisting of more than 300 representatives, with network partners, industry experts, lead customers and investors, ready to help ventures with their growth journey. Additionally, startups will be getting fresh market insights provided by the project partners, helping them to adjust their strategies and receive mentoring to validate their business models and solutions. The goal is to use the existing project's ecosystem to accelerate and enhance startup's positioning on the market. 

D2XCEL invites deep tech and digital ventures across Europe, operating in the field of AI-powered Utility Management for Smart Cities to check the eligibility requirements and join our scaling programme!

Apply here and join one of our live webinars for interested companies and stakeholders, where you can get all the information you need!

This project has received funding from the European Union under grant agreement Nº101121100. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.