JLR TARGETS SILICON VALLEY AND ISRAEL START-UPS AS IT MARKS FIRST YEAR OF OPEN INNOVATION

23 May 2023

  • Open Innovation programme delivers connections with over 600 start‑ups globally and provides investment in seven new companies in its first year
  • Strategic partnerships with industry leaders and pioneering start‑ups are a cornerstone of JLR’s Reimagine strategy

Gaydon, UK, 18 May 2023: JLR has marked the first anniversary of its Open Innovation programme by announcing the expansion of its global presence, into Israel and Silicon Valley, U.S.A. after successful growth of ecosystems in the UK and Brazil.

In the past year, the Open Innovation programme has engaged with over 600 start‑ups globally, resulting in 27 co‑creation projects. Meanwhile, InMotion Ventures, JLR’s corporate venture capital arm, and an essential part of the company’s Open Innovation ecosystem, has invested in seven companies focused on providing more sustainable products and services.

Two examples of Open Innovation’s success to date have come from Latin America, where during the year two new mobility subscription services were launched in Brazil: Jaguar On Demand, a short‑term rental service for Jaguar I‑PACE, and Subscription, a vehicle leasing service.

Jaguar On Demand was created in collaboration with start‑up UCorp. Initially launched for the São Paulo area, the offer will be expanded to other regional capitals in Brazil throughout 2023.

Subscription was designed in partnership with Movida, a Brazilian vehicle rental specialist and offers leasing options up to 36 months on over 250 vehicles from the Range Rover, Defender, Discovery and Jaguar brands.

This emerging portfolio of new mobility services mirrors JLR’s success with Pivotal and The Out, which are providing UK clients with new ways of accessing vehicles through subscriptions and rental services. Both services have been developed by InMotion Ventures Studio, JLR’s own incubator.

Igor Murakami, Director New Services and Open Innovation for JLR, said:

“These two new services explore exciting usage models to serve the fast‑growing luxury market not only across Latin America but beyond and clearly show the benefits of working hand‑in‑hand with start‑ups, to drive innovation.

Co‑creating in this way, on everything from new software solutions to designing sustainable alternatives for our vehicles and services, is an essential part of our vision for the future.”

Igor Murakami, Director New Services and Open Innovation, JLR

The year ahead

JLR’s Open Innovation programme was set up in 2022, to deliver global collaboration with start‑ups, scale‑ups, like‑minded external organisations and the wider Tata Group, exploring opportunities in seven key areas: Electrification, Connectivity, Digital Services, Metaverse, Industry 4.0, Talent and Sustainability. 

Now going into its second year, Open Innovation is expanding further, into Israel and Silicon Valley, U.S.A, where thriving start‑up ecosystems are in place.

An increased footprint in the notorious Silicon Valley with global partner Plug and Play Tech Centre will help JLR accelerate its collaboration with North American start‑ups, while partnering with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) in Tel Aviv will expand its access to the powerful Israeli start‑up scene.  This new partnership will leverage TCS’ Co‑Innovation Network (COIN™), to identify local technology offerings and scale them to global mobility solutions and services and generating further shared value and synergies within the Tata Ecosystem.

François Dossa, Executive Director of Strategy and Sustainability at JLR said:

“While Silicon Valley needs no introduction, a presence in Israel opens the door to another powerhouse of global innovation, with disruptive start‑ups and an economy dominated by industrial high‑tech and entrepreneurship.

By targeting thriving ecosystems, it will help us maximize return. Having this strategic presence in such renowned tech regions strengthens our relationships with start‑ups, scale‑ups, corporate entities, investors, and academia, to help define the future of the mobility sector; itself a vital building block in our Reimagine strategy.”

Francois Dossa, Executive Director of Strategy and Sustainability, JLR

Ben Gilad, Head, TCS COIN™, said:

“We are pleased to be working with JLR, leveraging our global innovation ecosystem to help accelerate their transformation and growth. With the automotive industry transitioning into electrification, innovation is the key differentiator for success.

We look forward to collaborating to identify new technologies in the area to help drive the future of mobility and modern luxury. We encourage Israeli start‑ups and innovators to get involved.”

Ben Gilad, Head, TCS COIN™

Further information

Media Enquiries

JLR Corporate Press Office

E: jlrmedia@jaguarlandrover.com 

T: +44 (0) 2475 361000 

 

JLR:

Nathalie Mabbett

Global External Communications Manager

E: nmabbett@jaguarlandrover.com

T: +44 (0) 7467 448 310

 

InMotion Ventures:

Plug and Play

Lulu Carter

Agata Bendik

Account Director

Program Manager

E: lulu@fieldhouseassociates.com

E: a.bendik@pnptc.com

T: +44 (0)7940 796 368

Plug and Play

Notes to Editors

JLR’s Reimagine strategy is delivering a sustainability‑rich vision of modern luxury by design.

We are transforming our business to become carbon net zero across our supply chain, products, and operations by 2039. We have set a roadmap to reduce emissions across our own operations and value chains by 2030 through approved, science‑based targets. Electrification is central to this strategy and before the end of the decade our Range Rover, Discovery, Defender collections will each have a pure electric model, while Jaguar will be entirely electric.

At heart we are a British company, with two design and engineering sites, three vehicle manufacturing facilities, an engine manufacturing centre, and a battery assembly centre in the UK. We also have vehicle plants in China, Brazil, India, Austria, and Slovakia, as well as JLR is a wholly owned subsidiary of Tata Motors Limited, part of Tata Sons.

 

Open Innovation Partners

Plug and Play UK
JLR is a founding member of the Plug and Play UK Mobility programme, which has fostered important connections with over 500 start‑ups. Plug and Play is a global innovation platform connecting startups, corporations, venture capital firms, universities, and government agencies. 

The global platform offers corporate innovation programmes helping corporate partners in every stage of their innovation journey, from education to execution. Plug and Play also organizes startup acceleration programs and have built an in‑house VC to drive innovation across multiple industries where they've invested in hundreds of successful companies, including Dropbox, Guardant Health, Honey, Lending Club, N26, PayPal, and Rappi. For more information, visit https://www.plugandplaytechcenter.com

InMotion Ventures, JLR’s corporate venture capital arm, is an essential piece of the company’s Open Innovation ecosystem. The fund invests globally, from Seed to Series B, across seven high‑impact strategic verticals. Since the launch of Open Innovation programme in April 2022, In Motion has invested in seven companies, many of which are focused on providing more sustainable products and services. Notable past investments include Lyft (exited in 2019) and:

  • Gen Phoenix uses post‑industrial and post‑consumer waste, leather offcuts, and plant‑based feedstock to create sustainable and luxury next‑gen materials 
  • Envisics specialises in the development and global supply of holographic technologies to automotive Tier 1s and OEMs, with a primary focus on augmented reality heads up displays
  • Circulor has developed a supply chain visibility platform for tracing commodities from extraction to finished product, supporting manufacturers with their sustainability and due diligence goals
  • Carmoola has developed a next generation, mobile first vehicle finance solution. They allow buyers to understand what they can afford before beginning their search, and approves finance in minutes
  • Bumper enables customers to spread the cost of car repairs by offering interest‑free, flexible payments to help drivers better afford necessary repairs and maintenance
  • Ascend Elements is a battery recycling company transforming the lithium‑ion supply chain. Their process takes used batteries from OEMs and reduces it to create new cathode materials
  • Zeelo is the smart bus platform for organizations, providing flexible turn‑key and plug‑in transportation programs for commuting, shuttles and school runs. 

InMotion Venture Studio is a venture development studio that builds new business and services to support and accelerate the delivery of the Jaguar Land Rover Reimagine strategy.

Cubo: Latin America Open Innovation accelerator Cubo, Brazilian Bank Itau’s incubator company, is a major player in innovation in the region.  Located in São Paulo, it currently hosts hundreds of start‑ups covering several industries like fintech, agribusiness, healthcare and retail. JLR plays a key role in Cubo’s newly created Smart Mobility Hub, to spearhead innovations for the automotive sector.

Firjan is a private network of non‑profit organisations that promotes business competitiveness, education, and quality of life in the state of Rio de Janeiro. With a 10,000‑strong network of enterprise members, Firjan works closely with JLR to connect start‑ups who are developing advanced automotive manufacturing processes and provide access to advanced laboratories for R&D programmes.

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is an IT services, consulting and business solutions organization that has been partnering with many of the world’s largest businesses in their transformation journeys for over 55 years. Its consulting‑led, cognitive powered, portfolio of business, technology and engineering services and solutions is delivered through its unique Location Independent Agile™ delivery model, recognized as a benchmark of excellence in software development.

TCS has more than 40 research and innovation centres across the world. TCS COIN™ brings together a network of experts from the start‑up, research, academics, and corporate worlds to work on collaborative innovations for TCS’ Fortune 1,000 customers. It currently includes over 100 academic and 2,750 start‑up partners. 

Present in Israel since 2005, TCS helps some of the largest organisations in the region define the blueprint for their business transformation, innovate and adopt new technologies to improve operational resilience, embrace new business models, and enhance customer experience.