Four startups get a boost to onboard their services on DestinE
On 16 December, within the Destination Earth (DestinE) Platform first Launchpad event, four European startups – SaferPlaces, Latitudo40, eOdyn and Geoskop – were awarded access to the OVHcloud Startup Programme. This is a programme that provides young companies with cloud credits and support to accelerate the development and market release of their products and services. The awards followed a day of pitches in Brussels, Belgium.
“Startups are key enablers for the uptake of DestinE, and their response to the contest was striking. We received proposals that were exceptionally strong and aligned with user needs” says Alexis Longuet from Serco, the main company behind the DestinE Platform.
Longuet’s team worked with OVHcloud to organise the startup pitching contest. They invited European startups to showcase their services and assessed their potential to become DestinE services on the platform.
Winners of DestinE’s first Launchpad startup event. From left to right: Stefano Bagli from SaferPlaces, Gaetano Volpe from Latitudo40, Yann Guichoux from eOdyn and Joan Saladich from Geoskop. Copyright: Serco Business
During the initial selection phase, Serco evaluated applications against key pillars. Services needed to align with DestinE’s objectives and contribute to the EU’s agenda, either through the EU Digital Strategy or the Green Deal. They also had to demonstrate long-term sustainability, innovation, and strong appeal to users.
One of the most sought-after prizes was OVHcloud’s cloud credits. Startups can use these credits to access cloud infrastructure such as data storage and processing power.
“With these credits and support from our Startup Program, startups can scale their solutions – all powered by our cloud infrastructure,” highlights Philip Marais, OVHcloud’s Global Startup Program Director. The company is Europe’s leading cloud provider.
During the event, 12 startup finalists pitched their ideas to a jury made up of representatives from Serco, OVHcloud, ESAEuropean Space Agency and independent commercial consultants, who assessed each proposal. The ideas ranged from services supporting the monitoring of ground deformation and its links to extreme events, to tools enabling users to access high-resolution coastal models.
The overall winner was SaferPlaces, an Italian company offering a service that enables users to explore digital twin data related to flooding. Recognised for its potential to ‘empower effective mitigation strategies’, SaferPlaces is led by CEO and co-founder Stefano Bagli, who has a clear ambition: to lead flood risk management globally through a simple, intuitive interface that users can easily understand.
As explained in his pitch, SaferPlaces’ solution enables users to quickly assess which areas of a city are likely to be flooded within the next 48 hours, using an AI chat tool as the main interface.
“With our solution, we want to put the right data directly into the hands of decision-makers and operators, so they can act quickly during storms and flash floods,” he says. “I feel very lucky to receive this recognition. This award will help us scale up and reach more users through the DestinE PlatformSelf-standing DestinE system component, interfacing with the More.”
The other awardees included Latitudo40, which focuses on damage assessment in urban environments; eOdyn, which works with in-situ measurements of ocean currents; and Geoskop, which aims to improve the reliability of climate data. In the coming months, DestinE will continue to invite startups and service providers to join the platform and onboard their services, strengthening the ecosystem and expanding its value for a broad range of users.
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