Hyundai Motor Group announced on the 17th that it will begin the first half open recruitment for the “ZER01NE ACCELERATOR,” a program to discover external startups with outstanding capabilities. The ZER01NE ACCELERATOR is an open innovation platform that seeks out high-potential startups based on projects proposed by Hyundai’s internal teams. The Hyundai teams participate directly in the selection process and collaborate on projects with the startups selected, focusing on developing new technologies and validating their applicability.
This year’s ZER01NE ACCELERATOR aims to recruit startups for a total of 10 collaboration projects across six themes: Mobility, Sustainability, Logistics, Battery, Defense, and Robotics. Startups that are ultimately selected will receive development funding and will be considered for equity investment by Hyundai Motor Group’s ZER01NE fund.
Startups interested in participating can apply through the ZER01NE ACCELERATOR recruitment webpage until March 9. The selection process includes document screening and interviews, with final results announced around April.
Since its launch in 2018, the ZER01NE ACCELERATOR has seen participation from 13 Hyundai Group affiliates and 170 internal teams. A total of 193 startups have been selected, resulting in 143 collaboration projects, with 104 startups receiving equity investments.