Terms and conditions

1. Call for solutions

One call for application per cohort is held. We encourage you to submit your application as soon as possible rather than waiting for the deadline to give the jury enough time to assess your application.

The scope of solutions is as follows: innovative startup solutions acting around three challenges:

• Transforming Construction Planning
• Revolutionize Equipment: Information, Interface & Autonomy
• Transform Fleet Management

The applications will be assessed according to the following criteria:

• The business potential and strategic alignment with Hitachi Construction Machinery
• The experience and credibility of the founding team
• The startup's clients, projects and uses-cases track record
• The quality of the application

The Hitachi Construction Machinery Accelerator Program is built around 4 fundamental values:

• Transparency: To facilitate open innovation
• Respect: To allow ideas to germinate
• Kindness: Co-constructing between our partners and startups
• Commitment: To better deploy solutions

To apply to the Challenge, you must submit your application online following the instruction provided on https://www.challenge-hitachicm.com/. This form may be completed with optional attachments (including videos demonstrating the relevance of the solution).

We encourage you to provide information likely to highlight the benefits of your innovation, without sharing confidential information that you would not wish to distribute to all the partners of this Challenge. The application files will be shared with the expert representatives of the partners.

We use your data to contact you and put you in contact with companies with which synergies are likely to happen. By submitting your application, you agree that your information will be used exclusively in the context of calls for solutions and possible follow-up (evaluation & selection), as well as the ethical and personalized commercial relationship that could result from it. In accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR - European Regulation), you can ask to delete your data by sending an email to contact@impulse-partners.com. Find more about our privacy policy at this address: https://impulse-partners.com.

2. Selection of finalists and winners

The startups that best meet Hitachi Construction Machinery's and the partners' challenges (the “finalists”) are pre-selected to pitch in front of a panel of jury from Hitachi Construction Machinery and its partners, for which they must prepare documentations and a presentation. The startup must send to Impulse Partners their presentation and documents at least 2 weeks before the event and carry out a rehearsal (“mock pitch”), for adjustment of the speech and/or document.

During this pitch day, a jury will evaluate the solution and its relevance regarding to the criteria mentioned above, the challenges related to constructions and the common objectives that will emerge from the discussions. External experts may be called upon to contribute to the evaluation of the solutions.

The startups that will collect the highest grades will be designated as "winners" and will be informed within 15 days of the decision from the Hitachi Construction Machinery or Impulse Partners teams. The “winners” must confirm their participation within 7 days after being contacted and selected as “winner”. The "winners" who join the program will benefit from expertise, mentorship, and networking opportunities for the duration of the collaboration. The “winners” may be published on social media from Hitachi Construction Machinery and its partners and on the program website https://www.challenge-hitachicm.com/.

3. Potential experiments with partners

The objective of this Challenge is to identify international solutions applicable to construction jobsites around the world. The startups selected as “winner” are not guaranteed commercial agreement or any collaboration with Hitachi Construction Machinery or its partners until terms and conditions are defined and mutual agreements are signed between both parties. In addition, Hitachi Construction Machinery and its partners may contact selected and non-selected applicants for any commercial or non-commercial purposes.

4. Demo day

The Challenge will lead to a demo day during which selected startups (the “winners”) will present their pilot experiment outcomes and provide relevant financial information to investors and the ecosystem partners of Hitachi Construction Machinery and Impulse Partners.

5. Operating rights and intellectual property

All Intellectual Property Rights shall be owned by the startup participating to the Challenge. Hitachi Construction Machinery and its partners may terminate the collaboration with startups which do not meet this condition.

6. Liability

Hitachi Construction Machinery and its partners cannot be held responsible in the event of total or partial modification, suspension, interruption, postponement, or cancellation of the Challenge for reasons beyond their control. In such cases, Impulse Partners will inform all applicants and the “winners” as soon as possible.

7. Equity

Selected startups (“winners”) which enter the program can benefit from paid travel and pilot expenses for the duration of the program, as well as coaching, mentorship, access to expertise and funding and visibility. In exchange for these benefits, Hitachi Construction Machinery might ask for equity. The details must be discussed and negotiated after the "winner" is selected.